Are you ready to embark on a week-long journey where learning becomes an exhilarating adventure? Imagine a world where tedious tasks are transformed into captivating challenges, and every step you take unlocks a new level of excitement and accomplishment. This is the power of gamification, a captivating approach that has revolutionized the way we engage, motivate, and learn. By integrating game elements into education and student development, gamification ignites our innate sense of curiosity, competition, and achievement. It injects joy, creativity, and a sense of purpose into our endeavors, transforming them into immersive experiences that inspire growth, collaboration, and unparalleled success.
Throughout the upcoming Opportunity Forecast week, our EMT are thrilled to actively engage with you by presenting our OER, a website that includes open-ended inquiries, featuring the latest educational games, and encouraging you to transcend the boundaries of traditional lesson plans. We will be asking you to PLAY, READ, and PARTICIPATE in each of the following five days! Get ready to go on a journey that explores limitless possibilities and encourages innovative thinking. Our mission statement for the week is clear, we want you to unlock your full potential as educators as we explore the extraordinary realm of learning through games.
Chapter 1 – Monday & Tuesday
THE DISCOVERY
Explain and Introduce Game-Based Learning
- PLAY a Game: Play the Stop Disasters Game, a game designed by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction to teach children about how to prepare for and protect cities against disasters. (The game is also available on our website.)
- READ the Website: Click on this link to go to our gamification & game-based learning website. This page will introduce and explain the tenets of gamification & game-based learning, as well as what attributes learners can develop through its use. Once you’ve read that content and watched the videos, click here or navigate to the second page to learn about the major developmental thinkers who have shaped the way we think about play as learning, gamification, and game-based learning.
- PARTICIPATE in the Discussion: Join the chat below as we moderate a lively discussion about the game you played and how you have incorporated game-based learning or gamification in your own classroom or boardroom! Add your thoughts to one or all of the questions below.
QUESTIONS OF THE DAY:
- What did you think about the United Nations Stop Disasters Game? How could you see this game being used in an educational setting?
- What are your thoughts on the educational value of gamification and game-based learning? How have you used either of these methods in your own classroom or office space?
- Do you have any examples of serious games you have used and found to be particularly engaging, motivating, or successful at helping students understand new concepts?
Chapter 2 – Wednesday
THEY ARE OUR FUTURE
Game-Based Learning Examples for K-7 Grade Learners.
- PLAY a Game: Click on this link and try your hand at a few of the young learner games on offer. There are eight to explore and we urge you to try them all.
- READ the Website: Continue scrolling down the page to learn about how these games can be integrated into an elementary classroom. Also, please watch the awesome tutorial explaining how you can make your very own classroom escape room!
- PARTICIPATE in the Discussion: Using the Padlet discussion board at the bottom of the page, share an example of Game-Based Learning that made teaching more engaging and motivating. Attach a photo, drawing, link etc. to your post to share your ideas. *Please be sure to add your name to your post on Padlet*
Chapter 3 – Thursday
NEVER TOO OLD FOR GAMES
Game-Based Learning Examples for 8-12 Grade Learners.
- PLAY a Game: Click on this link and try a few of the high school learner games on offer. We suggest that you try Moral Machine, as it is short and sure to generate great discussions. There are a handful to explore and some take longer than others.
- READ the Website: Read about how teachers can use these games to advance learning in the classroom. Note how each of the games are specialized for various subjects. Some of these games are quite complex, as high schoolers are able to process more challenging game play and instruction.
- PARTICIPATE in the Discussion: Please join us on Thursday at 6:00pm PST for a 20 minute live zoom gameplay of Moral Machine and a spirited discussion about the games you’ve played and the ethical factors that should be considered when designing a gamified lesson. Live Zoom Session Link
Chapter 4 – Friday
GOING GLOBAL: WHAT THE FUTURE HAS IN STORE
Market Analysis and Game-Based Learning with AI
- PLAY a Game: Head to the Future of Game-Based Learning page and try Quick Draw or Shadow Art, two AI learning games for students. These can be found near the bottom of the page or by clicking on the corresponding links.
- READ the Website: Click on Market Analysis and the Future of AI and GBL to be directed to those pages. Please read through the material and watch the videos to see what the current marketplace looks like and what the future has in store for us all!
- PARTICIPATE in the Discussion: Please take a minute to engage in the discussion concerning AI and how it could lend a hand in the classroom. Do you see this as a positive or negative influence? Use the Padlet found at the bottom of the Future of GBL and AI page to log your thoughts. *Please be sure to add your name to your post on Padlet*
Join us by clicking the link below and taking part in our interactive and informational website.
Game-Based Learning & Gamification Site.
LET THE GAMES BEGIN!
-Carina, Kelby, Simon
A BIG THANK YOU!
“Play is fundamentally important for learning 21st century skills, such as problem solving, collaboration, and creativity.”
American Academy of Pediatrics
Carina, Kelby, and I want to express our heartfelt gratitude for your active and enthusiastic involvement in this week-long experience. We hope that you were able to better understand the power of Game Based Learning. Together, we represent the future of education, and we sincerely hope that the resources and information we have shared with you throughout the past week will prove beneficial.
-Your Game-Based Learning Crew
Thank you all for putting this together!! I am going to try and answer a few questions:
1) What did you think about the United Nations Stop Disasters Game? How could you see this game being used in an educational setting?
I think the game is super interesting and could be used in an educational setting as the game is educational itself: it is putting the player in a real-life scenario and having them sort out how to play/win it – and when you finish, you learn that lesson and will hopefully be able to apply that knowledge in a real-life scenario afterward. For example, when students are learning about geography, instead of reading about natural disasters, could students play this game to both learn, as well as have fun? That leads me into my second answer…
2) What are your thoughts on the educational value of gamification and game-based learning?
To keep it brief – my thought on the use of gamification in education is that, when used appropriately, can make learning SO much more engaging. Students may be more motivated to learn, will have actively problem-solved, and more.
Hi Emma,
I’m glad you enjoyed the Stop Disasters game. It can be surprising to students when they realize that learning and having fun are not mutually exclusive. I agree with your comment that gamification and game-based learning must be applied appropriately in order to have the effect we hope for in the classroom. Would you (or anyone else) like to elaborate on that idea? How would you explain to someone what the appropriate application of gamification in education looks like? What does it not look like?
Thanks for being the first to add your thoughts to our discussion today!
I think that appropriate application of gamification would have to be connected to Vygotsky’s zone of proximal development: “the space between what a learner can do without assistance and what a learner can do with adult guidance or in collaboration with more capable peers.”
An example here would be if I were to play a Quizlet Live game with my French students and I choose a list of vocabulary that is not accessible to them. Perhaps the words are all completely new to them or they may not have many cognates (words that are similar to English). This would be better suited during a unit or towards the end, at not at the beginning.
*Quizlet Live is when a class gets put into groups and then on each of their devices, a French word comes up. They then have to choose the correct English translation. There are other versions of game play, but this one is best suited for my classes. A reason for this is that students can look at their screens or help their peers in their groups. These games can get very competitive!
Yes, I agree. Vygotsky’s zone of proximal development is key in providing students with the right level of challenge in game-based learning. If the activity or material is too easy, there is no challenge or interest there for students, and little value in the task. If it is too far beyond their level of understanding or abilities, the activity becomes frustrating and discouraging for students. When using gamification or game-based learning with students it’s vital for educators to first understand where their students are starting from (their zone of proximal development) so that they can be provided with experiences that are just challenging enough to get them to stretch their thinking and keep moving forward to the next challenge.
I think the United Nations Stop Disasters Game is an awesome resource to have in classrooms and a way for students to feel that can find and create solutions for these potential disasters. I think, following everything that is happening here in Nova Scotia with the wild fires, this would be a great resource for teachers to use to promote conversation with students. This has been a tough time for a lot of our students and giving them a tool where they can help find solutions to avoid devastation like we have seen could be really beneficial and healing for some of these students. Although they can’t change what has happened in our communities they can see and feel they could be the source of a future solution. Beyond this, I think it would be a great team/class activity to plan how to spend the money they have and find the best solutions for the area in question for each scenario.
After everything I have been through and seen in my community over the last weeks I want to thank you for sharing this game and resource with us. I see applications for it in a classroom tomorrow and those types of resources are always the best and really get me excited about tech in the classrooms.
I agree wholeheartedly, Sarah. I see these games as a way into the conversation with my students. The Stop Disasters Game is a way to introduce this topic or even reinforce the topic to students who may not have been as aware. When I teach my stock trading and market units, the trading simulation games are great ways to talk about current events and how they effect the markets and our livelihood.
I love your idea of a follow-up activity of how the class can distribute relief money. This would allow the teacher to introduce government policy and budgeting. There are so many opportunities for extensions off of the lessons learned in these games.
The Stop Disasters game was interesting and informative. I think this has potential to be a better way to teach or supplement teaching of natural disasters or economics than the traditional method of giving a list of words and writing down definitions. My criticism is that the game is too easy because you can pass just by meeting the building requirements. This means that students miss the opportunity to think about what they’re building, where they’re building, and what they prioritize, since the budget is nearly unlimited. So for GBL to really work and deliver the intended lesson, the game really needs to be well-designed.
There definitely is education value for gamification and GBL. In my experience, gamification has provided some extrinsic motivation for the weaker students, allowing them to interact with the subject content in some way rather than completely disengaging. I have used Kahoot, Blooket, and Quizizz among other gamification software. GBL is great for interacting with models and visualizing abstract ideas in science. I have used simple games in PhEt simulations and e-Chalk to supplement my teaching.
I agree Roger, to make the Stop Disasters game more difficult there could be a budgeting element that forcing students to prioritize what they build. It would provide opportunities for meaningful discussions around why they made the choices they did when they did not have the funds to save everything.
PhEt simulations are very cool for visualizing science, especially for students struggling to understand an abstract concept those are great resources.
I really enjoyed the “Stop Disasters Game”! So much so, in fact, that I brought it to the Gr. 4 homeroom teachers at my school as they are currently exploring the effects of natural processes on the landscape and making prototypes for inventions that seek to minimize the impacts of these processes. I believe that this type of game-based learning is extremely beneficial for students as it gives more authenticity and relevance to the concepts they are exploring. In a game like “Stop Disasters”, students not only learn about these natural disasters, their impacts and possible ways humans can better be prepared, but it affords them the ability to apply higher-order thinking skills to these ideas. I also appreciate how the game is open-ended in the sense that their is not only one way to approach the challenge- this allows for students agency and a greater connection to real-world decision making where many perspectives need to be considered.
Yes, Nick! This was our hope. We crossed our fingers that some of these gems would make their way into more classrooms. Much like the Sim series, I love the open ended aspects of the game as well. It isn’t restrictive and allows for true decision making as various points of the game. I’ve actually found it to be most successful when small groups work together during the gameplay as there is a lot of healthy conversation and debate that takes place.
I’m looking forward to later in the week when you tackle some of the other games we identified.
Thanks for the thoughtful response.
First off, congratulations to the three of you for putting together an engaging OER in such a short amount of time.
“What are your thoughts on the educational value of gamification and game-based learning? How have you used either of these methods in your own classroom or office space?”
I have more experience in using gamification in the adult learning space than GBL, but I can certainly see the value of both. Especially working in a space that focuses heavily on process and procedure, finding tools to leverage extrinsic motivation are always welcome. I also see it as an alternative way for employees to receive informal feedback on their performance, something that I find I don’t get nearly as much in my career as I did when I was a full time student. One area where I would like to dive into more is discovering where GBL and adult learning converge. Given the specific nature of the topics we cover, I’ve assumed there is little out there, but I would also be curious to hear of any GBL tools anyone has used either for themselves or professionally.
I’ve incorporated Kahoot and Quizizz into synchronous classrooms for quizzes and also used Genially in eLearning modules for escape room style activities where learners need to follow a specific process to complete the room. The increase in engagement and also communication between peers have been clear benefits.
Hi Richard.
Thanks for sharing. I’d also love to learn more about options that exist for GBL in adult learning and careers. I’ve had a little experience with game-based learning in career training. The game (I can’t recall what the program was called.) took the form of a training simulation, with several levels to work through and trivia questions to answer along the way. It was certainly more fun than reading through the orientation binder I recall receiving at the outset of some jobs. Game-based learning with simulation games is also very popular in medical education, providing a safe, risk-free way to practice a variety of medical procedures. Here is the link to an article on game-based learning in medical education, if you’d like to take a look. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10020233/
I think there is so much potential out there to use gamification and game-based learning in both education and job settings. Thanks for sharing your experience in this area!
Hi Richard, I would be super interested in connecting to hear more about what you do! In my reply to this post, I mention how I would like to see more resources for gamification for adult learners. I currently work at a tech company where I run quite a few of the trainings and I am always trying to find ways to add more fun/spice to the delivery of my teachings, but I find adults can be challenging as not many of them want to “buy-in” to the idea of play. I have also incorporated Kahoot into my workplace, which was super fun, but I am also totally open to other platforms or strategies.
Great start to the week and to the opportunity forecasting assignment!
What did you think about the United Nations Stop Disasters Game? How could you see this game being used in an educational setting?
I found the game had a bit of a steep learning curve. Not a lot of hand-holding to show you the ropes. I chose the easiest difficulty and my poor Mediterranean city was still wiped out. That said, I do see a lot of applications for a game like this in geography and civics classes. You could take it a step further by imposing additional restrictions on players to replicate the area they are studying. For example, here in Ecuador, there is a lot of worry about the upcoming transition to El Nino. On the coast it brings heavy rains and flooding. The last El Nino in the 90s saw most coastal cities completely engulfed in rising tides, widespread disease (seeing those effects already in Peru), and inadequate access to basic necessities such as food or clean water. Now 30 years later, the country is better prepared but still lacked the proper finances to be completely prepared. Imposing financial restrictions in this game could shine a light on global inequalities in way the is much more impactful for students as they are forced to digital live the experience.
What are your thoughts on the educational value of gamification and game-based learning? How have you used either of these methods in your own classroom or office space?
I think there is tremendous value in both gamification and game-based learning. My philosophy (admittedly influenced by the fact that I am a gamer myself) is that we should channel student interests in something constructive rather than trying to eliminate said interest because it is perceived as less valuable than other activities. If kids love games, then why not take that love and direct it in a more constructive way. Games like Fortnite or Call of Duty have been proven to have some limited educational value but I would argue are ultimately time sinks, whereas games like Minecraft, or the Civilization series have infinitely more educational value and generate the same level of enjoyment.
I have used a few different methods in my classroom. I used Classcraft for a few years to gamify assessments and activities, I am always looking for ways to get Minecraft involved, but I think my proudest gamification moment game in the form of a collectible card game I developed for classroom management. Essentially, students would collect cards that I created based off of fantasy characters and that would generate currency and experience for their digital avatars. They could trade cards, some cards had special abilities, it was a lot to manage but worked surprisingly well.
Do you have any examples of serious games you have used and found to be particularly engaging, motivating, or successful at helping students understand new concepts?
I mentioned above, but the Civilization games are fantastic. Hours disappear because of how engage the gameplay is and, before you know it, you’re a history buff spouting out facts about some of histories greatest leaders and civilizations. In that same sense, I would include the Age of Empire series as well.
I would also throw in older RPG style games like the Final Fantasy series. While not technically a series game, the amount of reading necessary to progress the story I credit as being one of the primary factors for my strong reading skills middle school. (It could also be credited as the reason for low grades as a result of how many hours I spent playing it rather than completing my homework, but let’s choose to look on the positive side!)
Thanks for sharing, Benjamin. I have used the Disaster game in a few ways. Depending on the class level and grade, I have had to walk through a game with the students while it was projected on the big screen. This serves as a tutorial and helps the students understand the nuances of the game and the ramifications of your choices. That being said, there is something to throwing them in head first and having them work it out and problem solve themselves. I think we don’t give enough credit to the problem solving abilities of students. If challenged, they tend to rise to the occasion.
I just looked into Classcraft. I like the ethos of the company. Please add it to the padlet during Wednesday’s activity as we’d like to collect and collate all of the resources and games provided by our peers.
Great work! I’m so addicted to Stop Disasters : )))))
I believe gamification is important and will continue to gain significance in the future classroom. I think gamified learning works effectively when it has a clear purpose and well-defined expectations. The experience of a student engaging in GBL activities independently compared to with the guidance of an educator can be vastly different. I feel that for GBL to foster deep and meaningful learning, it should be used as a supplementary tool in the classroom. Educators cannot expect students to solely rely on GBL to acquire a comprehensive understanding of a subject. Instead, educators should provide a foundational level of knowledge to students, enabling them to explore and expand upon that knowledge through GBL experiences, connecting it to real-world contexts. I believe that if this foundational instruction is provided, gamified learning experiences have the potential to help students make connections and offer a more holistic learning experience compared to traditional educational methods. To further enhance the depth and meaning of the learning experience, another idea would be to provide opportunities for students to reflect on their GBL experiences. This reflection would give students the chance to make connections they may have overlooked during the game and hopefully aid in better retention of the acquired knowledge.
I couldn’t agree more, Terrence. Gamification works best when it is a compliment to a lesson. It deepens the understanding and often provides a practical learning experience for the student and class.
I just taught my grade 10’s about Credit Scores as we are currently discussing credit cards and how they differ from debit cards. I found this AWESOME game called Credit Clash (https://www.creditclash.com/game) that was a great way to reinforce what I talked about. It is quite difficult and you’ve got to play numerous times before achieving a great credit score.
What did you think about the United Nations Stop Disasters Game? How could you see this game being used in an educational setting?
I played the Earthquake game on the medium setting and I lost twice! The game also glitched on me twice when I reached the actual earthquake, so I did spend some time playing! I tend to not like to read instructions, so I went into the game with an experiential approach. I liked it and I can definitely see how it can be used in a classroom. I envision an elementary school classroom and from an IB PYP perspective, it could fit nicely in a unit about global / environmental issues and/or geography. It could provide a nice hook into discussions about obstacles different areas in the world face in regards to disaster prevention. How would a country like Haiti be able to prepare for earthquakes versus Japan for example?
What are your thoughts on the educational value of gamification and game-based learning? How have you used either of these methods in your own classroom or office space?
I am really into gamification and am keen on learning more. As I have mentioned in other posts so far in this class, as a language teacher, I enjoy using Quizlet Live, Kahoot and most recently, Blooket. The students love Blooket and I am still exploring the many games that they can choose from on the site.
I love how you mention Carmen San Diego on your website. We had a Commodore 64 computer with floppy disks and this game was one of my favourites. The TV show was amazing as well. The game and show definitely inspired me to learn about the world, different countries, flags, and capitals… all things that I enjoy about learning today. It was quite formative for me since, in the pre-Internet world of the early 90’s, information was limited to Encyclopedias and library books (but not limited to).
Glad you enjoyed the disaster game and got into it Maurice! I like your idea of using it as the hook for a lesson or unit. That’s a great idea. A game like that one definitely opens the door for thoughtful discussion around disaster prevention and connections to the real world.
I also recently discovered Blooket, haven’t had a chance to use it with a class yet but it looks like a great option for review games!
Thanks for sharing, Maurice! I was also a big fan of the Carmen Sandiego game growing up and I also played it on floppy disk on our Commodore 64! Wow! That brought back memories! The game definitely inspired my love of geography (which led to my eventual major in geography for my B.A.) and made me want to learn more so that I could get better at the game. That’s the power of a well-designed educational game, isn’t it? It piques your curiosity and makes you want to discover more.
Thank you for an impressive start to this part of the course! Re the Stop Disasters game, it reminded me so much of one of my favourite games, which is the Civilizations series (which is a great learning tool for learning about history and technology). The strength of the Civilization series is the content that comes with the game. And so I think that increasing the content for this game would have been more educational. For example, the defensive approaches (trees and dunes) for the Tsunami scenario could have been expanded with lessons on soil erosion. As mentioned before, limiting the budget would also help introduce prioritization and/or financial literacy. Finally, an over-arching lesson on climate change and its effects on natural disasters would nicely tie-up these games. All that said however, I thoroughly enjoyed this game.
Regarding the role of gamification/GBL in the classroom, I believe that any effort to increase learner motivation will be key, especially as we move to more online or hybrid platforms. GBL excels in this, so I do see it as an important tool in an educator’s toolkit. But at the end of the day, it is just a tool among many others. As an educator, I worry about balancing game-based elements with the content and not to make the learning too ‘gamey’ (which is what I felt like the Stop Disasters game did for me). I personally use some of the tools you outlined in Chapter 2 as a way to summarize the learning content for my learners. I am only beginning to play around with the elements from Chapter 3, which I believe is the harder task of maintaining that balance I mentioned within curriculum/instructional design.
I think you bring up a great point Carlos. Learning should be fun and engaging, we also have a duty as educators to ensure we are teaching the curriculum thoroughly to prepare students for their next grade. I find the “too gamey” aspect to be very apparent with the free version of a lot of educational games. Comparing Prodigy to Mathletics is one that comes to mind. A school wide subscription to Mathletics is not cheap, and without parent buy-in for a program such as that one, it may be out of reach for many school budgets. Prodigy offers a similar service for free, however there is a significant difference in how much time students spend playing the game and how much time is spent engaging with math concepts.
What did you think about the United Nations Stop Disasters Game? How could you see this game being used in an educational setting?
I enjoyed the simplicity of the United Nations Stop Disasters game and it reminded me of the old Sim City games. I like to explore games myself and found the game simple enough to use that I could see it being used in G4, 5 and 6. I could see this as a fun interlude to lessons about each type of natural disasters. A brief introduction to the type of disaster with an opportunity for the students to then explore what it would be like to develop a city in a region that experiences these disasters. This could carry on for multiple lessons and allow students to consider different challenges that exist in different countries around the world and socioeconomic challenges as well. I read an article today about the wildfires in BC and back-burning as well as some pre-burning and this could help students think about the role prevention plays in society.(I played the wildfire one where they identify trees that will be dry and burn easily).
I think game-based learning allows students to explore and learn and I think most importantly receive feedback in real-time. I think this is one of the greatest aspects of game-based learning is the ability to receive feedback and then attempt the situation again immediately (act upon that feedback).
Thanks for sharing, Mike! Yes, games in learning are wonderful for that reason, aren’t they? That instant feedback and the ability to try again right away really help students see that mistakes are part of learning, and when we stop to reflect on our mistakes we can move forward more knowledgeable and more prepared for the next attempt.
Thank you for a really impressive presentation. The design, format and information is easy to follow and filled with valuable content.
Teaching Disasters in the classroom to encourage a positive approach and provokes good gamification potential.
However, looking further afield, the UN Site for Disasters I found, required some updating. The COVID Pandemic may or may not be listed, but I see it as one of this centuries”s greatest disasters affecting us globally, The mortality rate, the unknown variables and rapidly evolving clonification of the virus wiped out millions of people and impacted us in multiple ways, Education and how to maintain quality delivery provoked real challenges to adapt learning without sacrificing quality of content
Again, the question of availability of Internet and computer ownership for many students awakened that challenge which is mostly ignored until we had no other choices.
Gaming and learning in this context occurred through self protective gear, good handwashing and became a somewhat stressful situation for students of all ages, who may or may not have completely understood the rapid changes impacting daily life.
I see this presentation as a great way to encourage learning and reflecting on disasters as well as provoking wider questions on global knowledge.
I appreciate your comment about recognizing the availability of internet and computer ownership for many of these games, Sheena. We haven’t done a sufficient enough job recognizing this issue and we will add information pertaining to this as we make improvements to the site and presentation.
The proliferation of computers in classrooms is becoming more wide-spread, but it is by no means fully adopted so we should be highlighting that challenge moving forward. Thanks for the comment.
Congratulations on your OER! You three did an amazing job putting so much informative content together in such a short time.
I enjoyed playing the Stop Disaster Game, and it reminds me of a lot of the simulation games that I loved playing, like SimCity and Roller Coaster Tycoon. These simulation games require players to plan the infrastructures carefully and strategically to reach certain goals. In the case of the Stop Disaster Game, the setting is more urgent since people’s life is depending on the player’s decisions, pushing the player to practice problem-solving skills in a specific context. I also appreciate how the game developers take the geographical features of different regions into account, allowing students to explore different areas of the world. What I also like about this game is that the simplicity of this game makes it easy to understand even for early primary students (with explanation and scaffolding for sure).
I used gamification a lot in my teaching because my young learners respond very well to it. They are more engaged immediately. And my experience with younger students is that gamification doesn’t require a lot of high-tech tools. It can be as simple as counting points on a piece of paper. However, gamification can sometimes be distracting, like when students are too worried about how many points they’re getting and they’re not paying attention to the actual learning activities. It is imperative to find the balance. I also wonder how to implement game-based learning in early primary grades besides roleplaying and would love to hear from people who have tried it.
Hi Trista,
I’ve had similar experiences with gamification immediately engaging my students’ attention. But, as you noted, it can also be a distraction if students are focused more on the gamification elements than they are on learning. I noticed some distractions for my own students when we first start using ClassDojo at the beginning of the school year. They are more interested in their avatar’s appearance and how they can log in to make changes to their avatar than they are in listening to the information being exchanged in class. I find that this particular distraction dies down and students are able to refocus and accept the avatars as a feature on the borders of their attention, only noting them again when points are added to their growing totals again. However, it is a real concern and something that needs to be addressed when an educator plans to use gamification in their classroom.
Thanks for sharing your experience with and thoughts on gamification!
High fives to the GBL Team! The OER effectively conveys the value and potential of gamification and game-based learning in grade 7-12 education. The inclusion of Quick Draw as an AI learning game is particularly notable, as it has the power to enhance students’ creative and observational skills while promoting critical thinking and adaptability.
I have a couple of suggestions to enhance the OER even further. Firstly, I recommend expanding on the applicability of Quick Draw in grade 7-12 education. By exploring its integration into various subject areas such as art, language arts, science, social studies, and critical thinking curricula, educators can gain a deeper understanding of its potential impact and find creative ways to incorporate it into their teaching practices.
Secondly, I wanted to bring up a technical concern. When I clicked on the link to view the “Market Analysis” page (https://sites.google.com/d/1JiGrMG83wJBXR2y-AgEOaCZNfYUbyXR3/p/1VbhXBM17ctQKf7tTLpTMc0TZGWMJBeWu/edit), it took me to the editor’s view instead of the intended page. I’m not sure if this was intentional, but it might be helpful to ensure that users don’t accidentally change the content on this page.
Overall, this OER is engaging, informative, and reflects a genuine dedication to enhancing learning experiences through gamification. I am excited to implement some of the games from this OER in my classroom and I appreciate the effort put into creating such a valuable resource. Thank you, GBL Team, for your hard work and commitment to transforming education through gamification!
Thank you so much for these suggestions, Zheng. So often, the only limitation to games like Quick Draw is our own imagination. I use it in my computer class to teach them about about how a machine learns by building a database of past experiences. I love the idea of integrating it into subjects like science, which you wouldn’t think it would align with immediately.
As for the Market link, that is an error that I will rectify right away. Thanks for bringing that to our attention.
We are proud of the work done this week and we are pleased that it seems like many of our teacher peers can use a few of these games in their classrooms moving forward.
GBL team you have done a fantastic job at exploring gamification. I really appreciated the distinction between K-7 and 8-12 game types. I was familiar with the elementary games including Prodigy and Mathletics you provided but often struggle to find games that meet the curricular needs and engage the higher-grade learners. I thought the Uber game was excellent and I used it in my high school careers class – it tied into our talks on gig economy and the students really enjoyed the progression of it. I jumped into the Wall Street Survivor game and found it challenging to get going. I went back and see you commented on it being better to run for a semester and decided to not introduce it so late in the year to my business classes. You included an excellent variety of games and I will explore them further.
As far as market analysis goes, it was fascinating to see your data on the drastic market growth due to the pandemic with a $93B market projection for 2030. The significant increase in digital education has me thinking – is the increase in digital games and learning creating a more equitable learning space? Or perhaps widening the gap due paid subscriptions, paywalls and access to hardware. I would like to lean towards making learning more accessible with the many free platforms. I appreciated you discussing the Computers for Success initiative which I thought was worth including. I hope this market growth will contribute to more inclusive initiatives such as it. Thanks for pushing my ideas on gamification and opening me up to some really great resources.
This was a great way to learn about Gamification and how it forecasts in the future. I really liked the game, it was a good example of the possibilities of this type of learning technology. I think one of the greatest challenges is integration on different platforms, cost, and access but the limit is sky high for how it can be applied to a variety of learning environments.
It’s very true, Lowell. That is part of the reason why we added the considerations section to the site. These are important factors that must be taken into account when planning for game-based lessons.
I loved the Stop Disasters Game, and I spent a few hours trying out the different disasters in a few geographical places and also trying out some of the different levels. I like that you can pick different counties and learn more about the climate as well as the environmental challenges that those places struggle with the most. I like that when the game is going through the simulation at the end, some blurbs pop up that tell you about these natural disasters. For example, when I was playing the Caribbean Island, the game was replicating a hurricane. And For the Australian simulation, we needed to plan around forest fires. Games like this one, Pandemic 2, and Vital Pursuit, allow students to have exposure to global issues and challenges in a controlled, game-based context. There are other games like “Hair Nah” that allow students to play the character of a young black girl who has to dodge the hands of white people trying to touch her hair. The game design is simple in nature but gives context to the black experience in a new way that would allow users to learn more about racial identity and racism.
I am not a school teacher and I work in a corporate space, so I would like to see ways we can use gamification with adult learners and higher education/post-higher-ed spaces. As somebody who does not work with k-12, I do feel like these resources apply less to me and my life, so I think this OER has room to expand and develop to target a broader audience. I think applying gamification techniques to adult learning can be quite challenging, so if your group (or anybody on this forum) has tips/ideas or tricks to share that would be super helpful!!
Overall, it was super awesome to explore all these games and resources – and I honestly probably spent way too much time on that natural disasters game!