If there’s anyone who could transform the virtual distance learning space into a seamless and likeable experience for kids of all ages—a tall order—it’s the gaming industry.
For a number of decades Porn was considered the biggest driver of video distribution technology. But Gaming has also been pushing the envelope, and is likely at least at the same level, if not higher, in terms of influence on immersive experience technology today. Certainly gaming is more directly impactful on AR and VR technology, whereas Porn is more limited to its demand side influence.
It has seemed that learning platforms would join in the “immersive is us” party, sooner or later. Ubiquitous online video creation and distribution is now here: we’re still waiting on LFH to fully lose it’s inhibitions on the dance floor, and become the “fully immersive” experience that AR and VR have promised for some time now.
It is these gaming platforms—with their reward cycles and social mechanics, their skill-building models, and the sheer amount of engagement they drive from players—that should be thought of as prototypes for tomorrow’s next great education platform.
As now evidenced by the crash course in LFH underway, (emphasis for some on the word “crash”), Ed Tech continues to trend toward combining video with the flipped classroom, AI, Adaptive Learning and Just in Time Learning, Video is currently becoming full screen and high resolution for many tens of millions, alas not all kids have affordable access still. Interactive video is here too, But to fully capture learner’s attention Ed Tech will need to match the immersive tech in games, as the article below explores.
“Education technology is a $252 billion market, and while we haven’t really seen a product — yet —that combines a distance learning experience with first-rate student engagement focused on the K-12 segment, I do believe the market opportunity will persist post pandemic.”
With 56 million K-12 students and 3.6 million teachers in the U.S. quickly pivoting to learning and teaching from home, I predict we’ll soon see an entirely new category of distance learning platforms that are both synchronous and interactive and encourage engagement and cooperation, mimicking the real life classroom.
The Theorem goes something like this: the more fully engaged a learner is using Ed Tech, the better and more impactful the learning experience will be, and the more closely it will match the capabilities of in-person learning. (and in some aspects greatly exceed those capabilities as AI brings all teaching algorithms to play–see article below).
Kudos to Gary for the link.
[gview file=”https://publicservicesalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/How-gaming-could-save-distance-learning-·-Bessemer-Venture-Partners.pdf”]