Nintendo's highly popular augmented reality mobile game "Pokemon Go" has reached worldwide popularity in just a matter of days. Though there were numerous reports about the game leading players to dangerous situations, there are also beliefs that "Pokemon Go" would lend a hand in changing the course of education. How can this happen?
'Pokemon Go' Will Substitute Textbooks For Smartphones?
According to a blog post on Inside Higher Ed, augmented reality games like "Pokemon Go," "Ingress," and "Clandestine Anomaly" require players to stay glued to their phones. This latest trend that revolves around people's gadget dependence could lead to lessons being taught through phones.
Plus, many students are engrossed on social media apps and games on their phones majority of the time and only peruse through textbooks if needed be. Perhaps the future will take advantage of kids' attraction to phones and use the gadgets -- or an advanced version of it -- as a substitute for schools.
Of course, this is a far-fetched idea. But maybe in the future many years from now, technology is extremely developed that children don't need to go to classrooms to obtain education anymore.
We should also consider the amount of things children and young people create using their phones, IdeaFM added. Young people are creative and can use the gadgets in plenty of ways like writing blog posts. Smartphones are not just tools to "like" a supermodel's latest OOTD snapshot on Instagram; youngsters also use them to express their hearts and minds freely.
How 'Pokemon Go' Can Be Used Educationally
A report from Texas Computer Education Association (TCEA) listed how "Pokemon Go" can be used in an educational manner. TCEA executive director Lori Gracey said teachers can encourage students to write about their experiences playing "Pokemon Go."
Pupils can also discuss the historic places and points of interest they visited -- and the things they learned from those sites -- while hunting virtual Pokémons. In addition, playing "Pokemon Go" could make users smarter because it stimulates people's basic math skills, memory, and visual literacy, according to the U.S. News & World Report.
"Pokemon Go's" use of augmented reality can encourage educators to bring the same technology in classrooms, though this scenario can be expensive. But there are cheaper ways to harness the potentials of "Pokemon Go" in schools. Check out this report from Discovery Education on how to do that.
Experts also believe that "Pokemon Go" will help develop autistic children and young people's social skills, Gizmodo reported. Craig Smith, an educator, researcher and autism expert, believes that the game's ability to capture imaginations and engage people's attentions could also work on autistic patients, who have problems in communicating and forming relationships.
While it is possible to spoof or fake GPS location on Pokemon Go, they tend be very hard to pull of. Thus, pupils are compelled to actually head to the destination, opening the opportunity to discuss the historic places and points of interest they visited -- and the things they learned from those sites -- while hunting virtual Pokémons. In addition, playing "Pokemon Go" could make users smarter because it stimulates people's basic math skills, memory, and visual literacy, according to the U.S. News & World Report.
