Blog: What is gaming & gamification? What are you playing? What are your students playing? What are examples of gamification that we encounter regularly? There are differences between gamification (game thinking and game mechanics) as used throughout our daily lives and games played to learn/review content. An example of gamification occurs when an experience such as shopping or purchasing beverages is rewarded by extra perks like "buy 10 and get 1 free" -- however, to get the reward, one usually needs to register with a company such as Safeway or Starbucks. Another important example of gamification is tracking one's fuel consumption or trying to attain higher miles per gallon by viewing the automobile's dashboard, especially on the new vehicles with digital readings or graphics. My husband and son enjoy the challenge of trying to drive more efficiently than the other and prove it by showing the miles per gallon they've attained when using my 2006 Prius, which has the dashboard reading and graph. I agree in the value of gaming, especially in terms of "mastery learning" as a method of instruction which establishes a level of performance that all students must master before moving on to the next unit (Slavin, 1987). This approach was found to improve students' scores by a full standard deviation better than the traditional method of teaching through lectures. According to Gabe Zichermann's TED Talk, games make kids smarter! Further, Zichermann asserted games that based in problem solving--which most of them are--increase "Fluid Intelligence" by
In Jane McGonigal's TED Talk, she exhuberantly (her own self-identification) stated that games can make a better world, especially if everyone started playing games that included real-world scenarios and challenges. The games she created to help transform/heighten social awareness include "World Without Oil," "SuperStruct," and "Evoke." According to her research, the results showed people who played these games came up with hundred of innovative ideas to preserve, sustain, build, and expand our abilities to survive better in our world. During class, we read an article that deepened our understanding about the usage of ST Math as a learning tool that was used in a Kindergarten class; it was the prime example of how games could be utilized for learning in this article. ST Math is a learning management system (LMS) because it includes Instruction, Practice, Assessment and a record of class progress. It allows for differentiation through individualized self-pacing based on mastery of each unit/concept/skill before moving on to the next. It encourages another method of teaching and learning, that is, games as a supplement by reinforcing concepts, acting as a math assistant not a teacher, and intrinsically motivating students to learn. As a classroom management tool, it can allow teachers and students to have 1:1 time while others are engaged in ST Math. The article further reminded us that the teacher/student relationship is irreplaceable for social emotional learning (SEL). I use Class Dojo (a class management tool) and GoNoodle (videos for movement breaks/in-class P.E.) with my students. Those tools gamify student behavior: students earn badges or points that can upgrade their avatars when I note they are meeting the appropriate behavior expectations. Digitally, my students use Sumdog for Math, ST Math, Khan Academy, Code.org, and typing.com to learn content while they play games to learn content. My students also choose to play content-learning games at home using Cool Math. Non-digitally, students use our Bridges Workplaces math curriculum games as well as Banangrams for vocabulary development. I'd like to try Kahoot soon because almost everyone in our cohort said they use it with their students who love it!
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AuthorJulie C D Meyer-Houston began her exciting journey during Spring 2016 as a grad student in Touro University - California's Innovative Learning program to earn her Master of Education (M.Ed.) degree, which focuses on Social Justice & Equity and the use of technology in education. Archives
December 2016
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