GAMEDESK PROGRAM: A New Approach to Learning

Annenberg Research Park Colloquium Series: Victor Lacour - GAMEDESK PROGRAM: A New Approach to Learning According to the state of California, 1 out of every 4 students drop out of high school. Often, the main issue is lack of engagement, ownership, and relevance of the material. The GameDesk program (A new outreach developed by the University of Southern California) addresses these issues by providing engagement through the development of educational video games. Instead of passive learning through books and traditional lecture, students actively learn by building games around core educational standards. Working together in teams, the students learn the importance of specialization, leadership, and collaboration-skills which translate directly into successful career paths. Teams build games along side subject teachers to translate a particular area of study into a game format and, as a result, they learn by doing. Ultimately, GameDesk's overall goal is to improve student retention, engagement, and attendance, and increase standards based scores, creating more viable pathways into successful careers. Currently, a pilot of the GameDesk program is implemented at Jordon High School, for fall 08. The talk will be followed by a discussion between 12:30-1:30 over lunch.

Location: Kerckhoff Hall (KER) - ckhoff Hall

Audiences: Everyone Is Invited

Contact: Greg Constante