Interactive Online Video Games For Kids
Science for Kids (3 of 3). The Danger of Underestimating Today's Young Learners by Hannah McCarthy
Over the past 20 years there has been a digital revolution, so most homes now have internet, mobile phones and specialist television channels which are geared towards young learners. This can be both an opportunity and a threat, depending on how these information sources are handled by the parents and utilised by the teacher. What is clear, as statistics point out, is that children are open to far more distractions than their parent's generation. According to an annual survey conducted in 2009 by Childwise research agency, the overall time spent in front of screens by 5-16 year-olds in Britain was nearly six hours a day. The survey of 1,800 children found that they were spending 2.7 hours per day watching television, 1.5 hours on the internet, and 1.3 hours on games consoles.
A casualty of this amount of screen time has been reading, as stated in the survey, with 0.6 hours per day on average. The number of children reading for pleasure in their own time has fallen from 80% in 2008 to 75% in 2009. In particular, older boys are resistant to reading, with 42% of 11-16 year-olds saying they never read books for pleasure. The survey reveals a picture of children growing up in a youth culture that revolves around screens whether they are used for playing games, watching television or chatting on websites. Half of these 11-16 year olds use the internet at home every day, with a typical session lasting one hour and 45 minutes. Again according to the results of the survey by Childwise research agency, more than a third have internet access in their own bedrooms, and even though parents might have hoped that this would help with homework, it is much more likely to be used for games, sending messages or watching video clips or television programmes.
Results of a similar American study: It would be easy to dismiss all this digital activity as being of no instructional use; however, the exposure of these youngsters to the huge world offered by the internet and documentary television, while scary to some, offers the promise of ultimate 'home-learning'. We can consider this form of passive learning as still positive because it engages the brain. Examples such as the latest Hollywood blockbuster require concentration to follow the plot even for action movies. The young learner may follow the developments in the latest gadget, so this can be considered a form of passive science education. Even hours of internet chatting with friends can be viewed in a positive light because it builds up relationships and basic communication skills.
The exposure of young learners to so much human culture through television and internet, often seemingly poorly supervised by parents, will lead to the creation of a new generation of young adults. These youngsters may not have the emotional maturity their parents had when they were their age, yet they appear to be thinking and seeing the world as grown-up adults, with all that entails. The digital revolution has allowed that world to enter youngsters' bedrooms.
Hannah McCarthy is Education City's schools marketing manager. Education City develops online teaching resources, which offer curriculum-based Key Stage 1 science worksheetsand interactive whiteboard resources for KS1 and KS2 pupils.
Article Source: http://www.earticlesonline.com/Article/Science-for-Kids--3-of-3---The-Danger-of-Underestimating-Today-s-Young-Learners/873758
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Playmobil: The Secret of Pirate Island $2.25 "Playmobil toys are a longtime children's favorite, and now those little plastic people with the hands that grip are coming to life in their very own pirate movie. A trip to Grandma and Grandpa's house becomes an adventure at sea for 7-year-old Jack and his big sister Amelia when they're magically transported onto a pirate ship headed out on a treasure hunt. After the captain discovers the two sto... |
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Parroty Interactive $124.27 Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Parroty Interactive, of Larkspur, California, was a video game developer, active during the 1990s; the company is no longer in business.Parroty created a number of notable parody video games for the PC and Apple Macintosh. The companys name was intended as a playonwords between parody and parrot ; the company logo depicted a red parrot, with Groucho Marxstyle glasses, moustache, and cigar. Parroty was a division of Palladium Interactive; the parent companys main focus was on childrens educational and home productivity software. Palladium Interactive was bought out by The Learning Company in 1998, and the Parroty division was discontinued. Author: Surhone, Lambert M./ Tennoe, Mariam T./ Henssonow, Susan F. Binding Type: Paperback Number of Pages: 176 Publication Date: 2011/04/10 Language: English Dimensions: 5.98 x 9.00 x 0.41 inches |
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Interactive Storytelling for Video Games by Lebowitz, Josiah; Klug, Chris Edition ILL, 0 $27.49 What really makes a video game story interactive? What?s the best way to create an interactive story? How much control should players be given? Do they really want that control in the first place? Do they even know what they want-or are their stated desires at odds with the unconscious preferences? All of these questions and more are examined in this definitive book on interactive storytelling for video games. You?ll get detailed descriptions of all major types of interactive stories, case studies of popular games (including Bioshock, Fallout 3, Final Fantasy XIII, Heavy Rain, and Metal Gear Solid), and how players interact with them, and an in-depth analysis of the results of a national survey on player storytelling preferences in games. You?ll get the expert advice you need to generate compelling and original game concepts and narratives.With Interactive Storytelling for Video Games, you?ll: * Explore popular styles and genres of games (RPGs, Online Games, First Person Shooters, and more) * Learn to create effective, original concepts and story lines with key components in mind: structure, process, characters, player desire, and outcome * Learn about what players want, what they expect, and how to create truly compelling player-driven experiences * Get access to an associated website with additional data on storytelling preferences in games, valuable PowerPoint lectures for professors for each chapter of the book, and links to movies, websites, game writer discussion boards, and more |
