10 conversations about digital equity

Educators universally agree that equity should be one of the top priorities in every school and in every district across the country.

Addressing equity issues is more difficult for some districts than others due to factors such as funding, parental involvement, and policy.

According to new Speak Up data from Project Tomorrow, 43 percent of school site administrators say implementing digital content is an effective tool for ensuring equity across classrooms, throughout the school, and within their district. A majority of school principals say instruction in their classrooms regularly includes digital games, online textbooks, and online videos, animations and simulations.…Read More

Digital games still face uphill climb

Emerging K-12 policies and practices are creating more opportunities for educational game publishers.

For developers and publishers of digital games to penetrate the education market, they must overcome several significant barriers to digital game implementation, including funding and teacher professional development, according to a new report from the nonprofit Joan Ganz Cooney Center.

According to “Games for a Digital Age: K-12 Market Map and Investment Analysis,” the landscape for K-12 educational digital games varies, and games must be flexible to meet different learning needs and environments.

Developers of children’s learning games often split into two categories: short-form games, which offer tools for practice and focused concepts and fit easily into a class period; and long-form games that have more of a research base and focus more on higher-order thinking skills that naturally align with the Common Core.…Read More

Educational gaming on the rise, but funding remains a challenge

Teachers most often use literacy or math games in the classroom.

In a national survey, teachers say they believe that using digital games in the classroom helps students maintain concentration and enthusiasm for learning, while making it easier for teachers to differentiate instruction and assess students.

The survey of 505 teachers who use digital games in their K-8 classrooms aims to identify what teachers think about game-based learning and how digital games affect students beyond academic achievement. It offers a mix of qualitative interviews with quantitative data to offer a more rounded picture of teacher opinions.

The survey, Teacher Attitudes about Digital Games in the Classroom, released by the Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop in collaboration with and support from BrainPOP, was released at the NewSchools Venture Fund-Aspen Institute Summit in San Francisco.…Read More