Product Description

How can we make sure that our children are learning to be creative thinkers in a world of global competition - and what does that mean for the future of education in the digital age? David Williamson Shaffer offers a fresh and powerful perspective on computer games and learning. How Computer Games Help Children Learn shows how video and computer games can help teach children to build successful futures - but only if we think in new ways about education itself. Shaffer shows how computer and video games can help students learn to think like engineers, urban planners, journalists, lawyers, and other innovative professionals, giving them the tools they need to survive in a changing world. Based on more than a decade of research in technology, game science, and education, How Computer Games Help Children Learn revolutionizes the ongoing debate about the pros and cons of digital learning.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #172660 in Books
• Published on: 2008-04-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

Review
'This totally enchanting book shows what education in the 21st century could look like if we are willing to expand our notions of learning in ways that foster productive inquiry and design. An extremely readable book....' -John Seely Brown, Former Chief Scientist of Xerox Corp. and Director of its Palo Alto Research Center (PARC), Senior Fellow, Annenberg Center, USC, Co-author, The Social Life of Information and The Only Sustainable Edge

'You may have asked yourself if computer games are destroying the minds of our nation's children. How Computer Games Help Children Learn shows that the exact opposite is true. Parents, educators, and computer game makers take note: by combining years of research and his front-line classroom experiences, Shaffer makes a cogent and compelling argument for the educational power of intelligently crafted games that can serve as tools to help children think and learn about real world problems and their solutions.' - Michael McCormick, designer, SimCity 4(tm), game producer of Star Wars - Gungan Frontier(tm) for Lucas Learning, founder of Learning Friends

'Shaffer's book moves from vivid case studies and accessible accounts of key ideas from the learning sciences to practical advice on how parents can help their kids learn more from the games they play. This book represents the logical next step in a conversation started by James Paul Gee's What Video Games Have To Teach Us About Learning and Literacy (Palgrave Macmillan, 2004) .' - Henry Jenkins, Director, Comparative Media Studies Program, MIT

'Shaffer offers practical advice to assist parents and educators to respond to his call to radically transform an increasingly outdated educational system...' - Barry Joseph, Online Leadership Director, Global Kids

'Like Dewey, Piaget, and Papert before him, Shaffer challenges us to rethink learning in a new age. He uses vivid examples - backed by solid research - to show what education should look like in the 21st century.' - Kurt D. Squire, Assistant Professor of Education, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Game Designer

'A must read for anyone who cares about learning. Game designers depend on having millions of people voluntarily learn more than anyone would dare put into a school curriculum. So studying games - how they are designed and how they are played - is one of the best sources of insight about learning, and Shaffer is an excellent guide to making the most of it.' - Seymour Papert, Professor Emeritus, Media and Education Technology, MIT Media Lab

About the Author
DAVID WILLIAMSON SHAFFER is Associate Professor of Learning Science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA, and Game Scientist at the Academic Advanced Distributed Learning Co-Laboratory. A former teacher, curriculum developer, teacher-trainer, and game designer, he has taught in the United States and with the U.S. Peace Corps in Nepal.

JAMES PAUL GEE has written the Foreword to this book. He is one of the most well-known professors of education in the United States. He teaches at the University of Wisconsin, Madison and is the author of several books, including What Video Games Have To Teach Us About Learning and Literacy (Palgrave Macmillan, 2004).