I came across this Infographic that speaks to the benefits of bringing game-based learning into the classroom. We certainly advocate multi-media learning at K5 Learning. We sell it to families! However, I think you got to read between the lines here a bit.
At the end of the day, the success of so-called "game-based" learning is down to two things. The content and its focus. If the content truly is geared towards helping students learn concepts and to practice those concepts, it goes some way towards helping kids learn. The other critical factor is its focus. Giving kids options to play or to practice, and they will often spend more time at play. Creating avatars, zooming around wonderful landscapes and finding new friends is not learning. So, software that give students no options, but to go in one direction - the learning path, will help them learn.
But then, is that called game-based learning anymore? What are your opinions about game-based learning?