Are the days of students sitting at small tables, listening to lectures, reading from textbooks covered in engraved paper books, and completing assignments with pens and paper gone forever? Maybe not yet, but we certainly seem to be moving in that direction! Educators and curriculum developers are finding more and more ways to pass information on to today’s technology-savvy kids!
For example, several years ago, Lightspan Inc introduced a line of educational video games that can be played. at home from the children in no wise! In sports imitating traditional video games, when
In participating schools, each Sony student receives time for comfort, along with the necessary games. But not all fun& games! Before they can get wise, parents have to sign agreements saying they will warn students about solar use and work with their students. And, back at school, the kids still have to take tests to learn what they are supposed to learn!
The benefits of Lightspan are games that keep children’s attention, and encourage children to play the same games over the game. and again, getting better and better as the information is repeated. This repetition seems to help kids retain information, more than doing a worksheet or other assignment once and then turning it in!
Another benefit of is that parents are encouraged to play with their kids or their own. For parents with limited English or in need of education, it gives them the opportunity to brush up on their skills!
Lightspan, Inc. is partnering with Plato Learning, a company that specializes in gaming computers for use in schools and homes. .
Other career teams are taking it in the trenches as well! Textbook company Scott Foresman-Addison Wesley has come out with a product called enVisionMath for students in kindergarten through sixth grade. Each online lesson has three parts…an animation around the lesson, an interactive digital story for students to click through, and an opportunity interactive for students to solve Although not as splashy, computer games keep students’ attention and require them to interact with the lecture.
Believe it or not, some schools seem to be getting rid of regular schools at all! In Chicago, one school, the Chicago Virtual Charter School, offers all these lessons online! Kindergarten students through ninth grade move through lessons at their own level, with the help of a certified teacher they’ve never met in person. This is actually part of the Chicago Public Schools system, and tuition is free for children who live in Chicago!
Many have also come across virtual private school as an alternative for parents who want their children to be educated at home. Are they ready to tackle creating their own curriculum and doing their own teaching! Virtual lessons often include a pre-test, a cartoon lesson for the student to click through the game, and a post-test. They also do many online activities for students. as the student can be instructed to walk outside and look for different species of insects or plants. These completely virtual schools are often used not only by families who want their kids to home school properly, but also by families who have found their wise they don’t do well in traditional schools. For example, some kids with ADHD or autism learn different varieties of autism better at their own level, through counting games! It is clear that watching games and internet-based lessons help many kids learn academic skills. But can the disciples then go out into the truth and apply what they have learned? If they can, maybe video games and computers will really replace classrooms and teachers, someday!
