Do you currently use any gamification techniques in your classroom? If so, do they seem to be helpful in better engaging your students? If not, what ways can you see that might be helpful to add to your classroom?

Martin, That's fantastic! Your daughter is thriving thanks to your belief in technological innovation. I had a similar experience trying to potty train my son. I tried everything, from pediatrician input to online parenting blogs, but nothing seemed to work. It wasn't until my wife downloaded an iPad application that actually helped teach my son due to it being from a child's perspective. I think we just need to understand and accept the fact that as technology changes, the methods we use to educate will also change. Gamification is just the latest in a series of innovations that can help us better reach our learning audience.

Lu, I agree with you. One good thing about games is that they have an opportunity to show or teach the audience about the real world, and help develop problem-solving skills that could prove helpful throughout kid's lives. Likewise, I think the badges/awards aspect really helps draw me in. As an avid gamer,I find myself looking for ways to earn as many badges or achievements in a game. It actually kept me focused and playing far longer than I would have expected. Now that I am aware of the concept of gamification, I think it's an amazing opportunity to blend the popularity of video games with education. I even started testing this out a bit with my son. We were using a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse application, where you would have to complete a series of tasks and interactive activities. If done successfully, he would gain a variety of badges, and have the opportunity to progress to the next stage. Then we tried another educational application where there was no recognition of correct answers or completion of tasks. I rarely saw him use it after that initial try. He still uses the Mickey app consistently. While gamification has both negative and positive aspects, it is yet another option to add to our educational repetoire to better reach our learning audience.

I found my learning audience in the corporate world to pay more attention to trainings that incorporate gamification techniques, especially the "badges" or "achievement" system. Have you ever used gamification techniques in your classroom? If so, did you students seem to buy into it or not?

Do you currently use any of these techniques? If so, which seem to work best for you? Here is a video that I think you might find helpful: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MuDLw1zIc94

Rene, In your 30 years of experience, I'm sure you've seen quite a few innovations come and go. Coming from a family of teachers, I ended up experiencing most of them at some point throughout my life. I think gamification really resonates with me since I grew up as computers and video games really started to thrive. While I enjoyed them, I hadn't really seen any educators really put forth the effort to integrate education and gaming concepts. Thankfully, that's starting to change. Heck, I think one of the best web-based trainings I have ever experienced was an annual training that offered "badges" or "achievements" for completing specific aspects of the training if you got a perfect score. Couple that with more interactive opportunities, such as matching vocabulary or concepts or the trusty "drag and drop", and you have a solid recipe for learner interest (assuming the overall training is well-produced, of course).

Jose, how right you are. I'm currently working in a corporate environment where I have the opportunity to introduce gamification to our training material. Although it is still very much a work in progress, it adds a new dimension for our learning audience (and hopefully only increases their engagement with the material).

Amanda, You bring up a great point. Learning, and in particular, online learning is driven by a variety of student types. Much like yourself, I had to force myself out of my introverted norm in order to achieve my personal and professional goals. Were it not for the use of a variety of technologies, I might have found the journey a little more difficult. Likewise, shy or introverted students now have even more options than ever to help them overcome their own walls. Hopefully, gamification is yet another option for students of all types to reach their learning goals (and help teachers to better reach and engage their learning audience).