Photo: RapidGrowthMedia.com
Jason Siko, Assistant Professor at Grand Valley State University’s (GVSU) College of Education and a University of Houston Foresight alum, recently gave his insights about the significance gamification, design thinking, and technology on education on the Rapid Growth website along with several other industry experts.
He explained an innovative, human-centered approach to problem solving has provided technology education with new ideas and options, most notably in educational game design.
“When you think of educational games, you probably think of some apps that are basically drill and practice, or some sort of Jeopardy review game,” GVSU’s Siko explained in his interview. “Those are just kind of review-based drill and practice games. It’s necessary, and it’s helpful, but it’s not necessarily transformative.”
However, when other variables and a narrative are added to the games, transformational change can begin to happen. He said, “The video game industry is a multi-billion dollar industry with programmers, designers, and storytellers. And part of what makes game design a different form of learning is the fact that you’re not only learning different kinds of content, but also doing things like writing across the curriculum, putting an element of creative writing into science.”
Before joining GVSU, he received his doctorate in instructional technology from Wayne State University. Before that, Siko earned his masters in foresight from the University of Houston. He told Rapid Growth the trends indicate the future may see less technology in the classroom, or at least fewer devices.
Siko observed the world is moving toward a convergence in media. “We’re getting to this point where we just have one device for everything. You see this with our communications, our televisions, our media. We’re going from desktops, to laptops, to tablets, to phones,” Siko added. “There’s this big push to kind of converge everything into one device that you may even be able to plug into a screen just so you can have access to something larger if you need to.”
He also helps contribute to GVSU’s Technology Showcase website that shows how innovative emerging technologies can enhance teaching and improve student learning. To learn more about Jason Siko, you can read the interview here. — Dave Ramirez
