Drawn from the recent report Guidelines for K–12 Education released by the SIIA. For the full document, go to www.siia.net/education.
-Give teachers a metaphor that connects EduGames to something familiar.
-In schools, EduGames are most closely related to lab work—hands-on time for students to explore and use what they have learned elsewhere.
-EduGames need to contain guidelines for classroom management.
-Most teachers will need to understand how classroom management and professional development will be addressed before they will agree to use EduGames.
-Teachers need to understand their role as content-area experts.
One of the biggest fears teachers have about using EduGames is that there is not a role for them, which may lead to a loss of control in the classroom. Explaining the role of the teacher can alleviate their reluctance to try games.
-Teachers need research and peer references.
-A well-researched reference base is essential; it cannot be skimped on. Educators assume that references are there for more traditional materials, but newer, riskier products are naturally held to a higher standard.
-EduGames need proof of efficacy.
-One rarely hears school boards demanding to know how much textbooks are being used and what results are being attained. Education technology is held to a much higher standard—and particularly so cutting-edge technology.
-EduGames must be aligned to standards.
-Games present some challenges in this area because of the naturally multidisciplinary nature of gaming, and because many of the skills they [students] develop are not part of the core curriculum (but should be!).
