WHY SO SERIOUS? Most people have likely heard the phrase, “Playing video games is bad for you.” But if you look at game-based education trends, that critique might fade to a whimper. According to a KQED Mindshift article, researchers suggest that video games have positive consequences for dyslexic students. Why? “These video games require you to respond very quickly, to shift attention to one part of the screen to another,” says Vanessa Harrar, an experimental psychologist. Gaming in learning is far more than “chocolate-covered broccoli,” notes history teacher Matthew Farber in this smart round-up of the power of serious games. Gotta love Zombies Run, a mobile app that gets kids moving.
