I finally decided to try and gamifiy at least one of my classrooms as an experiment on how it will work. I'm using Classcraft.com the freemium version. Check out the website for more information on how it works. I'll assume you know the basics of how it works. I started last week in my 8th grade science class by assigning teams and allowing students to choose their classes. We have slowly been learning how to play and they really got into it when the random event for the day was for one student to choose a song for the gamemaster (me) to sing. Of course they wanted to choose "Barbie Girl" so I was an internet sensation for a day but it got the kids interested and so I guess its a price I don't mind paying. I'm still learning how to play as are the kids but the kids started using some of their powers the other day to help each other get candy and move thier seat. Hopefully these rewards will encourage them to continue to learn more and get more engaged in the other aspects of the game such as completeing homework and doing well on tests.
Before I started, I attended an online conference and a couple webinars on gamification that I've listed below if your are interesed as well as some notes I took while watching them. I'll post again with an update on whether it is having a positive or negative effect on my classroom and the learning going on there.
Game based learning is about using video games to support learning (a tool but not gamification). Gamification is about bringing game-like mechanics into everyday classroom work to make it more engaging, more fun and ensure more learning takes place. Gamification is not just about points badges and leaderboards - we already give kids points in classes for their assignments and grades for badges and some give leaderboards (honor roll). As I said in my discussion board post this week, a lot of things that are in a game are ideas we should have in a classroom anyways such as goals, choice of path, rewards etc. I think that using some of the mechanics in games will help students be more motivated in the real world arena of the classroom. Below are the links to the videos I watched as well as some notes I took during the videos.
Links:
http://www.futureofeducation.com/page/rscon-2014
online conference
Watched this one from the online conference:
https://sas.elluminate.com/site/external/recording/playback/link/table/dropin?sid=2008350&suid=D.D91F6305EB7E54DFB0EA1BF6E3B5BE
As well as this one from the conference
https://sas.elluminate.com/site/external/recording/playback/link/table/dropin?sid=2008350&suid=D.916BDB508DBEF6EF4380CF24BBA5F2
I watched this classcraft webinar
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ANV38CcdGA
As well as a newer one they put out:
https://vimeo.com/117431751
Notes:
How gamification applies to the classroom
students start at 0 xp (experience points) and level up with more xp
Students grade is based on xp at the end
failing forward - if you fail, you can try again until you succeed.
student in control - teacher is the game Master and tries to make the motivation intrinsic
An epic mission a quest
Puzzles problems, mysteries to solve
Harder and harder boss fights
tasks genuinely hard (teachers try and make it easier)
a chance to try again and again
a completion - the epic win
a cast of characters
fake twitter accounts? (twitter characters)
fake blog sites (character has a blog that gives clues etc)
timed events that trigger puzzles
xp are granted to individuals or groups
framing mission ---> Point to the “game” ----->individual tasks -----> Lead to learning outcomes ---->
---> Awarding of badges - corresponds to grades -----> Assessment -----> point to “game”
7 key point of gamification
Provides a clearer structure for the goals fo the course
gives a sense of agency to the students
Leader boards? they were private
Before I started, I attended an online conference and a couple webinars on gamification that I've listed below if your are interesed as well as some notes I took while watching them. I'll post again with an update on whether it is having a positive or negative effect on my classroom and the learning going on there.
Game based learning is about using video games to support learning (a tool but not gamification). Gamification is about bringing game-like mechanics into everyday classroom work to make it more engaging, more fun and ensure more learning takes place. Gamification is not just about points badges and leaderboards - we already give kids points in classes for their assignments and grades for badges and some give leaderboards (honor roll). As I said in my discussion board post this week, a lot of things that are in a game are ideas we should have in a classroom anyways such as goals, choice of path, rewards etc. I think that using some of the mechanics in games will help students be more motivated in the real world arena of the classroom. Below are the links to the videos I watched as well as some notes I took during the videos.
Links:
http://www.futureofeducation.com/page/rscon-2014
online conference
Watched this one from the online conference:
https://sas.elluminate.com/site/external/recording/playback/link/table/dropin?sid=2008350&suid=D.D91F6305EB7E54DFB0EA1BF6E3B5BE
As well as this one from the conference
https://sas.elluminate.com/site/external/recording/playback/link/table/dropin?sid=2008350&suid=D.916BDB508DBEF6EF4380CF24BBA5F2
I watched this classcraft webinar
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ANV38CcdGA
As well as a newer one they put out:
https://vimeo.com/117431751
Notes:
How gamification applies to the classroom
students start at 0 xp (experience points) and level up with more xp
Students grade is based on xp at the end
failing forward - if you fail, you can try again until you succeed.
student in control - teacher is the game Master and tries to make the motivation intrinsic
An epic mission a quest
Puzzles problems, mysteries to solve
Harder and harder boss fights
tasks genuinely hard (teachers try and make it easier)
a chance to try again and again
a completion - the epic win
a cast of characters
fake twitter accounts? (twitter characters)
fake blog sites (character has a blog that gives clues etc)
timed events that trigger puzzles
xp are granted to individuals or groups
framing mission ---> Point to the “game” ----->individual tasks -----> Lead to learning outcomes ---->
---> Awarding of badges - corresponds to grades -----> Assessment -----> point to “game”
7 key point of gamification
- recognition - reward thoroughness patience and effort
- Up - Gain points instead of losing them. (classes start with 100 and then lose points) bigger challenge gets more points
- Choice - have to do x y and z then exam. Choice creates agency and be more student centered.
- Failing forward - encourage learning from mistakes
- Feedback - system for immediate feedback
- Differentiation - Support differentiated learning allowing kids to chose different tools
- Incremental challenges: progression based on mastery - not because the class is ready to move on.
- flipped instruction
- byod whenever they need it
Provides a clearer structure for the goals fo the course
gives a sense of agency to the students
Leader boards? they were private