Free Downloads The Game Believes In You: How Digital Play Can Make Our Kids Smarter
What if schools, from the wealthiest suburban nursery school to the grittiest urban high school, thrummed with the sounds of deep immersion? More and more people believe that can happen - with the aid of video games. Greg Toppo's The Game Believes in You presents the story of a small group of visionaries who, for the past 40 years, have been pushing to get game controllers into the hands of learners. Among the game revolutionaries you'll meet in this book: *A game designer at the University of Southern California leading a team to design a video-game version of Thoreau's Walden Pond. *A young neuroscientist and game designer whose research on "Math Without Words" is revolutionizing how the subject is taught, especially to students with limited English abilities. *A Virginia Tech music instructor who is leading a group of high school-aged boys through the creation of an original opera staged totally in the online game Minecraft. Experts argue that games do truly "believe in you." They focus, inspire and reassure people in ways that many teachers can't. Games give people a chance to learn at their own pace, take risks, cultivate deeper understanding, fail and want to try again-right away-and ultimately, succeed in ways that too often elude them in school. This book is sure to excite and inspire educators and parents, as well as provoke some passionate debate.
Hardcover: 256 pages
Publisher: St. Martin's Press (April 21, 2015)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1137279575
ISBN-13: 978-1137279576
Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 1 x 9.5 inches
Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #299,759 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #153 in Books > Computers & Technology > Computer Science > Human-Computer Interaction #186 in Books > Education & Teaching > Schools & Teaching > Computers & Technology #835 in Books > Humor & Entertainment > Puzzles & Games > Video & Computer Games
Yes, indeed, the best book since mine--and it is much better written than mine, Greg has done a great job. The book is both highly informative and really entertaining at the same time.
I think this will turn out to be the most influential book on video game learning since James Paul Gee's 2003 classic "What video games have to teach us about learning and literacy". Greg Toppo is one of the few ed tech writers who truly understand the potential of game-based learning and can distinguish the few good learning games currently available from the ocean of crap.[Disclaimer: I bought this book myself. Toppo uses one of my games as an example in his book. If you have concerns that I am writing this review to benefit myself, simply refuse to download my free game!]
I love gaming so this book instantly stood out to me. As much as I love playing games on my computer and tablet I hadnât really thought of them on a level of learning. After reading this book Iâm realizing how the various games we play can actually improve how we think and interact. Iâve always known some games were great for school â I remember a game called Number Munchers clearly in school when I was growing up. What I hadnât expected is how wide of a population games can reach â including children with limited English. Interestingly enough, this book brought up the idea that gaming can in itself erase the need for these standardized tests that dominate schools in America now. It was great information but at times it felt like I was reading an enjoyable text book and I got a bit lost in names and dates. My favorite part of the whole thing was how it emphasized the need to make students want to learn, to enjoy learning.Disclosure: I received this free from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Great overview of real educators doing real things with games in the classroom. Greg's done a fantastic job of capturing the essence of benefits and challenges educators face when leveraging games for learning.
Whether you are new to the term Gamification, or simply looking to explore it more, I highly recommend this book. The book is well researched, well-written, and filled with anecdotal stories that illustrate his points. Toppo's writing style makes for an engaging read. Let's lower the cost of failure in schools and give students a chance to master concepts. Fail. Try again. Fail again. Try again. As Toppo states, "beating the boss [mastering content] always feels transcendent." This is what we, as educators, should strive for within our classrooms.
Enlightening and engaging!Incredibly well-researched and well-written. If you're looking for a go-to source on gaming and it's potential for education, look no further than this book.Full of examples, anecdotes, interviews, and supporting evidence.
I have worked in educational technology for the last 7 years and this is by far the best book I have read on the topic of why games work great when it comes to education(especially math) I highly recommend this book to curious parents, edtech developers, teachers and anyone that loves learning.
An exciting review of engaging educational video games available today. This well written, easy-to-read book both identifies games that you can suggest to your children and explains how and why this approach makes sense, while noting some of the best developers and a little history.
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