This doesn't surprise me at all. If I need computer help, I just ask my 13 year old daughter or my 18 year old son.



http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/.element/img/1.3/ceiling/logo.cnn.com.gif (http://www.cnn.com/)
Students asked to teach the teachers ... video games





WILMINGTON, North Carolina (AP) -- When the principal of Blair Elementary School needed someone to instruct teachers in the use of PlayStations, she turned to the experts -- the students.

The school purchased 23 PlayStations last month to use with educational games for third- through fifth-graders.

But not all the teachers took to the video games -- one became so flustered that she didn't want use them in class, principal Sharon Sand said.

So on Wednesday, students gave advice on plugging in the machines, using the software and navigating the buttons.

Not all the teachers needed the help, but many did.

"They're illiterate when it comes to this," Sand said.

The school has spent about $20,000 in federal money on the machines and games that reinforce the state's standard course of study, she said.

Very good topic, Keith!

It comes as no surprise to me, and of course a lot of young children who are leaps and bounds ahead of the previous generation in electronics.

In fact, this reminds me of the Network Administration class I had last semester. Several students including myself spent an entire class period at Oklahoma City Community College explaining to our Network instructor how VoIP (Voice Over IP) worked on XBOX Live, as well as how to get everything set up. Don't get me wrong, he is a good instructor, and my favorite, but he is before the XBOX days.

Video game consoles are not harmful to children as much as the nedia claims. Sure, there are games out their that children just shouldn't play, and the cover indicates those games are for adults only, but video gamers in general aren't getting their brains rotted out from playing games.

Many parents consider it a mindless activity, but have you ever played Halo? Call of Duty? Heck, ever the old classic Super Mario Bros and Tetris didn't rot the brain, it exercises the brain. Most hardcore gamers, as proven by research, are more apt to pounding out a huge problem until they find a solution, while most non-gamers gave up trying to solve the problem, concluding there was no solution.

Not only does video gaming sharpen your problem-solving skills, it enhances your ability to create new strategies for a variety of scenarios. Put an XBOX controller in the hands of a parent to play Halo, and they'll walk around in circles until the covenant hunts them down.