Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/189657
Learning "I don't know how to explain it, but I can do it," he says of figuring out ratios and measurements in a virtual world. Kenney and special education teacher Kunane Burns assess students every few weeks to see whether the strategies are paying off. They say it's early, but they've seen improvement. Overall, the effectiveness of off-the-shelf video games in teaching academics has not been heavily studied, according to research scientist H. Chad Lane, who specializes in educational games and artificial intelligence at University of Southern California's Institute for Creative Technologies. Some studies show they improve creativity, spatial awareness and cognition; others show they hurt academics because students spend more time playing instead of studying. When Burns first became involved in the pilot project, he had no idea of what Minecraft was. "I liked the idea of doing something outside the box," says Burns. "We are taking geometry concepts learned in my class- Top: Brent Gilson, Ivette Ochoa and Corey Griffin measure buildings on campus to get accurate scale. room and applying it to a game in a way that's three-dimensional, engaging, and based on something they are interested in. Why not take a chance on something new?" The games may progress to a new level this year, as peer tutors go beyond Minecraft and use games they created in Kenney's video game design classes for teaching geometry and algebra. Aiden Lawrence is proud of a game he designed giving players "rewards" for right answers, with special effects like doors opening into mystery rooms or caverns. Kenney encourages teachers to embrace technology students enjoy, such as video games and smartphones, because they have applications for learning — and fighting them may be a losing battle. "If you call for society to have innovation, you have to teach in a way that keeps kids interested. And if we don't keep them interested, we might miss out on a lot of talent that's out there." Video Students Tristan Grandy and Aiden Lawrence explain a new video game they created that will help fellow students learn geometry. Players are given rewards in the form of cool visuals for right answers. See the video at cta.org/ minecraftmath or scan the QR code below. OCTOBER 201 3 Educator 10 Oct 2013 v2.1 int.indd 49 www.cta.org 49 10/7/13 9:39 PM