The Tech Edvocate

Top Menu

  • Advertisement
  • Apps
  • Home Page
  • Home Page Five (No Sidebar)
  • Home Page Four
  • Home Page Three
  • Home Page Two
  • Home Tech2
  • Icons [No Sidebar]
  • Left Sidbear Page
  • Lynch Educational Consulting
  • My Account
  • My Speaking Page
  • Newsletter Sign Up Confirmation
  • Newsletter Unsubscription
  • Our Brands
  • Page Example
  • Privacy Policy
  • Protected Content
  • Register
  • Request a Product Review
  • Shop
  • Shortcodes Examples
  • Signup
  • Start Here
    • Governance
    • Careers
    • Contact Us
  • Terms and Conditions
  • The Edvocate
  • The Tech Edvocate Product Guide
  • Topics
  • Write For Us
  • Advertise

Main Menu

  • Start Here
    • Our Brands
    • Governance
      • Lynch Educational Consulting
      • Dr. Lynch’s Personal Website
      • Careers
    • Write For Us
    • The Tech Edvocate Product Guide
    • Contact Us
    • Books
    • Edupedia
    • Post a Job
    • The Edvocate Podcast
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
  • Topics
    • Assistive Technology
    • Child Development Tech
    • Early Childhood & K-12 EdTech
    • EdTech Futures
    • EdTech News
    • EdTech Policy & Reform
    • EdTech Startups & Businesses
    • Higher Education EdTech
    • Online Learning & eLearning
    • Parent & Family Tech
    • Personalized Learning
    • Product Reviews
  • Advertise
  • Tech Edvocate Awards
  • The Edvocate
  • Pedagogue
  • School Ratings

logo

The Tech Edvocate

  • Start Here
    • Our Brands
    • Governance
      • Lynch Educational Consulting
      • Dr. Lynch’s Personal Website
        • My Speaking Page
      • Careers
    • Write For Us
    • The Tech Edvocate Product Guide
    • Contact Us
    • Books
    • Edupedia
    • Post a Job
    • The Edvocate Podcast
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
  • Topics
    • Assistive Technology
    • Child Development Tech
    • Early Childhood & K-12 EdTech
    • EdTech Futures
    • EdTech News
    • EdTech Policy & Reform
    • EdTech Startups & Businesses
    • Higher Education EdTech
    • Online Learning & eLearning
    • Parent & Family Tech
    • Personalized Learning
    • Product Reviews
  • Advertise
  • Tech Edvocate Awards
  • The Edvocate
  • Pedagogue
  • School Ratings
  • How AI Helps Student Outcomes

  • Choosing A Reading Program: Everything You Need to Know

  • Reading Intervention Strategies That Work

  • Calculating Reading Comprehension Scores: Everything You Need to Know

  • How Big Data Is Changing Education Forever

  • Teacher’s Aides Deserve Our Appreciation

  • The Cycle Of Learning To Read: Everything You Need to Know

  • Summer Reading For Your Kids: Everything You Need to Know

  • Analyzing the Research on Autism Spectrum Disorder

  • Kids’ Reading Comprehension Is Worse On Screen

Higher Education EdTech
Home›Higher Education EdTech›Managing Dyslexia with Gamification

Managing Dyslexia with Gamification

By Matthew Lynch
February 25, 2017
3
Spread the love

Gamification is a trend on a constant rise in education, owing this primarily to its positive influence on students’ engagement and motivation. What if gamified learning was used to tackle the many challenges facing efforts to provide affordable support to students with learning disabilities?

One of the most common forms of learning difficulty is dyslexia, with a prevalence of at least 10% of any given population. The condition is often hereditary and primarily associated with impaired ability to read, write, and spell. Termed a hundred years earlier as ‘word blindness,’ it was not until recently that the role of language processing and difficulty in processing the sounds in words were recognized as the primary features of dyslexia. Functional magnetic resonance imaging findings have shown that the brains of people with dyslexia develop and function in a different way, suggesting a neurological feature of the condition.

Individuals with dyslexia are often described as highly creative with strong problem-solving abilities. However, in a world where norms are set by the majority of society, dyslexia affects not only academic success but also self-esteem and social-emotional development. Therefore, although our understanding of dyslexia may evolve with new research, this learning condition clearly impacts a significant amount of the world population with far-reaching consequences across life domains.

Interventions provided by teachers trained in dyslexia are only effective when applied early and over an extended period. However, students with dyslexia remain too often undiagnosed throughout their school years.

Indeed, public schools are often limited in terms of providing adequate schooling to children with dyslexia owing to several factors: (1) limited knowledge about dyslexia, (2) limited systematic teacher training, (3) lack of awareness of cost-effective, modern solutions, and (4) lack of available teachers in general.

In many cases, capable families are obliged to change their environment or life to provide their affected child with the required effective interventions, which are often offered exclusively at expensive private schools.

To upgrade the school support of children with dyslexia from luxury to basic, new, simple, cost-effective, and fruitful methods need to be developed.

It is worth noting that children with dyslexia are capable of playing video games despite their learning disability. This is suggestive of the plausibility of a successful outcome from experimenting with gamified education in students with dyslexia.

Recently, ClassDojo, a gamification platform, was used successfully by students with dyslexia transitioning from primary to secondary school, with the goal being to improve their engagement and motivation.The study further highlighted the importance of well-trained teachers who are capable of adapting gamified educational platforms to students depending on the tape and severity of the condition.

The effect of gamification on students with dyslexia may not be limited to motivation. To support this notion, a recent study has proposed action video games as means to help children with dyslexia to read faster and more efficiently. The senior author of the study, of the University of Padua and the Scientific Institute Medea of Bosisio Parini in Italy, has stated that “Action video games enhance many aspects of visual attention, mainly improving the extraction of information from the environment,” concluding from the study’s findings that children with dyslexia “learned to orient and focus their attention more efficiently to extract the relevant information of a written word more rapidly.”

Without purely promoting video games as the gold standard tool to manage dyslexia, these findings may be the first scientifically based initiative toward developing new educational programs that can mitigate symptoms of dyslexia, or even prevent dyslexia if applied to children at risk very early on.

One of the added advantages of gamified education is the fact that it allows students to receive their feedback through a computer; this apparently spares them the unwelcome embarrassment that is often encountered in the classroom. Moreover, in one way or another, digital educational methods bring students closer to the educational process, at an almost constant rate, while requiring little commitments at a time. This translates into a lower overall cost for therapy, thus resulting in availability to a wider number of people with varying economic circumstances.

While gamified education may be beneficial to students with learning disabilities like dyslexia, it has been reported not to have any negative effects on the education of students with optimal educational abilities. On the contrary, it may even have overall beneficial effects on the outcome of students overall, regardless of their learning capacities.

This said, it ay be worthwhile to explore the benefits of gamified education in the context of learning disabilities, particularly in dyslexias.

TagsEdtechedtechchatelearningSTEAMSTEM
Previous Article

Why Is It So Hard for EdTech ...

Next Article

The Slow Gamification of K-12 Classrooms

Matthew Lynch

Related articles More from author

  • EdTech NewsHigher Education EdTech

    Deeper learning by design: what online education platforms can do

    August 1, 2016
    By Matthew Lynch
  • Online Learning & eLearning

    The Global Race for Online Learning: How Does America Compare?

    June 27, 2016
    By Matthew Lynch
  • Early Childhood & K-12 EdTechHigher Education EdTech

    How Technology Can Be Used to Create Better Assessments

    January 6, 2018
    By Matthew Lynch
  • EdTech Policy & Reform

    What Happens When School Buses Get Wi-Fi?

    January 22, 2018
    By Matthew Lynch
  • Early Childhood & K-12 EdTech

    The Call to Teach: The Role of Technology

    March 25, 2017
    By Matthew Lynch
  • Uncategorized

    My Vision for the Future of Interactive Surfaces in Education

    April 4, 2018
    By Matthew Lynch

3 comments

  1. Richard Baker 4 March, 2017 at 06:27 Reply

    Gamification has come with many benefits notwithstanding the much help required by students with special needs to cope with everyday challenges.I appreciate the fact that technology can be used to transform lives in many ways among them kids and adults with special needs.
    Thanks Mathew for the educative piece.

  2. Bryan Adams 13 March, 2017 at 09:42 Reply

    Children with special needs have always been on the forefront in all that I do.Using technology to assist these kids with special needs in learning is a great way to give them a chance to perform better than their peers who enjoy a more conducive environment in learning.
    Thanks Mathew for the great info.

  3. Tips To Help High School Students With Dyslexia Perform Better Academically - The Edvocate 15 December, 2020 at 22:19 Reply

    […] In this article, we will provide some tips that will work effectively when teaching high school students with dyslexia or other learning difficulties. […]

Leave a reply Cancel reply

Search

Login & Registration

  • Register
  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

Newsletter

Signup for The Tech Edvocate Newsletter and have the latest in EdTech news and opinion delivered to your email address!

  • Recent

  • Popular

  • Comments

  • How AI Helps Student Outcomes

    By Matthew Lynch
    February 5, 2023
  • Choosing A Reading Program: Everything You Need to Know

    By Matthew Lynch
    February 5, 2023
  • Reading Intervention Strategies That Work

    By Matthew Lynch
    February 4, 2023
  • Calculating Reading Comprehension Scores: Everything You Need to Know

    By Matthew Lynch
    February 4, 2023
  • How Big Data Is Changing Education Forever

    By Matthew Lynch
    February 4, 2023
  • 7 Ways Technology Is Impacting Modern Education

    By Matthew Lynch
    March 4, 2017
  • 20 Top Virtual Reality Apps that are Changing Education

    By Matthew Lynch
    March 11, 2017
  • Why Mobile Technology Enhances Instruction

    By Matthew Lynch
    December 14, 2016
  • 7 Roles for Artificial Intelligence in Education

    By Matthew Lynch
    May 5, 2018
  • Digital Literacy is the Most Important Lifelong Learning Tool

    By Matthew Lynch
    December 30, 2017
  • Where to Find Dyslexia Support for Adults - Case Training Services | Registered Charity #1051587
    on
    August 2, 2022

    11 Must-Have Apps and Tools for Dyslexic Students

    […] recorders Electronic flashcards ...
  • What Types Of Posts Can You Make In Google Classroom? - The Tech Edvocate - Gossip ...
    on
    July 31, 2022

    How to Integrate Google Classroom with the Power of YouTube

    […] of your posts. ...
  • Answers to Frequently Asked Questions About Google Classroom - The Tech Edvocate - Gossip Buz
    on
    July 31, 2022

    Answers to Frequently Asked Questions About Google Classroom

    […] Answers to Frequently ...
  • 10 Important YouTube Channels For Teachers - Kiiky Wealth
    on
    July 29, 2022

    10 Incredibly Useful YouTube Channels for Teachers

    […] Thetechedvocate.org – 10 Incredibly ...
  • Teaching Learners Digital Content Curation Skills - Fab Lab Connect
    on
    June 30, 2022

    Teaching Learners Digital Content Creation Skills

    […] Read More… […]

EdTech Policy & Reform

  • Curriculum & InstructionEdTech Policy & ReformEducation Leadership

    Why We Should Leave Behind the Cookie-cutter Education

    Spread the loveChange appears to be the only “constant” factor in the educational field. However, what happens when a more significant shift becomes necessary? To provide students with the best ...
  • Adaptive LearningCurriculum & InstructionDigital & Mobile TechnologyDigital Age TeachersEarly Childhood & K-12 EdTechEdTech & InnovationEdTech Policy & ReformInstructional Technology

    Exploring New Ideas: Student-Driven Remote Learning

    Spread the loveRemote learning is taking its toll on our students. They miss the social side of school. Not seeing their classmates or teachers is leading to nervousness, anxiety, and ...
  • Digital & Mobile TechnologyEdTech & InnovationEdTech Policy & Reform

    Implementing Education Technology by Pursuing Technology Education

    Spread the loveTechnology is used for many great things in our world. It’s a powerful tool when used correctly. As such, this powerful tool can be used to transform learning.  ...
  • EdTech Policy & Reform

    How Much Bias Is Okay in Your School?

    Spread the loveThe algorithm has proven itself to be a handy tool when it comes to solving education problems. It’s also not without bias.  You may be wondering how some ...
  • EdTech Policy & ReformFeaturedFresh

    Edtech Should Complement Good Pedagogy, Not Attempt to Replace It

    Spread the loveThe newest generation of edtech is downright amazing; it’s no wonder that various education stakeholders might be a little excited about its potential to transform education. However, edtech ...

EdTech Startups & Businesses

  • EdTech Startups & Businesses

    Trends That Will Help Your EdTech Startup Succeed

    Spread the loveIf you want to thrive in the destiny of learning and self, shorten, tailor, and gamify. The bulk of EdTech businesses believes that digitizing conventional learning methods and ...
  • EdTech Startups & Businesses

    How to Sell Your Edtech Product

    Spread the loveDevelop a profile of the perfect consumer, target clients that meet that description, and plan on a long sales cycle. Selling to schools takes a different sales process ...
  • EdTech Startups & Businesses

    Edtech Companies Can Learn What Not to Do From Delta Airlines

    Spread the loveIt seems that edtech companies still have a lot to learn about their business models and practices. With that being said, there is a lot they can learn ...
  • Digital LeadershipEdTech Startups & BusinessesProduct Reviews

    Product Review of Collegix

    Spread the love This is a comprehensive ERP solution for colleges and universities that provides modular, totally integrated learners services, finance, HR, and advancement. Collegix provides online and offline workarounds ...
  • Early Childhood & K-12 EdTechEdTech Startups & BusinessesProduct Reviews

    Product Review of Discovery Education

    Spread the love Discovery Education is a big player in EdTech. The company has established itself as the leading provider of digital curriculum resources, digital content, and professional development for ...

Digital Equity

  • Digital Equity

    How to Create an Equitable Digital Culture in K–12

    Spread the loveDigital equity is vital in our schools. After all, it can help close the achievement gap. However, there is one prevalent problem concerning digital equity. That is the problem ...
  • Digital & Mobile TechnologyDigital EquityDigital Literacy

    Teaching Learners Digital Content Creation Skills

    Spread the loveContent curation is nothing new and has always been a coveted skill. It has been this way for hundreds of years — think of art galleries, museums, or ...
  • Digital & Mobile TechnologyDigital EquityEdTech & Innovation

    Promoting Online Access With Hotspots, Laptops, and Planning

    Spread the loveWhen becoming a leader in the field of education, it is important to consider equity. Some students may not have access to devices or the internet from their ...
  • Digital EquityDigital Leadership

    How Can You Assess the Tech Needs of Your Students Outside of School?

    Spread the loveToday, I received an email from the middle school principal in Los Angeles. She explained to me that the school that she ran was in one of the ...
  • Digital Equity

    It Is Time for the Edtech Industry to Stop Denying Its Equity and Race Problem

    Spread the loveThe EdTech industry is dominated by white employees, white leaders, and white entrepreneurs. If you doubt this statement, just attend an Edtech conference. Admittedly, educators and others don’t ...

EdTech Futures

  • EdTech Futures

    The IT Investments Securing the Future of Higher Education

    Spread the loveThe future of higher education still seems uncertain after the massive disruptions of the last two years. Universities and colleges are struggling with budget difficulties amid cybersecurity threats. ...
  • Adaptive LearningAssistive TechnologyEdTech FuturesInstructional TechnologyTeachers

    Will AI Replace Teachers?

    Spread the loveThrough the years, robots have taken over many jobs. First, they replaced horses and wagons and horses and plows, then they started to replace people. A few examples ...
  • EdTech FuturesHigher EducationHigher Education EdTechUncategorized

    The Future of Higher Education Must Avoid Returning to the Past

    Spread the loveColleges and universities can make higher education safer, smarter, and more accessible through automation and collaboration technologies – if they commit to it. Author: John Hulen, Director of ...
  • EdTech FuturesOnline Learning & eLearning

    IT Trends To Watch As Higher Education Moves Into a New Decade

    Spread the loveEdtech couldn’t have hoped for a better launch into the new decade than the push the industry received from COVID-19. Even the most tech-resistant institutions and individuals have ...
  • EdTech Futures

    4 Emerging EdTech Trends in 2022

    Spread the loveCovid-19 has not only changed education as we know it, but it has forced education technology (EdTech) to up its game. EdTech has been crucial since the start of this ...

About Us

Since technology is not going anywhere and does more good than harm, adapting is the best course of action. That is where The Tech Edvocate comes in. We plan to cover the PreK-12 and Higher Education EdTech sectors and provide our readers with the latest news and opinion on the subject. From time to time, I will invite other voices to weigh in on important issues in EdTech. We hope to provide a well-rounded, multi-faceted look at the past, present, the future of EdTech in the US and internationally.

We started this journey back in June 2016, and we plan to continue it for many more years to come. I hope that you will join us in this discussion of the past, present and future of EdTech and lend your own insight to the issues that are discussed.

Newsletter

Signup for The Tech Edvocate Newsletter and have the latest in EdTech news and opinion delivered to your email address!

Contact Us

The Tech Edvocate
5322 Markel Road, Suite 104
Richmond, VA 23230
(601) 630-5238
[email protected]

Follow us

Copyright © 2023 Matthew Lynch. All rights reserved.