Pain Point
Children enjoy watching television and playing video games. However, the content of what they are viewing may not be very beneficial for learning. This ultimately results in parents and educators feeling uncomfortable with the television and gaming programs available for children. Another issue at hand is that educators are having to compete with video games and television shows when teaching students so they can hold their interest. There are not many products available that make science fun for reluctant learners. The resources required to prepare engaging and interactive lessons to compete with such powerful competitors may be scarce, along with teacher prep time.
Solution
Making learning fun through entertainment mediums, such as video games or videos, is coined by the term edutainment. Currently, districts across Canada are pushing technology integration into the classroom and educators are responding by beginning to move towards a classroom environment that fosters edutainment practices. An environment that fosters edutainment allows students to have fun while still learning.
The Magic School Bus caters to children’s interests with its adventurous episodes and interactive games. Parents and teachers can sit back and enjoy these educational episodes and games with children, since the content is heavily invested in scientific topics. It has been suggested that The Magic School Bus has received “high praise from parents and educators for making science education fun and appealing to all audiences, with a specific emphasis on those populations historically at risk of "science avoidance," such as girls and minorities” (Newswire, 2014, para. 7).
Children enjoy watching television and playing video games. However, the content of what they are viewing may not be very beneficial for learning. This ultimately results in parents and educators feeling uncomfortable with the television and gaming programs available for children. Another issue at hand is that educators are having to compete with video games and television shows when teaching students so they can hold their interest. There are not many products available that make science fun for reluctant learners. The resources required to prepare engaging and interactive lessons to compete with such powerful competitors may be scarce, along with teacher prep time.
Solution
Making learning fun through entertainment mediums, such as video games or videos, is coined by the term edutainment. Currently, districts across Canada are pushing technology integration into the classroom and educators are responding by beginning to move towards a classroom environment that fosters edutainment practices. An environment that fosters edutainment allows students to have fun while still learning.
The Magic School Bus caters to children’s interests with its adventurous episodes and interactive games. Parents and teachers can sit back and enjoy these educational episodes and games with children, since the content is heavily invested in scientific topics. It has been suggested that The Magic School Bus has received “high praise from parents and educators for making science education fun and appealing to all audiences, with a specific emphasis on those populations historically at risk of "science avoidance," such as girls and minorities” (Newswire, 2014, para. 7).
References
Newswire, PR (2014, June 11). Scholastic Media’s The Magic School Bus Continues Legacy with The Magic School Bus 360 degrees, a new Netflix original series for kids. Retrieved from http://www.nasdaq.com/press-release/scholastic-medias-the-magic-school-bus-continues-legacy-with-the-magic-school-bus-360-degrees-a-ne-20140611-00109
Newswire, PR (2014, June 11). Scholastic Media’s The Magic School Bus Continues Legacy with The Magic School Bus 360 degrees, a new Netflix original series for kids. Retrieved from http://www.nasdaq.com/press-release/scholastic-medias-the-magic-school-bus-continues-legacy-with-the-magic-school-bus-360-degrees-a-ne-20140611-00109