Prompt: After watching Gabe Zichermann’s speech, and reading the articles by Begona Gros and Lee & Hammer, what do you feel that you are already doing to create a gaming environment for your students? How have these industry professionals supported what you are doing, and what do you think, after learning from them, you need to further explore and/or implement, to make gaming more successful in your classroom?
Games in the Classroom
Gamification, as defined by Lee and Hammer, is the incorporation of game elements into non-game settings (p. 1). Games and simulations are becoming more and more prevalent in classrooms around the world today, which is traditionally a non-game setting. Gabe Zichermann's speech made note on how gaming can stimulate the brain. The positive effects of gaming, the release of dopamine that provides the powerful sense of accomplishment, can encourage students to accomplish the next task...no matter how big or small.
In my classroom today, I see this to be very true. Game based learning has the power to take "work" out of the picture and magically students are begging to play just five more minutes to achieve the next badge or reward. When students have the opportunity to play games such as Aleks, Prodigy, QuizletLive, Quizziz, Kahoot!, they have the opportunity to feel that sense of accomplishment. |
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In contrast, they also have the opportunity to learn through failure. If students answer a question wrong, they get to try again in most cases. They want to have the opportunity to try again to reach that sense of accomplishment. Essentially teaching the life skill of preserverance.
But gaming isn't always accepted with open arms. Traditionally, gaming in the classroom was not seen as meaningful or effective. This leads teachers to be scared of being caught with their students logged into a game. However, the students engagement level and the students accomplishments through gaming..it's worth it! I've learned through personal classroom experience, reading articles by Begona Gros and Lee & Hammer, and through listening to Gabe Zichermann's speech that gaming has more power than ever thought of before. I've learned that to make gaming more successful in my classroom...they must game. They must travel through that failure loop to learn the perseverance, speed, and creativity.
But gaming isn't always accepted with open arms. Traditionally, gaming in the classroom was not seen as meaningful or effective. This leads teachers to be scared of being caught with their students logged into a game. However, the students engagement level and the students accomplishments through gaming..it's worth it! I've learned through personal classroom experience, reading articles by Begona Gros and Lee & Hammer, and through listening to Gabe Zichermann's speech that gaming has more power than ever thought of before. I've learned that to make gaming more successful in my classroom...they must game. They must travel through that failure loop to learn the perseverance, speed, and creativity.
"If the power of gamification allows us to unleash their collective ability we'll all win." -Gabe Zichermann
Games in my classroom today...
The following games are played frequently in my class to provide students with standard based practice...that they WANT to play!
To create a positive gaming environment for my students, I allow them to play often! Each day we try to play at least one game, at some point. This may be as a review piece or as an introduction to a skill. No matter the purpose of the game, it has always proven to be beneficial to my lessons to allow students the time to play.
Note: As gaming websites such as these evolve, they are also analyzing the data for educators automatically! This means that the students game progress is shared with you to guide your future instruction. How beneficial is that!?
Note: As gaming websites such as these evolve, they are also analyzing the data for educators automatically! This means that the students game progress is shared with you to guide your future instruction. How beneficial is that!?
In the future...
To create a stronger gaming environment in my classroom, I would like to focus on the methodology based on four actions. The four actions have been defined as experimentation, reflection, activity, and discussion. Having all four actions within my classroom will allow students to reach new heights of learning. The first action being experimentation is when the learning objectives are defined. Reflection allows strategies to be analyzed to come up with next steps. The activity takes the learning to the next level by requiring students to take their learning outside of the game to conduct research. The last component discussion occurs throughout the process to grow the individual. Discussion and reflection has been proven to be extremely beneficial in the learning process.
References
An Elusive Definition: “Gamification for Learning” by Karl Kapp.
Gamification in Education: What, How, and Why Bother, Lee & HammerLee, J. (n.d.). Gamification in education: What, how, why bother? Retrieved August 23, 2020, from https://www.academia.edu/570970/Gamification_in_Education_What_How_Why_Bother
The Future of Creativity and Innovation is Gamification, Gabe Zichermann
TEDxTalks. (2014, February 25). The future of creativity and innovation is gamification: Gabe Zichermann at TEDxVilnius. Retrieved August 23, 2020, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZvRw71Slew&t=6s
Gamification in Education: What, How, and Why Bother, Lee & HammerLee, J. (n.d.). Gamification in education: What, how, why bother? Retrieved August 23, 2020, from https://www.academia.edu/570970/Gamification_in_Education_What_How_Why_Bother
The Future of Creativity and Innovation is Gamification, Gabe Zichermann
TEDxTalks. (2014, February 25). The future of creativity and innovation is gamification: Gabe Zichermann at TEDxVilnius. Retrieved August 23, 2020, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZvRw71Slew&t=6s