Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live At Daybreak

Having PlayStation for Homework?

Aired September 20, 2002 - 05:23   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Here's a kid's dream come true, having PlayStation for homework.
Our science correspondent Ann Kellan says it's real and it's happening, and it gets high marks from teachers and parents.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're going to go to a new game.

ANN KELLAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This parent-teacher meeting is a little different than most. At this gathering, parents are signing up to borrow Sony PlayStations for the year so their kids can use them to do homework. That's right, a Sony PlayStation.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And then I'm going to hit X.

(DEMONSTRATION OF GAME)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How many of you play regular video games?

KELLAN: Something many kids know all too well. Adel can spend all day on his PlayStation. Now he's using it to solve math problems.

JAMAL AHMED, ADEL'S DAD: I didn't believe it at first, until I saw him doing it today.

KELLAN (on camera): Do you think you're better at math and adding and subtracting now?

ADEL AHMED: Yes.

KELLAN (voice-over): Summerand Middle School (ph) in Georgia is one of a number of schools throughout the U.S. using the PlayStation program, funded with federal money or schools can buy the games on their own.

DETRA POSEY, MATH TEACHER: I can sit here all day and just give them direct teaching and give them definitions, give them examples, but when you give them something that's hands-on, that tends to stay in their minds. They retain it longer.

The median is greater than seven? OK, we're going to wait for another one.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Most people like violence in the video games. KELLAN: You won't find violence or explosions in these games and they aren't made by Sony. A separate company, Lightspan out of San Diego, makes the educational PlayStation CDs. Computer versions are also available. Behind the scenes at Lightspan, artists, animators and story tellers work with educators to design games for kindergarten through eighth graders. What makes these games different than most? They all tie into a state's educational curriculum.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So I really like it because of the characters.

KELLAN: And the key to an interesting game, enticing characters.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That is basically all the faces that we need to do the speech, meaning enunciating all the phoneme for any given words. It's really a lot, a lot of work. But the results are just astonishing.

(DEMONSTRATION OF GAME)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They make it funny and challenging at the same time. It's almost like you're with them, you're actually on an adventure with them.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK, what was the prime number?

KELLAN: Teachers introduce new concepts with the games then kids take CDs home and practice on their PlayStations. Even a kid sister can learn. Already the school is seeing an improvement in students' test scores.

(DEMONSTRATION OF GAME)

KELLAN: Ann Kellan, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com






Aired September 20, 2002 - 05:23   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Here's a kid's dream come true, having PlayStation for homework.
Our science correspondent Ann Kellan says it's real and it's happening, and it gets high marks from teachers and parents.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're going to go to a new game.

ANN KELLAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This parent-teacher meeting is a little different than most. At this gathering, parents are signing up to borrow Sony PlayStations for the year so their kids can use them to do homework. That's right, a Sony PlayStation.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And then I'm going to hit X.

(DEMONSTRATION OF GAME)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How many of you play regular video games?

KELLAN: Something many kids know all too well. Adel can spend all day on his PlayStation. Now he's using it to solve math problems.

JAMAL AHMED, ADEL'S DAD: I didn't believe it at first, until I saw him doing it today.

KELLAN (on camera): Do you think you're better at math and adding and subtracting now?

ADEL AHMED: Yes.

KELLAN (voice-over): Summerand Middle School (ph) in Georgia is one of a number of schools throughout the U.S. using the PlayStation program, funded with federal money or schools can buy the games on their own.

DETRA POSEY, MATH TEACHER: I can sit here all day and just give them direct teaching and give them definitions, give them examples, but when you give them something that's hands-on, that tends to stay in their minds. They retain it longer.

The median is greater than seven? OK, we're going to wait for another one.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Most people like violence in the video games. KELLAN: You won't find violence or explosions in these games and they aren't made by Sony. A separate company, Lightspan out of San Diego, makes the educational PlayStation CDs. Computer versions are also available. Behind the scenes at Lightspan, artists, animators and story tellers work with educators to design games for kindergarten through eighth graders. What makes these games different than most? They all tie into a state's educational curriculum.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So I really like it because of the characters.

KELLAN: And the key to an interesting game, enticing characters.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That is basically all the faces that we need to do the speech, meaning enunciating all the phoneme for any given words. It's really a lot, a lot of work. But the results are just astonishing.

(DEMONSTRATION OF GAME)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They make it funny and challenging at the same time. It's almost like you're with them, you're actually on an adventure with them.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK, what was the prime number?

KELLAN: Teachers introduce new concepts with the games then kids take CDs home and practice on their PlayStations. Even a kid sister can learn. Already the school is seeing an improvement in students' test scores.

(DEMONSTRATION OF GAME)

KELLAN: Ann Kellan, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com