So don’t blame the game. In fact, there is a growing pile of research that says playing video games can be good for you. Many adults think that if you don’t take your eyes off the screen you have no life. But in reality, you’re learning a lot -- even though you may not realize it at the time because it’s so much fun. Sports games, for example, can teach you the rules of the games. Dance games can get you up and practicing your moves. Action games can improve your attention span and ability to multitask. They can encourage cooperation and teamwork. They can enhance your hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills. They can teach you to think ahead and anticipate another player’s movements. They can support communication among players. They can help you master concepts through critical-thinking skills rather than rote memorization. And they can build bridges between online players from around the world.

Boston Public Schools educators in grades five through 12 are engaging youth to learn how to use multimedia software to create artwork with purpose through a multi-year grant from the Adobe Foundation. Coordinated by administrators from the BPS Office of Instructional and Information Technology’s TechBoston unit, Adobe Youth Voices teachers receive professional development, Adobe software -- plus classroom support provided by mentors, many of whom are media- savvy graduates of BPS. These pieces were part of a student exhibit displayed in May at Northeastern University’s Fenway Center. To view additional student work from this grant, including posters, videos, and animations, please visit http://vimeo.com/bpsayvproject                                  

It feels great to love someone like you Even though I was there three times I pinky-promise you I won’t be there for the fourth Was I ever your undercover lover? Did you mean all the things you said? When I’m ready to collapse I put you in my mind to have you put Me back on my feet again I know that I’m not only daydreaming But that I’ve awoken to a world we so-call Reality You’ve known about my love But never owned or earned it But the sound of your voice Lightens my way to paradise Daydreaming of you makes me stronger You tell me that we’re never going to be Our love was never decided But in my mind it was.

Love and pain playing under the rain Her attention they want to obtain But she’s moving away from them She wants to run away Because of all the things she had to face. She lives under the dark side of the clouds When we see blue, she sees black People see the pain, but don’t understand the facts There’s always an exit to every stage of the problem Should I give her directions to the right exit? I see her pain She feels it No one else does When she smiles, she feels the weight How does she manage to show what she does not feel or have?

A big beautiful house, filled with rooms, filled with people. Everyone was all over the place preparing for the wedding. I needed a getaway from this getaway trip to South Dakota. The stress and focus was contagious. I longed for some quiet and peace. Roaming around the house, I looked through several different doors. I finally came upon a glass one with the most beautiful view of trees and the clear blue sky. Nature at its best. Turning the knob slowly, a sudden wave of coldness hit me. The cool breeze against my skin with the bright sun in my face was so pleasing. The silence was so absolute, I could hear the whistling wind and the leaves on the trees. A perfect spot to get away from nonsense. I sat on the patio swing, rocking back and forth. Observing all around me, it all seemed so foreign. I was surrounded by pure emerald green for the first time ever, even mountains of it. Fresh air, no sounds of cars. Plugging in my headphones, I kept swinging. I looked at the sky suddenly turn orangey-red as the sun was setting. Living in the city, I realized, was making me miss out on nature’s beauties.