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I would tell the parent that not all students learn in the same way. We all have different learning styles. All people of all ages love a little fun competition. Games are something that we don't use every day in the classroom and so it would get students engaged in the lesson that is being taught. That is what games would bring to the classroom. Games engaging and a great way to "switch things up in the classroom". I would ask the parent what suggestions they had for engaging students in lessons to see if they had any ideas or suggestions.

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I have had experience with parents who say almost the exact same thing regarding other aspects of our kids' day, including Work Study and the amount of homework they expect their child to have. If I were to have a parent write a complaint about the use of games in my classroom, I would tell them that everyone learns in different ways and that having visual inputs (such as games) help some students to connect the dots between the pieces of content. I have had parents ask me why my Life Skills students sometimes play games during our math time. I respond by telling them that the students need to generalize the skill that they are learning. We will practice money skills on paper, on IXL, we will go to the grocery story around the corner and practice planning and playing for groceries. Also, we will play games. Games allow the children to practice these skills while having fun. Some don't even realize they are learning!

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I think I would talk to parents about how differentiation is key for students learning. One student is fully capable of reading a book and gathering all the information they may need. Other students could read that same book and then take nothing from it because that is not the mode in which they learn. I face an issue like this every year because I have a non-traditional classroom which offers couches, tables, crate seats, and pillows as seating options. I think the more you can involve parents and show them the benefits of what you are doing in the classroom the more accepting they are. I also think that change is hard for many people and it takes some convincing. Having the support of other staff and most importantly your building principle will make this issue easier to combat.

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If a parent didn’t like me using video/online games in my classroom, I would start off by  explaining how students attention spans are shorter than ever before. Kids have technology that they use all the time at home, and whenever they get bored they switch the activity. Most students don’t have to sit through commercials anymore when watching TV due to DVR. Basically, if they start to get bored they change whatever they are doing. This makes teaching more challenging than what their parents did when they were growing up. If our students aren’t engaged or motivated in what we are teaching, then they aren’t learning. That means that teachers have to be creative and find ways to make learning exciting for students and technology helps with that. I would also show how the resources I am using are credible and show them how I can track students progress to ensure that they are making gains. I would also give them an example of two different activities, such as flash cards in the classroom or an interactive game with those same facts. Why not let students play the game that would hold their interest instead of making them do repetitive flash cards in the classroom. If I was a student, I would be more motivated by an interactive game. Society today is always on the go and wanted the next big thing. We have to teach to today's society.

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If a parent didn’t like me using video/online games in my classroom, I would start off by  explaining how students attention spans are shorter than ever before. Kids have technology that they use all the time at home, and whenever they get bored they switch the activity. Most students don’t have to sit through commercials anymore when watching TV due to DVR. Basically, if they start to get bored they change whatever they are doing. This makes teaching more challenging than what their parents did when they were growing up. If our students aren’t engaged or motivated in what we are teaching, then they aren’t learning. That means that teachers have to be creative and find ways to make learning exciting for students and technology helps with that. I would also show how the resources I am using are credible and show them how I can track students progress to ensure that they are making gains. I would also give them an example of two different activities, such as flash cards in the classroom or an interactive game with those same facts. Why not let students play the game that would hold their interest instead of making them do repetitive flash cards in the classroom. If I was a student, I would be more motivated by an interactive game. Society today is always on the go and wanted the next big thing. We have to teach to today's society.

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I would try to explain to the parent that our society has changed, and is geared towards using technology in every aspect. From taking notes, to using games to review, technology is being used. Also, the games aren't for "playing" but keeping the students engaged in the topic.

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I would express to the parents that time are changing.  We are in a more technological savy time than we used to be. I would let them know that with technological advances, education, also, grows bringing new ways of learning such as game play.  I would express the concern that not all students learn best from traditional teaching, so some benefit by playing a game because doesn't seem like learning.  Also, when it comes to game play, there is a certain competitiveness that is intertwined with subject matter that intrigues some learners that traditional teaching doesn't provide. I would, also, let them know that not ALL of our time is spent on game play that it is used to ENHANCE the subject matter not replace the teaching.

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If a parent were to respond this way, I would encourage them, first, to see if they have tried the game. They would need to try the game to understand the educational value of it, I believe. I am of the age when "The Oregon Trail" and "Carmen San Diego" were the popular educational games available. I remember playing the and learning a fair deal, even though I did NOT have a copy of Fodder's Atlas (which made it very difficult to play Carmen San Diego and which I am still a little sore over). Regardless, I would encourage the parent to look into the game before they make any rash judgements. I would then use my classroom curriculum to draw comparisons between the game and the information I would otherwise be teaching to prove that, indeed, the game was very educational.

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I actually have had parents that have said this about a game I use in my math rotations. The game is Prodigy. It is amazing how much the kids love this game, and the fact that I can get instant analysis of skills the students have mastered and what they still need to work on. To the parent that had concerns, I asked if they had sat with there student while he was playing. She said no, that she had just seen the game in passing. I encouraged her to take part in one of the sessions Austin was playing. View the questions that come up, and have him explain his thinking for completion. I as showed her the data collected from the game. She was truly surprised when seeing the improvement Austin had made over the past few weeks. Not all games offer the real time feed back, but I see the motivation of my students increase dramatically when I say we are going to play a game. They retain more when the outcome of the information is game based.

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I have encountered this problem as I do use games and the internet throughout the year and the students go home and say how much fun they had because they got to play this video game - the parents send an email (usually to the administrator and not me) and I have to explain that this is how students today learn.  Not only is it how they learn, but it is how we can keep them interested and engaged in the class.  Students in the classroom today have been "connected" and gaming their entire life, we are making a mistake if we think keeping it out of the classroom is helping them.  Usually, the complaints subside after the quiz and test scores come in -and all of the sudden I am a hero instead of the lazy teacher who lets kids play games at school!

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I think that we have always used games as a part of education.  Technology has certainly changed the look and sophistication level of the games, but they are still educational games.  No one bats an eye when they see primary students learning from a dice or card game.  Adults play online word games and solitaire.  There is almost always something that can be learned from a game.  Sometimes games have a direct link to a math or history lesson, sometimes they increase vocabulary, some games involve strategy, but most all games can result in learning.
If we can keep students engaged and interested, we will have more success in getting them to take some ownership of their learning.

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I would have a meeting with parents to discuss the use of video/online games. I would show them the games that we would be working with and why they are educational. I would give them the opportunity to play these games! Obviously, I have researched and played these games myself to make sure they are meeting the standards and objectives that I want my students to achieve. I would talk about how we all learn differently - even go so far as to identify the parents own learning styles! I think this comes down to a lot of communication and education with parents so they have an understanding of why we do what we do in the classroom - that it's not arbitrary. I would also discuss how video/online games are related to technology skills and how I want to help prepare their students for the "real world," which is full of trying new technology! I know that in my current job, I'm asked for results that lead me to try new programs or technology and incorporate it into my daily work. Changes in technology happen all the time in my job, so we need to encourage our students to be comfortable with this change and learning new things all the time.

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I am in my 2nd year of teaching and I have not had parent concerns with games in the classroom. Especially with this new game Prodigy, students are going home to play more! At parent teacher conferences, parents were very excited to have their kids at home wanting to play games I've introduced in class. In there home, parents see the trick behind the games. They are actually having a blast and gaining educational skills. Parents even get a report of their student from Prodigy. I will also use 'games' to wrap up a unit. If we are studying food chains, there are so many food chain games out there, I will let them explore some games that they should rock at. Just like real life, once an accomplishment happens, let's celebrate. To respond to this issue, I would show parents the games and explain their purposes.

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I am in my 2nd year of teaching and I have not had parent concerns with games in the classroom. Especially with this new game Prodigy, students are going home to play more! At parent teacher conferences, parents were very excited to have their kids at home wanting to play games I've introduced in class. In there home, parents see the trick behind the games. They are actually having a blast and gaining educational skills. Parents even get a report of their student from Prodigy. I will also use 'games' to wrap up a unit. If we are studying food chains, there are so many food chain games out there, I will let them explore some games that they should rock at. Just like real life, once an accomplishment happens, let's celebrate. To respond to this issue, I would show parents the games and explain their purposes.

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I would explain and have research to show parents that game based learning does help retention and engagement rates. I would show what the students are actually learning and show pre-test and post-test scores that show how game based learning does help students engage and learn the content.

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I would explain to the parents that the game playing is actually an extension of my lesson plans. I do not always have the students play a game, as the parents , call it, they are actually using technology to either do an assignment or study for a test. I would use my grandson as an example in explaining that not all students learn in the same way from the same technique the teacher uses in the classroom. My grandson was diagnosed with Autism when he was age two, and has come a long way in his learning with the aid of learning games. I could also show the parents a sampling of my "game playing" that I use in class. Yes, there are some, if not a lot of games that are bad for children to be playing, but I can always assure parents that those are not the games that they play in my classroom. The "bad" games are actually not allowed in my classroom.

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I would first approach the principal in the school to see what the school policy on class games.  I would then give him a list of the ones we play and about how much time we take to play them.  I would first do all I could to gain his/her support.  After that I would politely speak or email, depending on the preference of the parent or even possibly have a conference in my room at school and let them see and play with the games we use in class to see how different they are from  the ones they may have previously seen others playing and how the classroom games are different than the commercial - off the -shelf  videos.

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I would talk with the parents in person and explain why their child is playing the game.  I would also like to hold a meeting and show the game to the parents.  This will help allow them to see what the game is about and how it will help their child succeed.  I believe having games incorporated in the classroom helps make learning more enjoyable.

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Any and all games that we play in our classroom are completely relevant to the topic we are learning for the week. Whether we are playing CodeMonkey to learn about writing code or Kahoot as a review, everything we do is based around our lessons. Many students "check out" when we are doing a basic study guide, but engaging in a competitive review game encourages them to stay focused and "in the game." Most students finish the game having learned more than in the lessons we covered prior to the game.

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This happens quite a bit at my current school! I think the first step is making sure that the learning targets/objectives are clear to both students and parents. Children should understand why they are playing a certain game and how it connects back to the mini lesson or standards of learning. It’s also important that online games don’t replace instruction, collaboration, or academic discourse between teachers/students and students/students. Games should be used as an additional tool, workshop rotation, and way to practice a skill. Much of this concern has to do with implementation and timing, both which should be closely managed and put into place by the classroom teacher. In addition, communicating online activities and games with parents, showing them resources, and explicitly explaining how and why this is helping their children will alleviate some of the “going to school and playing online games” mindset.

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I would have concrete examples of how online games were used in my classroom and what the purpose of said games were. I would assure parents that we do not play games all the time and that I use them to supplement my teaching not instead of my teaching. I think the important thing is to make sure you are open and honest with the parents.

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It may be a situation in which the parents do not understand what type of games their children are playing at school.  When a parent asked a child what they did at school today and the child replies, “played video games” parents may invasion video games like some of the console games kids play at home.   If kids are playing Call of Duty or some other violence-based game in school, a lot of parents are going to have a problem with that.  Parents who have problems with gameplay in school probably do not understand what type of games are being played.  The job of the teacher is to reach students and students like video games.  I learned firsthand how valuable video games can be to learn.  My 6-year-old son discovered the video games at PBS Kids about a year ago.  The Wild Kratts are his favorite.   That game and show have peaked my son’s interest in wildlife and conservation.  He has learned things that would not have been possible by just telling him.  The interactive nature of these games draws kids in.  Kids are learning, and they do not even know it.