Dot Learnt

In the thought-provoking words of Ali Carr-Chellman, video games are not a cause, but a symptom.

In this short and enlightening TED Talk, Carr-Chellman explores the world of gendered education by examining how boys are academically lagging behind their female counterparts. Worldwide, boys are getting expelled more frequently then girls, are being placed in special education more regularly than girls and have a higher likelihood to become diagnosed with ADD and other attention disorders. This talk points to the ability of games to reverse these setbacks. Schools all around the globe at times will face resource deficiencies; by incorporating play and games more into the curriculum, we can ensure a more sound education system.

Agree or disagree? Find this talk to be completely whack or worse, boring? Either way, let us know your thoughts below and share with us interesting lectures that have inspired you!

Check back on our site during the month of September and October for the latest on play therapy and game-based learning.

Keep Calm and Learn On,

Nora

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Internationally recognized elementary educator and New York Times bestselling author Rafe Esquith warns us, “Parents, television is killing your child’s potential… Anyone raising a child has witnessed the destructive potential of the screen” (Lighting their Fires).

Henry Jenkins (Media Studies Expert and Provost Professor of Communication, Journalism, and Cinematic Art, University of Southern California) writes recent reports from the Kaiser Foundation lament the large amounts of time children spent on “screen media”:

The Kaiser reports collapse a range of different media consumption and production activities into a general category of ‘screen time’ without reflecting very deeply on the different degrees of social connectivity, creativity and learning involved… Yet, the focus on negative effects of media consumption offers an incomplete picture. These accounts do not appropriately value the skills and knowledge young people are gaining through their involvement with new media, and as a consequence, they may mislead us about the roles teachers and parents should play in helping children learn and grow (“Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture”).

Whether you fall into the camp of “Screens are evil!” versus “Bring on the screens!” one thing is for sure, as adults we need to:

• Limit screen time and encourage children to engage in good ol’ fashioned sports and play at least once (if not twice) a day.
• Or, if you can’t seem to pry your child (or yourself) from that laptop or video game, its time you invest in copies of Dance Dance Revolution or Wii Fit.

What am I getting at here?

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