Forecast courtesy of The Futurist Magazine

Forecast courtesy of The Futurist Magazine

Here’s a forecast that really pegs my interests “Learning will become more social and game-based, and online social gaming may soon replace textbooks in schools. The idea that students learn more when they are engaged—as they are when playing games—is helping educators embrace new technologies in the classroom. In addition to encouraging collaborations, games also allow students to learn from their mistakes through trial and error.” (World Future Society, 2012).

The way we learn can range from social media and learning by play.  This type of learning has been creating a buzz in popularity and audience. Many educators in schools are really embracing online social gaming and game-based learning within their curriculum.  Learning by playing has not only been adopted by educators but also by the U.S. government.  Some of the elements that affected its success are the following:

1)    Traditional educators are not willing to accept this new type of learning method in their classroom.

2)    Some teachers are not technical advanced as their students and thinks that learning should be out of books not by playing.

These factors can really put a damper on things and slow the progress of social/game-based learning for schools. However, in the 21^st Century, these are some of the things that will continue to cause conflict with this emerging media. Yet, with the rising popularity of this type of emerging media, this will be the norm in the next 3-5 years.

Reference:

World Future Society (2012). Forecast From The Futurist Magazine. Retrieved August 15^, 2012 from http://www.wfs.org/Forecasts_From_The_Futurist_Magazine/