On the course of my educational journey, I have had the opportunity to experience many learning styles. Ranging from my nose in my books, frantically duplicating what my teachers would scribble on the chalk board, to taking classes exclusively from the comfort of my bed with my smoking hot laptop slowly melting my thighs off. Having these experiences has left me with a broad spectrum of opinions regarding their efficacy. These experiences have also left me with a firm belief that education is at its finest when technology is incorporated. This is where we come in, the "IT guy(s) and gal(s)." While formerly we were seen as the people who would deliver the projector to a classroom, or the ones that ran the AV club. Today Instructional Technologists breath life into otherwise dull educational practices of former years. Be it creating interactive learning modules, analyzing how visual and auditory stimulus affect retention, or managing the implementation of new technologies in and outside the classroom. Instructional Technologists do it all with a smile on their face and a song in their hearts! IT has become the cutting edge of education, so much so that it is almost necessary to have one on staff either in school, or in the office. I know this may sound a bit hyperbolic, but consider this, when was the last time you saw a chalk board in a classroom? Technology has become an integral part of our every day lives, both in and out of the classroom, and IT is leading the charge!
 

As educators, we cherish the thought of the "Lifelong Learner." Presently, through advances in mobile technology, learners exposed to a multitude of "On-Demand" forms of information. Knowing this, it only reinforces the thought of the constant learner. This education on-the-go concept is so much more than just Google and Wikipedia. Learners are both consciously and subconsciously giving themselves technological and pedagogical knowledge that they can use in the future. Technology has changed the way we work, some would say for the better and I am absolutely one of them.
 

Taking into consideration how we learn as individuals accompanied by my personal learning experiences and preferred methods leads me to advocate a gamified approach to education. By incorporating the three primary learning theories; Behaviorism, Cognitivism and Constructivism, into a gamified learning environment learners are theoretically left with an intriguing and exciting approach to learning. Out of all of my learning experiences, those that incorporated gamified learning elements have yielded me the most success. I believe that with proper instruction, introduction and follow through, these techniques can be applied effectively and even show great success. This new and exciting spin on the classroom will have learners motivated not just extrinsically, but also intrinsically. Meaning, they will make the conscious decision to take their learning experience into their own hands, and thus be motivated to succeed. Not just for the grades or the praise, but because they enjoyed themselves. The beauty of such a style is it's versatility. If done properly, instructors can incorporate distance elements, feedback elements, self-assessment, peer assessment, digital citizenship, and so much more. Honestly, with proper execution the applications are virtually limitless.