Educational games are they useful or not?

Most school going kids today are absorbed into the current media rich, universe, popularly known as the, “always connected” world. As Bill Gates (2005) noted in his address at the National Educational Summit on High Schools, “Training the workforce of tomorrow with the high schools of today is like trying to teach kids about today’s computers on a 50-year-old mainframe. It’s the wrong tool for the times.”

Do you think of a need to reform the educational system which could effectively prepare students for a much more technology driven, interconnected and competitive “flat world”? Will educational games act as values addition or not to achieve this? Are these games worthwhile to play, or are they are just a waste of time for your children?

Well, I think game-based learning helps to teach children important skills for future jobs such as collaboration, problem-solving, and communication. Games provide a practice for students to create solutions and understanding for the very real challenges and risks in a world and most importantly it is always easy to understand and reproduce concepts when learnt with a fun aspect attached to it. In today’s technological era there are certain computer-based games that can boost the working memory capacity which is a basic ingredient of intelligence and academic success. Wait benefits do not end here have you heard  about the video games which encourage kids to be helpful and friendly?

Educational games can take on innumerable forms to accommodate children’s learning styles, It is very important for you to keep in mind the way your kids learn while you choose an educational software or game for them to use or play. I would suggest you to choose games like JumpStart,Elementary Advantage 2011, and Schooltown that will appeal to your kids and reinforce the things they’re learning in school too.

Here are few interesting online games I came across:

• Whyville is a virtual world featuring games and activities for kids aged 8-14. The game teaches academic subjects like art history, civics, economics and ocean science.
• Free educational video games at the NASA website. These games there are mostly quick, casual games of logic, memory, or math.
• Nobel prize organization’s free educational video games. Games include “The Diabetic Dog Game” (which teaches kids about caring for someone with diabetes) and “Lord of the Flies” based on the novel by William Golding.

I have had fun playing few of these educational games, so why won’t your Kids.

Share with us any such game that you think have some commendable educational benefits.