October 28, 2009

Play To Learn

Microsoft hopes to change how kids use computers

By TFK Kid Reporter Brennan LaBrie

Have you ever wanted to make your own movies and video games? Then, the new Windows 7 Live might be perfect for you. The giant computer company Microsoft launched its new program on October 22. Microsoft says the new operating system is faster and more fun than the previous program.

MICROSOFT Brennan LaBrie hangs out with Joey Wilson (far left) and his dad Joe Wilson at Microsoft headquarters in Redmond, Washington.

According to Microsoft, kids may find it easier to play and learn with Windows 7. Engineers and designers at Microsoft headquarters in Redmond, Washington, worked hard to create a program where making movies and other creative projects is something anyone can do. "What counts is getting it done, and having fun," Bryan Saftler, associate project manager of Windows Live, told TFK. Saftler spent the past two years designing improvements to Movie Maker so that creating a movie, doing a stop motion, and sharing vacation pictures isn't tricky. "We think it should easy to create--and to share--videos you make yourself," he says.

Create Your Own World

Microsoft engineers have also created a game called Kodu. It lets kids create their own world and the characters in it. Kodu can be used and played on an Xbox 360. Players can choose from 20 different game characters including flying saucers, submarines and a main character. They then use interactive tools to create their own game world. "It was important to us to make it easy for kids to do the things they could think up," says Matt MacLaurin, principal program manager and the game's creator. MacLaurin says that some kids have even recreated their favorite arcade games. Joey Wilson, the 11-year-old son of Microsoft executive Joe Wilson, demonstrated what a Kodu player can do. He created mountains and shaped them. He carved canyons, added trees and bridges and made the characters do what he wanted them to. "Computer programming is nothing more than telling something on the screen what to do, and when to do it," MacLaurin says.

Joey's dad is Microsoft's senior director of academic initiatives. He says that computers are a great learning resource. "Computers make learning more interesting," he points out. "And they can help teachers track a student's progress so the teacher can then adjust lessons." But will computers replace teachers one day? "I don't think a computer can do anything without a good teacher," says Wilson.

Click here to watch a video of Brennan's visit to Microsoft headquarters.

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