There are many moving targets in understanding when and how schools are investing in technology and products like learning games. A new report from the New Media Consortium, the 11th edition of their regular assessment of edtech, offers some predictions of what might lie ahead for games in the classroom.
One challenge the consortium points out is the continued lack of what they call “authentic learning opportunities” in school. These types of tools and lessons directly connect the school experience to the real world challenges students may face.
“Use of learning scenarios that incorporate real life experiences, technology, and tools that are already familiar to students, and interactions from community members, are examples of approaches that can bring authentic learning into the classroom,” they write in their preview. “Practices such as these may help retain students in school and prepare them for further education, careers, and citizenship in a way that traditional practices are too often failing to do.”
The report also finds the struggle to effectively implement personalized learning in the classroom and concerns over privacy as other challenges facing education generally, but technology in particular.
Clearly games can address many of these challenges like incorporating real world aspects, but the also may exacerbate other problems like privacy concerns.
The report does highlight a trajectory for widespread adoption of certain technologies. They predict that games and gamification, along with use of data analytics to assess learning, will find wider adoption in the next two years.
The culture around digital games is growing to encompass a substantial proportion of the world’s population, with the age of the average gamer increasing every year. The gaming industry is producing a steady stream of games that continue to expand their nature and impact – they can be artistic, social, and collaborative, with many allowing massive numbers of people from all over the world to participate simultaneously.
The New Media Consortium’s 2014 K-12 Horizon Report
The full report is not available, but the preview is at the New Media Consortium site.
Additionally, EdSurge has a really handy breakdown of the report and compares it to past editions.
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