Kids use PlayStation for high-tech homework

Software games add a new challenge to math, language

By Marsha Walton

Playing video games has become homework for some students, but it's not all fun. Games are designed to sharpen math and language skills.

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(CNN) -- "No video games until you finish your homework!"

"But mom, this IS homework!"

For several years now, students in some elementary and middle schools have been able to say that honestly. Instead of just workbooks, paper and pencil, they do some of their math and language assignments on a Sony PlayStation.

"The kids love it. They're interested in it, and if you can get students where they think they're learning and they're playing, it has hit the magic mark," said Joy Davis, assistant principal at Summerour Middle School in Norcross, Georgia.

San Diego-based Lightspan is the company that creates the educational games. Writers, animators, and educators seek out the right mix of fun and learning. And just like game developers who create the explosions and adventures of entertainment video games, one goal at Lightspan is to encourage kids to play each game many times.

"All our games are designed for replayability, to have kids play them over and over again," said Liz Herrick, vice president of curriculum and product design at Lightspan.

"Teachers want kids repeating the content until it becomes totally internalized and automatic for them, so that's one benefit of the game," she said. All the games are tied directly to a school's curriculum.

'Playing' their homework

So what do the kids think?

"I like it because it's challenging, and when I mess up I do it over and over again," said Adel Ahmed, a Summerour student using Lightspan's math games.

Adel's father Jamal says he was a little leery when his son first told him about the learning games. Now he's happy to see him doing math on the PlayStation instead of just his regular fare of shoot 'em up games. Adel's younger sister is watching and listening when her brother "plays" his homework, something his teachers are thrilled to hear.

Kids say the key to good software is a compelling story and interesting characters.

"What we're really hoping for is banking for the future, so that brothers and sisters at home who are using this program will be building these skills, which in turn will pay off even more for us down the road," said assistant principal Davis.

Most schools using the Lightspan games encourage parental involvement. In some communities, parents who may not speak much English are encouraged to play the games themselves. At Summerour Middle School for example, 52 flags fly in the cafeteria to represent the nationalities of the student body.

Before getting the PlayStation unit and the Lightspan CDs to take home for the school year, parents must sign a contract promising to monitor and work with their children on homework assignments. And, of course, teachers test students on the material to make sure they're retaining the information. Teachers distribute new games every two or three weeks. The materials at Summerour are bought with federal funds, or schools can buy them on their own. There is no cost to students.

Software for hard work

Before the consoles and CDs were distributed at Summerour, educational consultants from Lightspan walked parents through the hardware and some of the games, in sessions in English and Spanish.

"And, if you have any questions at all after you leave here, just ask your kids," said consultant Adelma Stanford. "They know these things inside out!"

"In the beginning, I thought it was going to be too much of a distraction, but we used it in my classrooms last year, and they were able to stay focused with it," said Summerour seventh-grade math teacher Andrea Robinson-Smith.

Educational consultant Adelma Stanford goes over the hardware and software details with parents before they take the PlayStation units home.

For years now many teachers have realized they have to go way beyond the chalk and blackboard to keep kids' attention. TV shows like "Schoolhouse Rock" and computer games like "Where In the World is Carmen Sandiego?" have used the technology that kids enjoy to help them remember and want to learn more about math and geography.

The kids at Summerour did have a few recommendations. During some of the math drills they said the music got a little stale, and they sometimes just turned it down. Some said they'd prefer a little rap or a little jazz to go with their calculations of mean, median, and range.

Federal Title 1 education funds pay for the hardware and software in thousands of U.S. schools. Hundreds of follow-up studies have tracked how kids using the software have fared. Standard test scores have gone up in many schools. Most of the educators contacted by CNN said the software was one of many helpful tools for a classroom.

"The concept is a good one; let's capture some of that time away from school for educational purposes," said Dr. Alan Whitworth, director of information technology for Jefferson County Schools in Louisville, Kentucky. "Instructionally, Lightspan is quite sound," he said. Several elementary schools in that school district have used the software since 1998.

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