Gaming Education

Is education a game where only some understand and play by the rules? Are others even playing the game? Do they know it even exists? Are educators just proliferating a lie of the system to control the masses?

Let’s face it. If we truly wanted all of our students to be successful we would go back to the foundations of what defines success in education and rewrite it all. Around 30% of students in high school pursue higher education in America. While I’m not a believer that this is the only path to success this is often a good indicator. Are the two thirds just getting and buying into the game of school?

I had the opportunity to discuss the topic an more at Philadelphia’s Hack Education at ISTE this week. The bullet point take aways:

• Shepherds are effective in supporting students.
• Education needs to take in the whole child
• Mindset matters
• The system is broken

One of the points which has crossed my mind and come up in conversations is a bit of a taboo subject in education; education is structured to support governmental management of populations. Even writing about this I find myself hitting a dead-end of thoughts. I have more questions than answers but can clearly see the affect on my students and education as a whole. But really how else do we create a stable society? These are big philosophical questions deserving of long term conversation.

Students need a shepherd to help them through education. For many this is in the form of a parent. But what happens when the parent wasn’t good at the game of school? A Student needs more than a role model. They need some one that can support and help them through the system. Truthfully it’s the system that is broken.

The education game needs to change. I am at ISTE in lectures discussing AI in education and it’s striking how much our students will need to know that they aren’t taught and how much they are being taught that they don’t need to know.

Let’s reimagine what school is. Even the word school. We no longer need to go to a place of learning. Resources are online to help and support us. Perhaps we start to consider education as a personal path to personally defined and coached success. Let’s not define students by a datapoint but recognize that education is more than the core elements we have been teaching.

It’s time for an overhaul of the game. Knowledge is at our fingertips. Our students need the skills to interact and work with the information they can access 24/7. Memorization of facts is no longer a necessity in school.

The idea of a game for school exists because there is a winner; a score. There are rules to the game, though the rules aren’t clearly written down. There are penalties if you break the rules but no one really tells you what they are because they don’t know themselves.

What can education be? How can we measure learning without using a number or scoring? How do we teach with the whole child? How do we heal the wounds education has caused?

Microsoft is supporting schools in transforming education. Gutting what is education  as we know it and redeveloping something else. We need to all pursue an exploration to transform what we know if as education.

Why are we still fighting the tech implementation battle?

I’ve recently seen a few posts on social media indicating technology takes away from education. I’ve witnessed certification opportunities from large companies being redesigned to reach educators. This year one large company, only now, has released a tablet version of their product. *coughgooglecough* 

Why are we still fighting this battle of implementation of technology in education rather than embracing it? Tech in education is not an argument. Certification is a must and shouldn’t have to be sold. Simple handheld devices must be the norm for our entry point students.

I can access college level coursework on my phone at anytime. I’m able to explore Mars in Virtual Reality from 360 images recently sent back to earth. I can reach hundreds of colleagues to collaborate on ideas. Why would I hold my students back from having access to resources and skills they will need for their own success when they graduate? 

If this is the world now what will it look like to our kindergarteners?  To give perspective, our 10th graders were in kindergarten when the first iPhone came out in 2007.

Technology is a part of education. Technology is a part of our world. It’s not a question and is not an argument any more. Every teacher needs to be certified in technology products. Thankfully, right now, most large companies provide free certifications. They want students using their products so they train the teacher. Every teacher out of obligation to the future of our students is obligated to be certified in at least one productivity suite or operating system. Ignorance and age is not an excuse. 

Yes, books still have a place in the classroom. Literature is necessary for our students. But do they have to be on paper where they can be lost and/or destroyed? Can’t we hold them in a place where discussions can happen at any time? 

Why do I still see questions as to the efficacy of technology in education? It’s not completely about how well tech supports learning. Technology is embedded in everything. Our students must know how to navigate with it.  Thereby we need to know. 

• Certify yourself in at least one major product. Right now that’s looking like Google, Apple, or Windows. You can do it at home and online. Training material is offered by each organization. 
• Fight for reasonable and responsible technology use in your classroom. If you aren’t in a 1:1 environment reach out to your community for old devices. Look in to grants to support providing technology access. 
• Allow technology into your curriculum. That is to say your curriculum should not be about technology unless that’s what you teach. Let students create work through devices. Consider going paperless if appropriate. Look at the SAMR model to support your growth.
• Share, show, collaborate, communicate with fellow educations on how technology in can improve education. Small steps of change by many can lead to great shifts. Better yet drag the least technical among you into this world of tech in education and you will see a rush to try it. Fear often holds back change. Be courageous in your steps forward.

Teachers currently in education programs need access to certification programs. Teachers currently teaching need to seek out certifications even when a district doesn’t offer it. Becoming fluent in immersing technology in your classroom doesn’t just make you a better teacher. It makes you a current teacher.