A K12 subject has truly arrived when it gets its own track at the Future of Education Technology Conference. While there will be plenty of focus on artificial intelligence at FETC 2025, the honor of a new track goes to esports at the big gathering in Orlando.
There is a vibrant lineup of sessions on FETC’s well-known tracks, which cover district, school, classroom, IT, inclusion, coaching and library leadership. And the fresh take on esports jibes with FETC’s overall focus on how educators are promoting student creativity and personalization, and redesigning learning spaces.
Esports sessions will cover mentoring, career readiness, internships, game-based STEAM learning and how to organize an esports tournament, among other hot topics.
“Organizations are trying to figure out how to use esports as a leverage to build communities, build cultural experiences and build connection,” says Jihan Johnston-McGlotten, a featured speaker on the Esports Track and an education specialist at the Network of Academic and Scholastic Esports Federations.
“Schools are now intertwining scholastic esports and academics together.”
Academic esports is all about using gaming to engage students in their learning, says Johnston, who is also the co-founder of BeatBotics and community impact manager with Ghost Gaming
“Students are at home gaming. They’re into streaming, they’re into content creation,” she points out. “So how can we leverage meeting students where they at while implementing gaming in the academic setting?”
One way to do that is with free curriculums offered by organizations such as the the Network of Academic and Scholastic Esports. These programs guide teachers in blending esports into STEM, English, history and other core subjects.
“[Esports] is providing leadership skills. It’s providing cultural awareness and cultural relevance,” she notes. “Scholastic esports help people learn different cultures and different languages.”
Schools have seen increased attendance by students eager to participate in esports clubs. Johnston’s research is also showing esports helps students become more resilient.
FETC’s Esports Track will shed light on how students in kindergarten through 12th grade are realizing career pathways in esports. She advises school leaders and their teams that parents may be the group that needs the most convincing about the relevance of scholastic esports.
“It’s not just kids picking up a controller and screaming at the monitor for too long—it’s building up an entire child,” she explains.
Jihan Johnston-McGlotten’s FETC 2025 sessions
Here are some of the key topics Johnston-McGlotten will cover at FETC 2025:
- Gaming for Good: Harnessing Esports to Empower Communities
- It’s More Than a Club and a Sport: Implementing Curriculum in Your Esports Program
- Esports: Gateway to Careers in Arts, Media and Entertainment
