Jordan Shapiro is one of our biggest influencers—a voice of reason who understands that parents should treat games as they would any form of media—i.e., they should at least talk about video games with kids, and playing video games with kids is even better. “The question isn’t, ‘Are they good for your kids or bad for your kids?’ They’re games. They’re not good for your kids or bad for your kids,” Shapiro said in our talk. “They’re just there. The question is, do you feel comfortable having the conversation with your kid that you need to have in order for this game to have a positive impact?”
The use of games in the classroom is always a point of interest for parents, and Jordan made some great points about the future of games in the classroom. “The worst thing people can start to imagine is that we’re going to replace education with video games. Right? That’s not it. I don’t know anyone who wants to do that. I know a ton of people who say, ‘Can’t we come up with tools that can supplement what the teacher’s already doing?'”
Data collection will be the most important thing for the future of games in the classroom. Shapiro envisions a future in which we will be able to personalize educational tech based on the teacher and students’ needs.
Whether he’s talking about games and parenting or games and education, Shapiro approaches games from a philosophical standpoint. “I want to ask a lot of questions about how games are going to shape the way we think, or how they already shape the way we think, or what they can tell us about how our thinking has already changed.”
Watch the video above to hear more about what Jordan sees as the future of educational technology and how he started his personal journey into the world of gaming.
Check out Jordan’s writing on Forbes, and follow him on Twitter!
