Educational Technology News

"If you asked a room of teacher if they would rather work, play, or participate in professional development, professional development would likely come in last. Often, people imagine being stuck in classrooms listening to a lecture or chained to a computer for e-learning courses. And while these tried-and-true methods for professional development aren’t going anywhere, there are methods for increasing engagement amongst the teachers in attendance. One of those methods, if gamification."

"Children are becoming acutely acquainted with mobile technology long before their K-12 classroom years. When they arrive at their first organized school experiences, they are often already savvy on basic computers and mobile devices. If their parents used this technology correctly, these kids have had at least some exposure to phonics and math through learning websites, downloads and other applications."

At BrainQuake, Inc., there is no plush office, marketing budget or incessant urge to chase venture capital. Instead, the small team of 7 focuses primarily on incorporating decades of research on math education into its family of games.As co-founder and president, Dr. Keith Devlin notes the company i

"If you aren’t familiar with the idea of gamification, be prepared to thank the Millennials for its inclusion in almost everything. Gamification involves bringing in traits traditionally associated with video games and using them to engage people in other activities. The principle has been used in everything from employee engagement efforts to healthcare objectives about customer wellness. And the educational system is not excluded from attempts to gamify previously uninspiring activities."

"Since its summertime release, Pokémon Go! has become a singular sensation in gaming. With millions of downloads and players, it has captured the imagination of players of all ages."

"Natalie Catlett, an art teacher at an IB World School in Sao Paulo, Brazil, led her students to create “Mutant Go,” where they created their own mutants and hid them around campus, stumbling into a range of learning opportunities while having fun."

"In June, Minecraft: Education Edition launched in early access to students and educators around the world. Over 35,000 students and educators have participated in this program and provided feedback to help us fine-tune the experience across a diverse set of learning environments, including a STEM summer camp program in New York City and classrooms around the world."

Future teachers are using emerging technologies such as Minecraft to construct engaging lesson plans.

PokemonGo can be an educational tool that can bring out the best in your students. You just have to think outside the box. Here are some ideas.

"Believe it or not, writing is a natural fit for gamification techniques.

You’ve surely noticed how your class gets engaged as soon as you introduce a game into the teaching process. The students get competitive, but that’s a healthy competition you want to nurture."

Gamifying my 5th grade math course has been one of the most exciting and rewarding experiences of my teaching career. After two and a half years of introducing gamified elements, I am finding a num…

"A new national report from Project Tomorrow, "From Print to Pixel: The role of videos, games, animations and simulations within K-12 education," says the use of game-based environments and online apps in American classrooms has doubled in the last six years."

Introduce game dynamics like leveling up and earning badges into your classroom to boost student engagement.

Gamification in education is a pedagogical approach in which elements of games are incorporated into teaching sessions and/or online delivery, with the aim of increasing student engagement. This could be achieved by introducing a competitive element (through, for example, the…Read more ›

MinecraftEdu: The Craft Of Digital Citizens by TeachThought Staff Originally released in 2011, Minecraft quickly found a place in classroom

"It’s no secret that people of all ages and backgrounds enjoy video games. In fact, over 3 billion hours a week are dedicated to playing video games worldwide. This widespread popularity makes it an ideal choice for integrating into the classroom, a process called gamification. But, just because people know that gamifying education has benefits, figure out exactly how to do so isn’t always as easy. To help teachers figure out how to bring the motivating principles of video games into the traditional learning experience here is some guidance on how to gamify your classroom."

"Determining how to use gaming elements and to what extent remains a hurdle to unlocking its full potential for many."

New methods to engage students, including blended learning and gamification, are on the rise in districts across the country.

Game-based learning boosts motivation, literacy and social skills.

Pokemon Go, the wildly popular phone-based app game, is being embraced in some countries and banned by others.

Harness the immersive game Pokemon Go to engage your students in the skills required for collaboration, inquiry, written communication, and building culture.

Thank you to our guest writer Sydnee Yates from PDF Supply for writing this special entry. Gamification and it’s Place in the World of Education Technology Gamification: Using STEM Technology to Inspire Learning 1.2 million students fail to graduate from high school every year. That’s a shocking statistic, right? The vast majority of teaching is through …     

"The use of digital learning games in schools grew rapidly from 2010 to 2015, especially in elementary schools, showing that teachers are coming around to the learning benefits."