It is a weird paradox that technology has managed to revolutionize nearly every area of life, from business to leisure, and has made its way into daily habits of millions of people and yet it is so defiantly resisted at schools. Strict rules and regulations that concern the use of cell phones or laptops in classrooms are understandable from a certain point of view, but they nonetheless create an image of a school as a separate space, unconnected to the outside world, insensitive to innovation and in a bizarre league of its own. With a handful of exceptions that tend to confirm the rule, teachers and principals struggle to accommodate hi-tech in the learning process, effectively turning their backs on a natural environment for their immediate audience. In the end, the youngest generations are in their element playing games, tinkering with social networks, posting videos to YouTube or texting to Twitter. And while the norm is rather uninspiring, some schools have engaged in experimental projects that aim to revolutionize K-12 education by infusing it with gaming and other computer-assisted methods. Can their ideas catch on?

The premise they operate on is laudable by any standards. They hope to capitalize on young people's nearly inborn enthusiasm to digital technology, in particular games, to teach a standard curriculum plus a handful of higher order skills such as understanding of complex systems or problem solving. The idea is that when knowledge is embedded in games in a sufficiently interesting way, it makes to possible for kids to learn by play, having a positive impact on motivation, retention and skills development. Who would not like to acquire algebra or earth science by moving up the expertise levels in a first-person shooter? Among other things, this kind of teaching methods can bridge the gap between schooling and the world beyond school that is increasingly digital, problem-based and, as many argue, game-like.

Such projects face their share of setbacks. There is no guarantee, for instance, that school games can compete for pupils' interest and attention with commercial products that tend to banter to powerful instincts and offer superior quality of graphics or storyline. Other than that, when the entire curriculum is based on games, rather than textbooks, even the biggest computer geeks might start feeling the effects of fatigue towards this medium. How exciting is it to handle a game controller or a mini mouse at home and at school all the time?

Other issues that have to do with organization abound and have to be settled before the concept catches on to a greater extent. Are teacher ready to swap wipe boards for interactive whiteboards, a painting set for a pen tablet and set books for e-books? More problematically, how is progress and achievement assessment going to look like when some of old-style methods are done away with? Are parents going to accept the fact that their offspring's exposure to games might double or treble? Finally, how can you make sure there is transfer of skills you learn while playing to other areas of life.