STEM by Video Games!

Video Games: A Route to Large-Scale STEM Education?

Summary:

Game-based learning is a new area of research and practice. Computer games can be used to teach STEM subjects to a multitude of students. Hindrances to success include the quantity of game-based education content, the quality of this content, and the distribution mechanism for the content.

This article is relevant because it concerns game-based learning. However, this learning is in STEM fields that do not as of yet include Computer Science.

Computer Game Programming

Computer Coding Lessons Expanding for K12 students

http://www.edweek.org/dd/articles/2013/06/12/03game-coding.h06.html

Summary:

South Hills High School teacher, Saleta Thomas, talks about her computer game design class. This class is used to draw students in through the attraction of computer game design. Students can follow it with a more traditional computer science class. Once in college, students will realize that computer science has a lot of options for interesting work and well paying jobs.

"If we get the hook into them through gaming, then when they go to college they can see there's a whole lot more offered in computer science," Thomas says. "If you major in computer science, your world is really open."

This article is relevant to me because I also use computer game design as a motivator in my classes.

Game Based Learning

A MASSIVELY MULTIPLAYER ONLINE GAME (MMOG) WITH SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING AND MATHEMATICS (STEM) TOPICS FOR MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL CURRICULUM.

https://www.radixendeavor.org/ from the MIT Education Arcade, a research group at MIT.

I just signed up for this research project/game-based learning opportunity. Its a game that teaches math and biology concepts for middle and high school. They teach through exploration which supports the strength of the subjects being taught rather than drilling facts for points which is a more common style of game-based learning. The research and game are from MIT. Teacher registration has to be accepted but I have mine now. I am anxious to see what it has to offer.
I don't think this is a targeted audience, but I am curious if this type of game would be good for kids with ADHD since they can often focus pretty well in in rich multimedia environments like computer games.