It is not playing games all the time, it is not about being a gamer, it is not about being technology only. It is about good design. Designing to engage and inspire. It can change and shape the level of conversation you have with your student about the material.
Some cool examples of gamification
Easter Eggs
Hiding web links inside of notes that can lead to a treat or reward if you find it. You won't be able to find these easter eggs if you are not giving the notes your full attention. You can create a reward system for finding
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1YB-dvaTeJhdldLIbgpvjFLNvtygz2DGeQljRXeyY7gE/edit?usp=sharing
Badges
Create badges for students based on their accomplishments. Try and be creative with the badge names and try to have different accomplishment levels within the same badge. For example I could have a "drop it like it's hot" badge for when my class learns about treating burns. Have a reward system in place depending on how many and what kind of badges a student earns over the course of a unit.
Quiz Games
Games like Kahoot are a fun way for students to show what level of understanding they have on a topic. It is also a great way for teachers to get live practical data to check for understanding. If there are an overwhelming amount of wrong answers it provides a moment to speak to that specific topic while all students are paying attention and engaged.
The leaderboard also provides extrinsic motivation for students to answer the questions and do the best they can.
Educational video games
There are plenty of online games if you search hard enough. As a health teacher I found an example called Life Saver
The game helps learners in understanding and applying the
basic steps to save someone’s life, suffering from choking or cardiac
arrest.
The players are challenged on the basis of scenario-based
approach, crisis simulation; choice of story and characters, and time
limitations that help in understanding that time is essential in such
circumstances. The learners can unlock levels as they progress and
acquire the required skills and knowledge. Moreover, you can review your
performance in the real-time, analyze your weak points and share your
progress through various social media platforms to compete with other
learners.
Backwards grading
Instead of students being graded 100-0 flip it upside down and grade 0-100 where the students earn their points/rewards from scratch. It rewards students a sense of adding up points towards a goal. It is more fun to earn things than to have things taken away.
These are just a few examples of the gamification of education.
What are some of yours? Leave your answers in the comment section!
