WASHINGTON – While video games are often portrayed as one of the villains behind America’s education woes, a dozen or so thought leaders hailed video games as potential heroes Tuesday at a forum on technology in education.
“The technological innovations and educational benefits of video games make them a fundamental asset in the 21st century global economy,” said Michael D. Gallagher, president and CEO of the Entertainment Software Association, or ESA, the trade association for U.S. computer and video game publishers.
Gallagher, former U.S. Assistant Secretary for Communications & Information at the U.S. Department of Commerce under President George W. Bush, made those remarks Tuesday at the “Technologies in Education Forum,” part of an “intelligence series” hosted by The Atlantic magazine.
Held in the Great Hall at Gallup World Headquarters, the forum featured a dozen or so technology experts that ranged from university professors and a schoolteacher to corporate executives and leaders of the philanthropic world.
A major theme that emerged was that, while video games can be used to engage students in new and exciting ways, it must be done in a thoughtful way that takes an array of factors into account, from different levels of students’ academic preparedness to learning preferences and styles that may differ by gender.
Speakers and attendees lamented that disconnectedness pervades too many schools, while others warned that, even when technology becomes more prominent, teachers are still needed to help students “connect the dots.”
Higher education featured prominently in the discussion, particularly as it relates to teacher preparation programs.
