Video games have been around for a long time, but how many of them have been successful and educational at the same time? This question intrigued us enough to compile a list of the best of the best that we believe accomplished this goal.

Without further ado, here are our Top 5 Video Games that Taught Us Something:

1. Star Wars DroidWorks

Created by Lucas Learning in 1998, this games purpose was to create a droid using the many different parts that were provided.  After the droid was created the user was to complete specific missions and that's where the educational portion comes into play.  The missions consisted of puzzles that taught the user energy, force, simple machines, light, magnetism, and motion.

2. Donkey Kong Jr. Math

Also known as Donkey Kong Jr.'s Calculation Game, Nintendo released this game in 1983 for the original NES console.  This was the main "educational" related game created by Nintendo for North America.  The game unfortunately was noted as one of the worst video game launches ever made.

3. Mario Paint

This game was created by Nintendo in 1992 and required the user to have a special SNES Mouse to play the game.  Mario Paint was very well known because it needed the extra device to play the game.  The game taught users to be creative while playing games in the early 90's.  Mario Paint was ahead of its time until Microsoft Paint came out.

4. Buzz Aldrin's Race Into Space

Buzz Aldrin's Race Into Space also known as BARIS, was a big feat for the MS-DOS OS in 1993.  BARIS simulated space exploration and was a strategy game.  The object of the game was to have a successful manned moon landing.

5. Acme Animation Factory

Created by Sunsoft in November of 1993 for the Super Nintendo console.  This video game taught children the skills to be creative and learn animation.  The game consisted of giving the user a series of tools for them to create his or her own cartoons from the Looney Tunes crew.
 

With the rise of video games in today’s culture it was just a matter of time before they started showing up in classrooms. The New York Times recently published an article talking about this very subject. Learning by Playing: Video Games in the Classroom follows a journalist who visits a non-charter middle school in New York City that is on the forefront of this burgeoning frontier. This particular school would probably remind you of any other middle school if it weren’t for the fact that video games play a role in their everyday curriculum.

“It is a radical proposition, sure. But during an era in which just about everything is downloadable and remixable, when children are frequently more digitally savvy than the adults around them, it’s perhaps not so crazy to think that schools — or at least one school, anyway — might try to remix our assumptions about how to reach and educate those children.”

The article raises a lot of good points and concerns. It seems that this could be a powerful learning tool moving forward, but it has some evolving to do. Definitely worth checking out if you have the time. Once you have read it swing back by AnyCollege and leave your thoughts.

Recently we posted blogs dealing with Studying Tips and Time Management in College. While a majority of students lean heavily on their laptops to get the job done, we wanted to know if the iPad is a good fit for college life, can it help with your time management and studying habits? Is it a possible computer replacer or is it a higher end gadget for those looking to show off their money and technological habits? Well, we’re about to find out.

With the emergence of the iPad several months back and the new fall school year just underway, the idea of the device’s practicality has risen on college campuses. As you can see from the Google Trends graph below, the popularity of the iPad is on the rise and is primed to pass laptops by the end of the year.

The iPad’s usability in class for note taking may not take the advantage over the laptop, except in the area of size and portability, but it does hold its own. You can use a Bluetooth keyboard for faster, more conventional typing or simply use the on screen keyboard as your makeshift notebook. Was there mention that you can open up an application and draw diagrams and other figures with the touch of your finger? Well, you can!

In addition, to its user-friendly typing and doodling functions, the iPad also offers the perks of whipping out Wikipedia or a dictionary app quickly in case you’re looking for clarification during a lecture or just want to be the star student with the answer to the question.

Whether you’re in the classroom, at the library, in your dorms, on the bus or on the go, the iPad doesn’t seem to fail in delivering. You can draft essays, articles, blog posts, important emails to teachers, and spreadsheets all from the comfort of your little bundle of technological joy.

Beyond the classroom, you get access all your social media sites like facebook, Twitter, You Tube and the like. Listen to your itunes, watch DVDs, surf the web, chat online and find any other method of procrastination that you can fathom with the versatility of the iPad.

Starting at $499 and peaking at $829 the iPad is a revolutionary device that could be seen as the catalyst for the future. Does that mean that you should ditch your desktop or laptop for the iPad? No.

During college you’re going to value having your desktop or laptop in the long run because for just a smidge more than the iPad you can have the assurance that a decent computer will have more storage, act as a more sophisticated gaming device and possess quicker and more powerful capabilities all around. However, if you’ve got the extra $500 to spare – if you’re a college kid that answer is probably a resounding no – you could benefit from an iPad. It’s portability, applications and convenient features do allow the user to stay in touch in just about every way imaginable – minus a desired camera feature.

Overall, the iPad is a great device. Is it suitable for a college student? Absolutely. Is it better than your trusty computer? Probably not, at least not yet. Who knows what the future will hold…feel free to share your opinion at AnyCollege.com.
 

No no... we're not discussing the 1951 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical (sorry). Rather, it's the concept of who you are and who you appear to be online. Is there a difference? Is it, as the royalty of many countries do, a combination of the public personae and your private personae? What do you share and what do you not share on social networks (do you show your public or private personae there)? How do you decide?

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Who out there is on Twitter? Anyone notice yesterday (8/5/09) one of the trending topics was "Teens Don't Tweet"?? Well, when I poked around a little bit I found a LOT of teens who do! So... a challenge for the teens out there:

Do you have a Twitter account? Get out there and let them know you're on and connected! I didn't like that a lot of the comments from adults said either "Thank god teens don't tweet" or "Teens don't tweet because they're too involved with themselves to tweet about news or politics". That's not true about the teens I've spent time with! They're some of the most involved, concious people I know- they volunteer, they are aware of the news (sometimes faster than I am...) they communicate....

So, teens... get out there and show them you are connected and aware of the world!

Want to follow us too while you're at it? http://twitter.com/AnyCollege I try to go through every few days and follow people back! (And if I accidentaly have missed you I apologize... let me know and I'll make sure to follow you!)

Don't get me wrong, I think social networking on the web is fantastic. I've been able to keep in touch with friends over the years I otherwise would not have. I've been able to share in some cool moments with friends who I'm not on the "top 10 people I need to call' list as they announce life changing events. And hey, who isn't touched when you get 100 birthday wishes on your birthday?

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I admit, I get a bit of a kick reading about the latest technology that has come out and then reading the comments on the article to see how many prophets of doom that have a PhD attached to their name like to come out and say that whatever the new gadget is will completely ruin education, etc etc etc.

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