Why games will be more successful in education than radio, TV, or MOOCs


Radio, TV, computers, video games, the internet, and MOOCs. As major technological innovations have occurred throughout our history they have been regularly touted as the next great thing in education, OnlineUniversities.com reports. Few of them ever actually live up to the hype though, and eventually fade out of education even as their prominence in society as a whole rises. Starting in the 1920s radio was used as an educational tool (Interactive Radio Instruction) to supplement poorly trained educators in rural areas. In the 1960s aircraft broadcast educational television programs over the American Midwest for much the same reasons. In the 1980′s computers invaded education and ushered in the prospect of game-based learning with mixed results. In the1990s online education gained a foothold in higher education and, since 2010, MOOCs have arisen largely for the same reasons as earlier attempts to incorporate new technology into education – to provide “high quality” educational opportunities for those who may not otherwise have access to the best education. One of these innovations stands apart from the others in my opinion – games. In stark contrast to all of the other educational innovations mentioned, games have been a natural part of learning since the dawn of time and, as such, provide a far greater potential for sustained impact on education than other technological advancements.

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