{"id":39218,"date":"2017-06-09T14:28:12","date_gmt":"2017-06-09T21:28:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/world.edu\/?p=39218"},"modified":"2017-06-09T14:28:12","modified_gmt":"2017-06-09T21:28:12","slug":"little-acorns-brief-history-computer-games-classroom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/world.edu\/little-acorns-brief-history-computer-games-classroom\/","title":{"rendered":"From little Acorns \u2013 a brief history of computer games in the classroom"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Play has always been central to growing up<\/a>, \u2013 whether it\u2019s in the street or on a playing field<\/a> \u2013 or in the structured formality of teachers\u2019 quizzes.<\/p>\n

These days tablet computers are in nearly every pupil\u2019s hands and children learn through computer games \u2013 both in the classroom and at home. Children\u2019s coding initiatives<\/a> and tiny computers such as the Raspberry Pi<\/a> and the BBC\u2019s micro:bit<\/a> have also become big hits in the education world, helping to teach computer basics in playful ways<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But while it\u2019s tempting to see the gamification of education<\/a> as a new development, there is in fact a long history of children using computer games to help with their learning \u2013 which goes right back to the 1970s.<\/p>\n

This was the decade during which computers first inched out of the research lab<\/a> and into everyday life, making the idea of a home or personal computer somewhat closer to a reality. In 1974, Ted Nelson<\/a>, a US pioneer of information technology, wrote what is often considered \u201cthe first personal computer book<\/a>\u201d \u2013 Computer Lib\/Dream Machines. It was in this book that with uncanny foresight, Nelson suggested pupils in the future would make use of hyperlinked documents, and touchscreens to widen their knowledge.<\/p>\n

Away from Nelson\u2019s speculation, the classroom reality was more mundane. Few schools could afford computers of their own. And for those that could, computer science meant punching instructions onto paper tape<\/a> \u2013 a form of data storage, consisting of a long strip of paper in which holes are punched to store said data.<\/p>\n

But in the late 1970s, something of a change happened \u2013 at least in the UK. And a worried government, concerned about Japanese innovation and threats of automation<\/a>, commissioned a report from the Manpower Services Commission (MSC)<\/a> and the BBC to look into how to develop computer literacy initiatives.<\/p>\n

Designed to raise computer awareness, these initiatives happily coincided with the rise of microprocessors which were enabling the manufacture of cheaper, smaller machines. And the BBC decided to invite UK companies to submit proposals for a Microcomputer System, to a predefined specification<\/a>. A system proposed by a young company in Cambridge<\/a> was chosen and Acorn\u2019s BBC Microcomputer<\/a> was born.
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The BBC micro in all its glory. Public Domain<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n

Simpler and faster<\/strong><\/p>\n

The BBC Micro<\/a>, along with some other machines<\/a>, could be bought by schools at half price via government subsidies<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Their beige cases and red function keys became a familiar sight from primary through to university level. But they were still expensive: a discounted \u201cBeeb\u201d and monitor would cost a school more than \u00a31,000 at today\u2019s prices<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Learning to program was simpler and faster on the Beeb than in years past, with paper tape replaced by a monitor and a beginner\u2019s coding language known as BASIC<\/a> \u2013 which stands for \u201cbeginner\u2019s all purpose symbolic instruction code\u201d. This meant many more students were able to engage with computer science.<\/p>\n

The rise of the games<\/strong><\/p>\n

Then there were the games. Despite excellent arcade clones<\/a> and some true<\/a> originals<\/a>, the cost of the unsubsidised Beeb made it difficult for it to gain a foothold as a home videogame system.<\/p>\n

Perhaps its educational image didn\u2019t help either \u2013 and maybe it never quite shook off what comedian Simon Munnery described as<\/a><\/p>\n

The stench of school \u2026 most of the games would be \u2026 Isn\u2019t Geography Nice?<\/em><\/p>\n

The Beebs\u2019 dominance in schools led to a torrent of educational software being released, of varying quality. Indeed, many of these early educational \u201cgames\u201d aided nothing more than rote learning.<\/p>\n

But educational initiatives<\/a> helped push the boundaries, particularly in science and maths<\/a>. The best-remembered games were imaginative, often programmed by teachers themselves, and learning happened by stealth. For example, the fondly recalled Granny\u2019s Garden<\/a>, while limited, took players on a puzzle-solving journey to avoid traps and witches \u2013 all rendered in teletext graphics<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Adventure was also central to L: A Mathemagical Journey<\/a>, which used shades of Lewis Carroll to build players\u2019 numeracy skills, while encouraging them to reflect on their experience.<\/p>\n

Straddling home and school, Acorn\u2019s software arm Acornsoft used surprisingly entertaining<\/a> artificial intelligence techniques to test and extend subject-based learning. Younger, newly literate learners could encounter Podd, a floating head performing various actions at their typed command.<\/p>\n