The Gamification of education

The Gamification of education
How it might transform the way we learn, or the way we feel about education in general

Most of us are familiar with and/or have been exposed to various forms of educational software in the past, perhaps both in, and out of the classroom. Without question, the aforementioned items are examples of gamification, but do they represent the final stage of development with regards to gamification purpose(s) and/or usefulness in education? Is gamification being fully exploited by the educational system? Perhaps the real question is: why are educational institutions always among the last and slowest to begin utilizing gamification technology? Arguably, it's most likely due to the negative perception of 'video games as mindless entertainment', which has been disseminated by mainstream academia.
However, it should also be noted that not all academics are 'doom and gloom' about gamification. Some are actually working hard toward establishing complete theories of gamification with regards to its effect on employees and how to best utilize if motivating effects to increase profit(s) and potential(s). To this end, the educational system is supporting gamification; but can gamification return the favor?

Whatever your own personal opinion (of gamification) might be, one thing continues to ring true, gamification is great at engaging an audience. This is what proponents (of gamification) seek to achieve with setting their sights on education. The concept is simple, use gaming concepts, entertainment and rewards systems to more fully engage students. It should be noted that no one is suggesting that technology-based gamification should replace traditional methods of education, only that they be used 'in addition to' or technologically co-opted in the classroom.

This addition might also be supported from a psychological perspective… For example, as students begin to equate positive emotions with learning in a particular subject, you could most likely, remove the technological stimulus and they would still retain interest in the subject. Obviously formal studies would be needed to verify such a theory, but on its face, the concept seems logical and quite probable.

How would gamification in education be implemented? The basic premise would be to replace specific elements with gamified ones, which would allow you to attach additional value or incentive to certain activities. So, in addition to using technology to actually teach concepts through gaming; things like, awards, badges, and scoring systems can also be utilized.

The idea would be to improve overall enthusiasm toward learning and teach students to not simply limit themselves to learning in a prescribed environment, but to extend their learning outside the classroom. This would give students information that they could more readily apply towards their career aspirations as well, which in theory could create a more stable, efficient and creative workforce for future generations to come.

Opponents of gamification may point to proposed evidence stating that; using external factors to motivate students has a negative effect. But this is a largely an unsubstantiated claim, and simply doesn't account for the fact that students are already receiving external motivation from several real life sources.

To claim that something as harmless as gamification could possibly have a detrimental effect over a students' ability to learn over external factors like their parents, is pure science fiction. By and large, most of the individuals that would want to resist gamification are educators themselves; and are either scared of being replaced by machines, or unwilling to adapt to any new changes in policy or schedule (after all, this might mean more work for them).

The point is; gamification only seeks to participate (and assist) in the education of students, not to placate teachers and traditional classroom scenarios. An educator using gamification concepts and/or technology has an amazing tool on their hands for molding minds.

Gamification isn't really about providing students with 'entertainment' it's about reaching them through (the means of) entertainment, and then communicating to them more directly, often in language that they can more easily understand. In effect, gamification is more like means to opening one's eyes, ears and mind to new potentials and experiences so that further learning might become sought after. Gamification is about inspiration and participation, which once ignited, often become great fires of progression and evolution.