Games Based Learning is an investment in children (not computer games).

This week we will be asking other schools within East Lothian if they would like to take part in an extension of last sessions Guitar Hero Project. The project aims to  help improve the transition for children between primary and secondary school.

The scaling up of this project is starting to get quite a bit of media attention and there was fantastically well written article in the Edinburgh Evening News talking about some of the work that we have been doing so far.

You can read the article on-line over on the Edinburgh Evening News website. Unfortunately, some of the comments from people on the article are not as positive – but I think that that is mainly because they haven’t actually read it! Some of the comments are actually very derogatory towards young people and I have asked for them to be removed.

On another note, over dinner on Friday night, I was asked by a senior official who does not work in education and work in another area in Scotland, ‘why we were investing so much resource in computer games?’

I could have responded by talking about the fantastic work of the Consolarium or my own positive experiences of using games based learning in school or about East Lothians 2020 Vision or about how cheap, cost effective and robust games consoles can be compared to some other hardware platforms. But in the end, I just said,

‘We are not investing in computer games?..... We are investing in children’

He smiled and replied, ‘I think I’ll shut up now!’

If you like the sound of what we are trying to do  why don't you leave a comment here or over on the Edinburgh Evening News Site.

Comments

[Derek Robertson]

Great article Ollie and yes you're correct: it is about investing in children. The reactions on the Edinburgh Evening News website are disappointing and rather worrying. Do forums such as these always attract the destructively negative and smugly arrogant of people? Yes, I'm all for people having opinions but some of that bile is hugely uninformed, unhelpful and ugly. You'd think that people such as yourself, professional and experienced would have some understanding of how to continually provide a curriculum and set of experiences that relates to, motivates and challenges pupils in schools but no, apparently the question seems to be- why not just teach them guitar?! Sheesh, what can you do? Keep doing your stuff Ollie, we know it works.

[Con Morris]

Great stuff Ollie. I agree with Derek. I am afraid I have no faith in fora that allow anonymous contributors. For some reason, they always end up with the lowest common denominator of debate. They are the very people who would be up in the arms (anonymously of course!) if the News ran the article without naming the school or the teacher! Keep on keeping on!

[Alan Parkinson]

Nice quote Ollie. I will remember that one...
Keep up the good work !