Classrooms have changed dramatically from the One Room
Schoolhouse to the technology driven schools we see now. When I began teaching, about 5 years ago, I
began in a building that still had the bells outside the classroom, overhead
projectors that used transparencies, a boxed television in the corner, a VCR,
and 1 computer for the entire classroom.
I now teach in a classroom that has a projector that streams from my
computer and any device, 5 computers, an apple TV, a Starboard, an iPad, and my
students bring their own devices to connect to our network. In just my 5 years of teaching I have seen a
huge change with technology use in the classroom. This also goes for games in the
classroom. During my first years I
allowed my students to play board games to interact and now with all the new
technology in the classroom there is now unlimited access to digital games.
In the year 2030 I believe we will see classrooms that will
use simulations, games, and augmented reality to foster and guide teaching and
learning. Times are changing and they
are changing fast, just as fast as the minds of our students are. The Horizon
Report K12 (2010) mentions, “The three most recent cohorts of
children — those born in the early 1980s, the early 1990s, and the early 2000s —
have grown up in a world where digital games have always been an important part
of their lives.” (p. 17) With students growing up with games and
digital resources around them we are going to have to build our classrooms to
meet their needs.
In the year 2030 I imagine students wanting to be engaged,
wanting to be challenged, and wanting to interact with others more than
ever. Currently, students want to interact
with their learning. The Horizon Report
K12 (2012) mentions, “Students are engaged because they
are motivated to do better, to get to the next level, and ultimately, to
succeed.” (p. 19) Students want to feel accomplished and want to
feel good about their achievements. McGonigal (2011) states, “Games make us
happy because they are hard work that we choose for ourselves, and it turns out
that nothing makes us happier than good, hard work.” (p. 30) After learning
about the many games that make a difference in the world why wouldn’t we change
our direction to game base learning and allowing students to make that
difference? Students can problem solve
through situations, collaborate with others, and use higher level thinking
skills to solve real life problems. I also see students using simulations to do
learn digitally rather than reading information in a book. As I researched educational simulations I
found a large amount that students can really learn and benefit from. I then began wondering why we do not use more
of these rather than having our students read information from textbooks.
As educators begin to learn more about the benefits of game
based learning we will begin to see more games being used in the
classroom. Just as educators began to
realize the benefits of technology in the classroom they will build on these
benefits to include more games and simulations.
Just as I had noticed the increase in my district with technology use
over the past 5 years think of the possibilities in the next 16 years! As I watched the video Are Games Better Than
Life? By David Perry I was amazed in the changes we have made since I was
in school. The technological advances
that were made and now used at home and in the classrooms are just phenomenal. We will begin to see the changes with gaming
in the classroom as well. We will begin
to notice the true benefits of learning using games, the classroom will be
transformed into the game based learning the students are already using in
their everyday lives. Now it is just up
to schools districts to provide the professional development needed to show
these benefits and to start changing the way students are learning.
Johnson, L., Smith, R., Levine, A., and
Haywood, K., (2010). 2010 Horizon Report: K-12 Edition. Austin, Texas: The New
Media Consortium.
Johnson, L., Adams, S., and Cummins, M.
(2012). NMC Horizon Report: 2012 K-12 Edition. Austin, Texas: The New Media
Consortium.
McGonigal, J. (2011). Reality is Broken.
New York: Penguin Group.
