Week 9- Gamifying the Classroom

  

    With the growing of technology in this day and age comes the growth of video games and other online game platforms. With this comes the growth of its integration in schools. Many classrooms turn to online games to be integrated into everyday school in order to present the curriculum in a more engaging and entertaining way. There are many ways in which online games can be made more educational and there are many websites and apps that allow for this. For one thing, making online quizzes makes review more entertaining. Websites such as Kahoot or GimKit allow one to either create or find an already created quiz to allow their students to play on. Some games even review math or language arts curriculum lessons. Prodigy is a game that has math questions for all of the elementary grade levels, and the game allows students to battle and play with their friends, all while having them answer math questions (and there is even a language arts version as well). Another game called Blooket allows for another quiz review but with more gameplay variety (as in different modes to play and answer the questions). All of these websites are great ways to integrate games in an educational way. Kids are more likely to participate and enjoy being in class more if the learning is made fun, and these games do just that.

    Aside from educational quiz-style games, other console and computer games that may not seem educational at face-value actually help develop important life skills. Minecraft is one example. Though it may not seem very educational, it actually has a strong creativity element to it, and when you play with friends it helps to develop communication skills. Problem-solving is another skill that this game helps with. Though these are not curriculum-based skills, they are important life skills. I think it would be useful to have these kinds of games in the classroom at a more limited amount than educational games such as Prodigy, but they can still be used. Everything in moderation.

    Another ongoing trend in this day and age that has made its way up to become scholarship opportunities for some colleges is eSports. eSports are video games played on with peers that improve skills needed for the future job field and overall, just for life in general. eSports has been getting gradually more popular as time goes on, and many sports networks have a separate eSports category because of its popularity. The thing with eSports is that they usually incorporate multiplayer, and lots of people stream them on sites like Twitch. eSports streams have also become increasingly popular, and some people have that as their occupation because of the number of viewers they get and the amount of revenue they get for advertising and sponsoring products. Many universities have also allowed to eSports scholarships. Since eSports help to develop communication, problem-solving, cooperation, and other life-needed skills, scholarships are occasionally offered at some schools to students who want to pursue this. As showcased, eSports have some similar benefits to traditional sports, like cooperation and communication, and the perseverance to keep going forward. 

    I found it very interesting, and even a bit surprising, that some universities award scholarships to those who concentrate in eSports. But I think it's a good idea. As the article I read has said, these kinds of scholarships are for those who do not do as well on SAT or ACT tests. Just like people get scholarships for playing football, track, volleyball, and other physical sports, students can receive scholarships for gaining real-world-needed skills while participating in eSports. I like how this accounts for the diversity of student interests and incorporates video games as a pathway to succeed in life if that's really your passion.