More than three-quarters of teachers are using digital games in the classroom, revealed a survey by the Joan Ganz Cooney Center. And while one might think educators are using the games to deliver and reinforce academic content, more often they're being used to motivate and reward lower-performing students.

“Teachers say they want to use digital games to deliver standards-based content and assess student knowledge and skills,” survey designer Lori Takeuchi told the Mind/Shift blog. “But they’re mixed on how effective games have been in doing these things.”

So how do teachers choose digital games? While educators reported it's difficult to find the right ones to meet students' needs, the most useful games (1) provide evidence of their effectiveness and (2) track players’ performance.

The Mind/Shift post also noted that non-digital (e.g., board) games remain quite popular; teachers find them useful for practice, motivation and promoting positive classroom climate.

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