Gaming in the Classroom Is Becoming the Norm

Teachers who use games like Angry Birds and World of Warcraft in the classroom are becoming less of a rarity. According to a survey by the Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop, a nonprofit that studies how children learn through digital media, an increasing number of teachers believe gaming is "becoming a consistent and valuable part of classroom activities."

About half of elementary and middle school teachers say they use digital games at least twice a week with students, while nearly 70 percent say that games help students who are struggling with reading and math and 60 percent say gaming helps them personalize their instruction and meet the needs of all students.

---

As the video below shows, gaming can even help educate students with special needs. Ginger Stevens, a sixth-grade special education teacher at Quest2Learn—a three-year-old New York City school whose entire curriculum is game-based—says she uses interactive digital games to ensure she's meeting her students' specific needs. While most schools don't have access to the kind of gaming technology Quest2Learn is using, it's pretty exciting to see their potential.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRxLMcjbpig