Video Games and Virtual Worlds as a Teaching Tool

Portland, ME, October 15, 2009 --(PR.com)-- Walch Education, a leading developer and publisher of secondary educational materials, has just published Thinking Critically About Video Games & Virtual Worlds. The title is the latest addition to the 9-book Media Literacy series. All Walch Education titles are available at 800-341-6094 or www.walch.com.

Thinking Critically About Video Games & Virtual Worlds is authored by Peyton Paxson, a professor who specializes in how different media impact our lives. With Thinking Critically About Video Games & Virtual Worlds, Paxson explores topics such as:

The role of violence in video games
How video games affect parent-child relationships
Video games and players with disabilities
Scams and cheats
Linden dollars and other virtual world currency
What messages video game developers and sponsors are sending
How the digital version of reality conflicts or coincides with the real world

Each of the 48 lessons helps students to interpret, analyze, and evaluate interactive digital entertainment. For educators, Thinking Critically About Video Games & Virtual Worlds contains dozens of activities, quizzes, a glossary, and special “Teacher Buzz” sections to prepare for classroom discussions.

In the classroom, teachers can use Thinking Critically About Video Games & Virtual Worlds:

In a media, design, or computer environment
As an inter-disciplinary resource in language arts or social studies classes
For students who are more engaged in video gaming and less engaged in schoolwork
To address the National Educational Technology Standards issued by the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE).

About Walch Education (www.walch.com)
Walch Education develops and publishes targeted programs for educators worldwide. Addressing state and national standards, Walch Education programs are designed to support the diversity and challenges of contemporary classrooms. Walch Education’s accessible and affordable products are developed by experts and an in-house educational team, in partnership with leading schools and districts nationwide.

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