Group items tagged

"This article examines the use of both game-based learning (GBL) and gamification in tertiary education. This study focuses specifically on the use of games and/or simulations as well as familiarity with gamification strategies by communication faculty. Research questions concentrate on the rate, frequency, and usage of digital and non-digital games and/or simulations in communication courses, as well as instructor familiarity with gamification. A survey was constructed with questions emerging from the game-based learning and gamification literature. It was distributed to communication faculty at public institutions of higher education in a southern state. In this context, the author argues that while the term gamification is novel, the approach is not. Based on the results, current gamification strategies appear to be a repackaging of traditional instructional strategies."

"This is the first in a three-part series on Gamifiying Your Instruction. The series is written by Karl Kapp, professor of instructional technology and internationally known author of two books on gamification, both co-authored by ASTD. " by K. Kapp. Notes that gamification is not necessarily a technology-driven methodology

"This is the second in a three-part series on Gamifiying Your Instruction. (Part one can be found here.) The series is written by Karl Kapp, professor of instructional technology and internationally known author of two books on gamification both co-authored by ASTD. "

Webinar on gaming. These recordings of the proceedings are of interest to anyone who wants to use games and/or insert gamification elements into their classroom routines. This webcomference was a joint effort of IATEFL's LTSIG and the TESOL CALL-IS.

"This is the third in a three-part series on Gamifiying Your Instruction. (Catch up with Part One and Part Two.)The series is written by Karl Kapp, professor of instructional technology and internationally known author of two books on gamification both co-authored by ASTD. " You can link from this blog post to the two earlier articles.

"Using gaming as a vehicle for learning is a very powerful idea and one that is under-utilized. This wiki is an attempt to create a comprehensive resource about gaming that we can all learn from - all contributions welcome!" This might be an interesting place to share if you are interested in gaming and gamification. Several contributions and student handouts are available. Add your own.

"Tool for creating custom badges to download and use in your classroom. Change the icon, border, shape and colours." It looks like you may be able to uplod a .gif to add to your badge. Worth a look if you want to try something besides Badgr.

"QR Code Games - Find and Scan Game Pieces, share it on your Social Network anjoin the Urban Adventure! "QR Wild® scavenger hunt games are perfect for trade shows, conferences and educators! Your audience scans trackable QR Codes placed at physical locations that you'd like them to visit. As the game pieces are scanned the player earns points and unlocks "badges" while spreading the word by sharing progress on their social networks. You can even display a scoreboard online or at an event!" This sounds like a great idea for students to create themselves, or for a teacher to create for them.

An app to create your own games to share or sell in the app store. this might be fun for middle school students/young learners to use in a creative project. Video tutorial shows how to add animated characters directly from a smart phone or on paper. Looks time-consuming, but fun.

Hopscotch is an iPad app that young learners can use to create their own games using templates. I think Hopscotch is ready to be tried out. Looks like fun. As gaming comes into the picture, there are lots of good tools out there for kids to try to make their own games. Project-based learning. By the makers of Daisy the Dinosaur.

This cross-platform app -- iPhone and Android -- lets students create their own games and instructional programs. Free for teachers and students, you need to sign up for an account, but you can work on a computer to create the HTML5. Learning games can be dreary, but creating them can be very interesting for students. The frontpage shows middle school learners working away, so this might be good even for younger learners.

This was the tool used to make Trace Effects for the U.S. Dept of State. It takes hundreds of hours to build an online adventure, but it's a nice long project that some students may really enjoy. It seems to be a pay as you go experience, however, so you'd have to inquire about school discounts, etc.

"By revealing his own numerate inadequacies, this author describes a grading system where students accumulate points over a semester of assignment submissions and re-drafting. He claims it offers students more autonomy in controlling their "earned" grade as well as incentivizes their investments in the revision process. In contrast to the normative percentages approach to grading, this point accrual system not only gives students a less ambivalent form of grading but, also, moves them past surface-level revision and into rhetorical re-structuring." This article shows how to "gamify" the writing process.

This blog describes some of the games the author is working on and includes comments by kids about the educational games they tried out. The focus is on games to teach science, but the ideas are interesting and might be applicable to other areas (games to teach grammar?)

"Classcraft, the first online educational role-playing game that teachers and students play together for free, recently announced the launch of a fully-updated version of their product for the new academic year. This revised version boasts new features such as free iOS apps for iPhone and iPad, interactive forums, student analytics and customisable characters, all of which will be useful for both teachers and students. Also included are French, Chinese, Dutch, German, and Spanish translations, which has made the game even more accessible to classrooms worldwide. To date, more than 30,000 students in 50 countries around the world are playing the game. "In order to keep students engaged, the Quebec-based team of education professionals are keen to inject the mechanisms of popular social games into learning. Playing in teams, students can become mages, warriors and healers, each with unique powers. The more a student excels, the more they gain points and real powers, like the ability to take notes into an exam. Teams can lose points by disrupting the classroom or submitting homework late; consequences can include detention and and less time to finish assignments."