Hi David
Poppycock? Snobbery? Did I hit a nerve somewhere?
Of course not but you did trot out the lines about "fast food" and "serious educational content" which implied that the titles we were discussing in the context of Al's questions about investment in education technology were somehow less valid than other software including your own.
The point I'm making is that the titles running on devices such as the DS are selling in their millions. This isn't because they are "fast food" but because of the way they are designed and as a consequence of the amount invested in the their creation. Hence my question about what SUMS Maths might look like if you had access to a similar development budget as a commercial videogame and the team needed to design one.
Poppycock is just a friendly way of saying that I didn't agree with you and snobbery is a fair response to "fast food" IMHO
No offence was intended.
You challenged me whether I had actually used the titles Graham. The answer is yes, I have access to and have played all three - and refreshed that knowledge last night. In terms of maths you'll find little beyond mental arithmetic and tables -
though it is put together very cleverly.
I'm delighted that you've played them extensively, surely this will provide some insights into the art of game play and why these titles are so popular. Maybe a game that included some of the "nitty gritty" that you're describing could do equally well but without being perceived as edutainment?
Derek, Yes, of course, what you are doing creates tremendous motivation. You'll also find tremendous motivation in the many many schools using PDAs, Windows Mobile Phones, the RM Minibook/ASUS eeePC, Sony PSPs, and other, non gaming software. It is a great thing, and it is good that different areas champion different approaches.
I don't think Derek or I are denying the great work and motivated students that are working on other devices but this discussion isn't about this device vs that device as opposed to styles of teaching and how technology can be embedded within that practice. In Scotland and other parts of the UK I've seen first hand how some of the titles here have been used as contextual hubs where the teacher is leveraging the motivation gained from using the titles and devices that children already enjoy to introduce and explore the "nitty gritty".
As I mentioned in another thread it's not technology that will solve learning challenges but good teachers that can easily embed the right tools within their own practice.
To keep the thread on track, this was about investment not by schools in educational technology but by 3rd party investors investing in new educational technology companies to foster innovation. We seemed to have drifted a bit!
However I'm interested to see how Derek responds to your points David, I'm also very interested to see how this years Handheld Learning Conference unfolds as quite clearly we have touched on a very hot and timely subject.
Cheers
Graham
FORUM
Content 
