Keynote speaker: Glenn Wiebe

Video Games in the Classroom

Have you ever thought about using video games as part of your classroom instruction? You are not alone! More and more research is documenting the positive impact that gaming can have on learning. We know that today's K-12 students think and act differently than the kids who came to us when we first started teaching. Called "millennials" in much of the current research and "iKids" in our office, this new group of learners lives in a rich multimedia and digital world with almost constant Internet access. Except, of course, for one place. While many schools are making progress in entering the digital world, most classrooms occupied by iKids do not come close to measuring up to the "outside world." One solution? Integrate video computer and console games into your instruction. Research by educators such as Marc Prensky, James Paul Gee, Steven Johnson and John Beck all point to higher levels of engagement, increased learning and enhanced cooperative activities when video games are part of your unit design.

Glenn comes to us via videoconference from the Educational Services & Staff Development Association of Central Kansas (ESSDACK).  He began there in 2000 working as the Social Studies Specialist on the Curriculum Development Team.

As a state certified standards trainer with a Master's degree in American History, he facilitates curriculum and assessment writing for schools and districts as well as research-based best practices in Social Studies. Glenn also works with teachers on Curriculum Mapping, Understanding by Design, and Working on the Work. He facilitates technology integration topics such as blogging, social networks, WebQuests, Web Literacy, and provides support in copyright/plagiarism issues, and the use of video games in the classroom for the last 18 months and is convinced that gaming is essential for quality learning.