"Gamification" has been a hot topic in education for the last year or so, and a friend recommended this title to me when I mentioned that I was interested in learning more about it. This textbook lays out how to set up classes using the principles behind popular multiplayer games by using the concepts of "Experience Points" and "leveling up" for assessing student learning, badges and other l00t as special rewards, "monsters" and "boss fights" (quizzes and tests) for passing from one level to the next, and avatars and guilds representing individual students and student groups. Most of the examples given are college or high school courses, but a few junior high examples are included.
I find the concept really intriguing, and I wonder if it might motivate students who don't seem to care about grades or other traditional markers of academic achievement. However, I am not a gamer myself, so if I decide to use any of this theory in my classroom it will be in the form of a "toe dip" rather than a headlong dive.
Hi Patty:
ReplyDeleteLike you, I am not really much of a gamer, but I also find the idea of using gaming elements in the classroom a potentially useful way to motivate students. I used XPs last fall, and will use a tweaked version again this fall. What I particularly like about XPs is that students have to build points. In my experience, this is pretty much the opposite of students thinking they start with 100 points and it is my job as teacher to subtract points. I found that using XPs really changed the student/teacher dynamic for the better.
I do hope you will report back on any "toe dipping" and what happened.
Best,
Bill
william.deal@case.edu
http://www.goodreads.com/weal