Video Games in the Classroom (Kist)

This statement is the source of a lot of anguish for me.

"What if we blurred the lines between academic subjects and reimagined the typical American classroom so that, at least in theory, it came to resemble a typical American living room or a child’s bedroom or even a child’s pocket, circa 2010 — if, in other words, the slipstream of broadband and always-on technology that fuels our world became the source and organizing principle of our children’s learning?"

 I'm not opposed to using technology in the classroom but I am opposed to creating a classroom that thrives on entertainment. Today's students are already entertained enough from screen to screen. Teachers don't need to add stimulation into the classroom just for the sake of it-- to keep kids wanting more. As a future educator I do not want to dumb myself down to a lower level to achieve entertainment. Using the internet is one thing but creating an environment like a "living room" is another. The Quest to Learn thing just irritated me. The article says, "Salen and Torres are at the forefront of a small but increasingly influential group of education specialists who believe that going to school can and should be more like playing a game, which is to say it could be made more participatory, more immersive and also, well, fun."

School districts are suffering all over the place due to problems with funding as it is, I don't see this trend taking off in most school districts. I think that it is interesting to see what some teachers are doing, and I respect that, I am all about a classroom being student-centered and for students to be motivated to learn but I refuse to provide entertainment!