GamaSutra article about children and games

Here are some interesting statistics about children and games from an article in GamaSutra:

"The NPD Group, which also tracks the monthly video game industry sales data in North America, has released findings from an online survey titled Kids & Digital Content, which found that children as young as 2 years old are playing video games and downloading digital content.

The survey, which was completed by U.S. parents, found that children have become increasingly in tune with technology, as children between the ages of 2 and 14 are downloading games and watching downloaded and streaming content over the internet through computers and other personal electronics."

Food for thought!

-Lynn

Links to visit - or revisit: Digital Media, Technology, Learning & New Research / Grant Opportunities

Here are some links to some resources that might be of interest:

Building the Field of Digital Media and Learning: The MacArthur Foundation launches a $50 million Digital Media and Learning initiative.

"The MacArthur Foundation launched its five-year, $50 million digital media and learning initiative in 2006 to help determine how digital technologies are changing the way young people learn, play, socialize, and participate in civic life. Answers are critical to developing educational and other social institutions that can meet the needs of this and future generations. The initiative is both marshaling what is already known about the field and seeding innovation for continued growth"

Found on the Digital Media and Learning Website:

Confronting the Challenges fo Participatory Culture: Media Education for the 21st Century", a 72-page white paper by Henry Jenkins, from MIT.

Digital Media and Learning Fact Sheet, a 2-page summary of facts and statistics related to digital media and learning.

Ecology of Games : This web page summarizes chapters that will be included in upcoming book about the use of games in learning, including a chapter about game accessibility for young people who have special needs.

Individual Grants: This web page has links and descriptions about individual projects that are in process related to the Digital Media and Learning Initiative.

Online Edutopia Magazine: Innovations in technology and learning from the George Lucas Foundation.

BioMap: A technology tool based on neuroscience research developed by Northwestern University to diagnose learning disabilities.