Gaming Trends

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.