The AMD Foundation has come up with an awesome way to teach middle and high school kids the skills they’ll need to successfully graduate from high school and go on to college: creating video games. What kid doesn’t love gaming? The program’s official name is AMD Changing the Game.
Along with their partner organizations, Girlstart, Science Buddies, Global Kids, Institute for Urban Game Design, and the 5th Annual Games for Change Festival, they teach the program participants STEM skills: science, technology, engineering and math.
Because the games the kids design have socially-relevant themes, like how to deal with the effects of a natural disaster, the students are made aware of their fellow humans and how important it is for everyone to look out for more than just themselves. “Global concerns such as poverty, hunger, climate change, and the genocide crisis in Darfur have already been addressed in games that help players understand the complexities involved and explore creative solutions.”
Further Reading:
Girlstart
Science Buddies
Global Kids
Institute for Urban Game Design
Games for Change
AMD Foundation Press Release
Posted by Alexa Harrington
[...] The AMD Foundation has come up with an awesome way to teach middle and high school kids the skills theyll need to successfully graduate from high school and go on to college: creating video games. What kid doesnt love gaming? The programs official name is AMD Changing the Game. Along with […]Read More… [Source: Educated Nation | Higher Education Blog] [...]
Pingback by » Educational Video Games 06.10.08 @ 12:58 amWhat kid doesn’t love gaming?
To answer your question, there are plenty of kids who are uninterested in video games. Video game use penetration among youths is not at 100%.
It’s problematic to think of any teaching method as one that will appeal to and work for all students.
Sounds like a great project though.
Comment by Traci 06.10.08 @ 8:51 amTraci,
I absolutely agree with you that no single teaching method should be considered an across-the-board solution, video games included. I was making generalizations and assumptions based upon my own freakish nature. My hilarious logic went like this: I actually loathe video games. My video game career started and stopped with the original Pac Man game. Because I’m such an odd duck, I assumed all other (normal) humans must therefore feel the opposite emotion toward video games.
–Alexa
Comment by alexa 06.11.08 @ 10:00 amWow. That was amazing. Hope people who are opposing the newest trend to education would slowly changed thier views. After all, videgames are really helpful!
Comment by Howard 07.25.09 @ 9:33 am