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.
The report also identifies a number of trends that might indicate more acceptance of children’s learning games in the K-12 marketplace.
(Next page: Barriers to implementation, and key recommendations)
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