The topic of gaming and its usage in the classroom has been popping up more and more in the last year or so. Jane McGonigal, who is an expert in this area (check out this link to see her extensive experience and list of “unlocked” achievements), gives some good reasons that we should not dismiss gaming as “a waste of time”. Other than improving flirting skills, it seems that many of the benefits might be worth consideration by teachers. I am planning to create a gaming environment in my gifted classroom this year for my 5th graders, and I hope to see an increase in productivity in the areas of creativity and ambition, as Dr. McGonigal predicts! If you are interested in this topic, you might want to visit Gamification of the Classroom and Classroom Game Design, too!
