Bill MacKenty

News story: Video games help children learn

CNN is running a story about video games being educational (pdf here).

A quick note: there are different ways of understanding “learning” and “educational”.  I do believe that many video games improve and strengthen cognitive skills. I also see how video games can help students frame certain issues.

However, when I talk about video games and education, the type of learning I usually talk about is how teachers can use video games in the classroom effectively.

So - it’s not that I find this story incorrect or troubling in any way - I’m looking at video games in a slightly more structured manner (that is, inside the classroom).