Academic Benefits of Gaming and Social Networking in School
	Games and social networks are widely available on different platforms and most are free to play. Games are often appealing to students because of their graphics and visuals. Games are often used in the classroom as an enrichment tool when a student successfully completes an assignment but can also be used to provide assistance for struggling students. Game play, specifically in mathematics, improves student skills (Maloy et al., 2017). It can also improve critical thinking skills (Hussein et al., 2019). Visual feedback is given immediately for each player’s actions as well as rewards for achievements (Maloy et al., 2017). Many games require students to cooperate and work with one another and connect to the academic content in new ways. 
	Social networking allows students and teachers to connect in and out of the classroom. Students can reach their teacher directly through various applications or software. This will help students whenever a need arises for an assignment of project. Classroom blogging can have benefits as well, such as motivating students to do their best work, reading other blogs for information, interacting outside the classroom, to continue discussions, and help students teach one another (MacBride & Lynn Luehmann, 2008). Social networks provide a digital footprint, thus students must be careful and motivated to post appropriate thoughts.
References
Hussein, M. H., Ow, S. H., Cheong, L. S., & Thong, M. (2019). A digital game-based learning method to improve students’ critical thinking skills in elementary science. IEEE Access, Access, IEEE, 7, 96309–96318. https://doi-org.lopes.idm.oclc.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2019.2929089
MacBride, R., & Lynn Luehmann, A. (2008). Capitalizing on emerging technologies: A case study of classroom blogging. School Science & Mathematics, 108(5), 173–183. https://doi-org.lopes.idm.oclc.org/10.1111/j.1949-8594.2008.tb17826.x
Maloy, R., Verock, R., Edwards, S., Woolf, B. (2017). Transforming learning with new technologies. Pearson Education.

Items