And today's homework is: play videogames

Traditionally video games and schools have not mixed, with no-gaming policies and locked down machines it's generally against the rules to play games in school. To try and change this prejudice against games as timewasters, EA and IT researcher NESTA Futurelab are to conduct trials to see how computer games can fit in with schools. They're plunking down £300,000 to hold the study in 4 UK schools with plans to expand the trial later. They'll be looking at how several different genres of games can help children with problem solving, resilience, persistence and collaberation. Apparently they're now looking at genres of games to use in schools; hopefully EA won't go overboard and suggest that every school includes a copy of Battlefield 2 with each PC. Even though that would be totally awesome, somehow I think people would ask why kids are being taught to target artillery and maverick Air-to-Ground missiles. What's much more likely is that the research will end up being diverted into streamlining IT use in schools. The article ends on the grim note that the new research will lead to better methods of storing kids homework online. Boooooring.

[Via Digg]