GabeZichermann

How GamesMake Kids Smarter

Gabe begins his talk by speaking of his first experience with games in education: playing “Where in the World is Carmen San Diego” in school.

Question 2:

Gabe first captures the audience’s attention by telling about his earliest experiences withvideo games. He relateshis story to educationright away when hespeaks about playing “Where in the World is Carmen San Diego” in school.

Gabe keeps attention by offering up new ways of looking at old

problems and supporting his ideas with many colorful

stories and examples.

He speaks about his career and how it relates to games and “gamification.” He is an example of how a person can make a career out of games.

He brings up ADD, first explaining traditional views on the subject and then offering a different perspective. Children easily focus on games but often struggle to pay attention in school.

“Is it that our children have ADD, or is our world just too freakin’ slow for our children to appreciate?”

-Gabe Zichermann

He shares the work of AnanthPai, who taught a class using video games as the main method of learning for the students. In 18 weeks the class went from a below 3rd grade level in reading and math to a mid 4th grade level.

In closing he says that his generation is the

most out of touch with the world of their

children, but also goes on to say that the

children will turn out alright.

Question 4

Gabe kept his slides simple and organized. They were aiding in his speech rather than distracting from it.

Question 5

Always have a plan for what you’re going to say next. Keep your audience engaged with jokes and stories, but don’t ramble.