This week we learned from our guest speaker, middle school teacher Heidi James, about how gaming can be incorporated into education. Specifically, Heidi spoke about Minecraft, and although I was aware it’s a highly popular game, I likely wouldn’t have imagined integrating it into my practice. To my surprise, Heidi shared that Minecraft can serve as an excellent aid when teaching geometry, area, and perimeter. I know I will teach many students who enjoy gaming, and because of that, I hope to incorporate gaming into my classroom to some degree as a tool to enhance students’ learning. Heidi emphasized how learning through Minecraft is both a form of play-based learning and an opportunity for students to exhibit leadership skills that are both very important. We also learned about various apps related to game-based education, such as Teach Your Monster to Read, Prodigy, and Sumdog, among others, which will help future reference. Virtual reality is also something worth looking into as well.
I am looking forward to exploring the world of education-based gaming more in-depth so that I can incorporate it into my future teaching.

Photo by Nadine Shaabana on Unsplash https://unsplash.com/photos/YsPnamiHdmI