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In the Forbes article "The Video Game Blurs the Line Between Education and Entertainment," a game that can enable middle schoolers to strengthen...

Is the "gamification" of education a passing fad or the tip of the iceberg?  


I'm going to say both, but I need to explain why.  Ultimately, it will be a passing fad, but the fad may last for many decades.  I've been teaching long enough to have seen and been through styles of teaching that have been around for many, many years, and I have seen long standing, traditional styles of education begin to fade out.  I believe that given enough time, any current style of teaching and learning has the ability to go away.  Games to learn math through isn't any different.  I believe the better question is how long will it stick around?  


I believe that it will stick around for a long time.  I do indeed believe that it is the tip of the iceberg.  For example, the school that I teach at is in the second year of one to one education.  That means every student has a laptop.  My school is not the only school in San Diego to do this.  It has to be stated that the way teachers in my school address their content has changed because of the technology.  For example, our technology class has students design working apps for Android, Chrome, and Apple.  Sure, we teach the basics of how to code, but the majority of that learning is done through a game that teaches students how to code.  That is then followed by the students using trial and error within the actual coding programs.  The curriculum works much better than traditional lecture and test.  


Science classes make use of Google Maps and the satellite view to see how rivers and deltas really look.  English classes use timed racing games (with virtual cars) for vocabulary review.  History classes make use of apps that have students design quiz shows.  The quiz show is displayed on the big screen monitor, and student teams have to select the answer (digitally) before another team does.  


Education conferences are becoming more and more focused on how teachers can integrate technology and "gamification" into existing curriculum.  I have even presented at a Google Conference on how I integrate into my own classroom.  Many companies are designing and selling self contained digital curricula that seamlessly attempt to blend traditional education with teaching and learning games.  Schools are slowly beginning to adopt things like that, but many of them are in their infancy.  They will only get better and more popular.   


In addition, the Forbes article even admits that the blurring of teaching, learning, and gaming is probably a good thing.  



Done responsibly, it may in fact be a good thing to blur the line between education and entertainment.



As more and more educators realize the benefits to learners that games for education offer, the more teachers and schools will ask for it.  Add that to the fact that companies like Amplify are for-profit businesses.  As more and more companies like Amplify realize there is a market that can make a lot of money, they will start competing very hard for school money.  The products will get better because of that, which will in turn increase demand.  The entire process will become cyclical, which is another reason that I think educators are seeing the tip of the iceberg.  

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