Classroom, meet the ipad mini

In case you have been living under a rock, the iPad mini has made its debut. It’s smaller (obviously), more portable, and more affordable than the iPad. And while gadget nerds everywhere are comparing it to its larger predecessor and discussing internals, I was curious what this means for classrooms.

The mini iPad is ripe for classroom use and because classes all over are embracing the more technologically advanced younger generations, it’s not unfathomable that students will soon meet Apple’s new gadget, hopefully with some gamified learning tools.

Gamification, by providing instantaneous feedback, competition, and rewarding for even the smallest steps of progress is exactly the kind of motivation kids need, especially with respect to learning. And aside from drawing kids in and keeping them engaged with educational tools, gamification can also help build kids’ ability to be competitive and allow them to gain confidence. I wish gamified learning had been a classroom option in my younger years because I for one have always learned more productively with some sort of game (I’m thinking of the hours I spent with my GeoSafari). So I hope that schools take advantage of the new methods of learning available to them.

And I know there are other smaller tablets on the market, but I am extremely partial to Apple (I have more Apple products than can be counted on two hands). So I am excited and hopeful that schools will use the mini iPad to gamify students’ learning experience.

Any predictions on some of the new ways app developers can infuse gamification into their educational applications?

Source: http://gamifyforthewin.com/