Gamification in education

Gamification has been around in the real world and online for some time. Our every day social networks such as Facebook and Twitter make use of game dynamics (number of friends, followers, likes etc) . Gabe Zichermann gave a great talk on the subject.

However, sometimes I’m not sure introducing game dynamics was or should be intended as a priority, but maybe more by-product of a well designed overall product. I am, I suppose directing this at the average web application. Indeed, there are of course game developers who are highly skilled in building immersive gaming experiences.

I’m not going to go too much into the pros and cons. I just think it has value and hasn’t yet been fully taking advantage of in the education sector. With current wealth of web technologies available, building tools to make learning for kids (and adults) more fun is achievable.

I think codeschool is a great example of what can achieved. If you know of any exciting new learning platforms for kids, feel free to comment.