Videos on Games-Based Learning

Examples

"The next three resources are all videos that highlight the power of games-based learning, but from three different perspectives: that of youth, gamers, and funders.

A Youth-Perspective

Sixth-grade iOS developer starts school app club, wows in TEDx video (video)

URL = http://www.theverge.com/2011/11/12/2556021/sixth-grader-ios-games-app-club-TEDx

As programming tools become more accessible, they allow for not only adult novices to learn new ways of expressing themselves, but young students as well. In fact, Thomas Suarez, a sixth grader, has already had two successful apps under his belt. In this clip from his TEDx talk, you hear him discuss the importance of having a space for kids to learn how to create games and his methods of collaborating with educators. Global Kids has always emphasized the power of game design within digital youth media programs (such as our current NYC Haunts project) but it is another thing to hear the argument made directly by a youth.

A Gamer-Perspective

Off Book - Video Games (video)

URL = http://pbsarts.tumblr.com/post/11955227017/portal-minecraft-indie-games-pbs-on-video

PBS Arts’ Off Book is a web-based video series that “expands the definition of art.” In their latest offering on video games, this seven minute video features top game designers and game journalists (among them Eric Zimmerman, who has collaborated with Global Kids in the past). As they explore the power of games and their impact on society, the visuals highlight relevant gaming examples to provide context.

A Funder’s Perspective

How Games Can Transform Learning (video)

URL = http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ahYeJ5LmnXI

In this short talk (below), Robert J. Torres, Ph.D, a Senior Program Officer at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, explains the power of games in learning environments and how they help us understand and solve complex problems. He explains how games create highly immersive environments where students experience a heightened sense of relevance. Torres also highlights the recent use of a collaborative game, Fold It, that actually led to an important scientific discovery. If games are creating conditions in which youth can participate in such remarkable activities, he says, how can we not take a serious look at games for transforming learning in the 21st Century?"