Our Brains on Video Games

I think that video games and learning go hand in hand when talking about 21st century learning. 21st century learning isn't necessarily about how many laptops you cant fit into a class room. It's about collaborative teamwork, problem solving, and developing the capability to think more deeply about the world around us. Video games give students the tools to do all of these things; for example, video games require a high level of concentration, multitasking skills, and critical thinking. Video games are also goal oriented. This gives students something fun to work towards. It gives them a purpose to keep coming back to learn. Right now, my brother is studying his multiplication tables. In order to remember them, he plays a game on his iPod that races toward a goal, and the only way to finish within the time frame is to answer all the questions correctly. This has really improved his memory. Research also shows that video games actually increase the brains gray matter, help eye sight, and improve concentration.