Sir Ken Robinson, in his Ted presentation called "Changing Educational Paradigm", 2006, very artistically showed us what was wrong with the educational structure of today. The expectations that age determined what and how a child learned, the passive delivery of material, the narrow mindedness of assessments and expectations, etc. Instructional delivery must be changed to meet the needs of today's society.
James Paul Gees video, "Big Thinkers, clearly explains where education has got to go for our children to live in the 21st century. Our children need to be collaborative problem solvers rather then just knowing a lot of facts but can't apply the knowledge to solve problems.
A gaming environment has students (myself as well) being presented with solving problems continuously, as well as assessing the knowledge gained and how we are applying it. The student becomes an active participant in their learning rather than repeating back what they were told. The use of gaming technology helps education become a spirited event, engaging students where an hour of study feels like five minutes, instead of the prevailing education model, where five minutes feels like an hour.
I think it is time for students to learn how to think for themselves. It's time thinking goes to school, and gaming is how to get it there.
chool k-8 grades. Their belief is to drop the assembly line system of seat time education in favor of competency learning which helps bring accountability to the forefront for student, teacher, family and administration.