here is a big difference between playing a video game and making one yourself.

Video games are everywhere today. They are filled with energy, color and detail. For most children they are a magnet. Often, parents wonder why can’t the same energy be mobilized for something with important educational value.

Creating your own game is a much richer experience than playing one. What do children learn? They learn to program computers. They learn to manipulate shapes and movement and in the process apply mathematics and geometry to solving design problems. They create rules developing psychological, social and moral thinking. And they develop a sense of self, a way to learn and apply their intellect to getting inside the “black box” of a game, prying off the lid and figuring out what it takes to complete the game design. They learn to run the machine rather than have the machine run them.

There is a big difference between watching a movie and creating one yourself.

Children are exposed to mass multimedia daily. The images and messages are powerful and memorable. But watching is a passive experience. Creating a movie is an enriching one. Children write and develop stories. They design sets. They figure out lighting and cameras. They use technologies such as chroma key to create special effects. Instead of being the recipient of messages and stories they become the creators.

There is a big difference between building a LEGO-based robot and just playing with LEGO.

Children know LEGO. They’ve been building with it from very early on in life. Challenging children to become creative with LEGO opens up a new experience with what they considered in the past to be a toy. They learn engineering. They experiment with motion, gears, pulleys, motors, pneumatics, and control systems. They learn how to use computers to create commands and a user interface to operate their robot remotely. Instead of just playing with something that someone else created, they experience a whole new level of creativity.

To learn more about constructivist learning, click here.