OK… it is December 27, 2015 and I have decided that I want to GAMIFY my Stats classes in JANUARY :).
And so my research begins… The first thing I learned is that “gamification” is NOT a way to instruct. It is NOT playing a game to learn.
In a nutshell, it is a system for awarding points, credits and badges to help improve student motivation, participation and engagement.
There are many ways to implement gamification, some free, some not. Here is how I plan to do it.
The points (XP, experience points) will be earned by completion of quests (assignments, activities or assessments). XP are used for advancing in “levels” and leaderboards.
The credits (AP, achievement points) will be earned with extra achievements (like attending an after school study session or creating a video tutor). AP can be used to “purchase” special privileges. like a late pass for homework.
The badges will be earned for specific achievements and are pretty much just for show and bragging rights :). I plan to issue badges through the Edmodo platform.
None of these, XP, AP nor badges will take the place of regular grades. XP and AP will not be used to calculate grades. “Grades” will still be computed from traditional assignments. All assignments will still be graded and entered into the grade book as usual.
Here are the steps I plan to use for implementation of gamification.
XP: Experience Points
1. Take a unit that is already written and assign point and badge rewards for each assignment, activity or assessment in that unit. (example)
2. Create a Google form to use for ease of assigning points. Use student chosen game monikers for identification and enter actual student names for the “help text”. (example)
3. What’s the use of being competitive and working hard to earn XP if no one knows that you are the best?
Use the response spreadsheet from the Google form in step #2 to make charts to display student & class scores. (example)
Directions and template for the leaderboards can be found at
http://igniteducation.com/2014/04/12/xp-calculator-and-leaderboard/ and
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mi-_W9W2cw&feature=youtu.be
4. Note: Grades vs. Game Points
All of the regular assignments will be graded as usual and entered in the gradebook. It is my practice to accept late work from students. That is, I do not penalize students for late work. This is a policy that is preferred (but not required) by the administration at my school. However, to earn game points and badges, work must be submitted by the due date.
AP: Achievement Points (coins)
1. Allow students to earn credits that can be used to purchase items such as homework passes, test revisions, temporary seat swap, etc. Credits are earned when students complete desired responses/actions such as joining a study group, making a tutorial video & publishing it, etc. (examples)
2. Create another Google form so that students can submit their achievements for AP credits. (example)
3. To bring some “real life skills” into the class, students write “checks” to make purchases with their coins and also keep track of their coin balance with the check register.
4. Students will receive a certificate to document their purchases. Certificates will be turned in to the Game Master at the time of use. (example)
Badges
1. I will use http://www.Edmodo.com to award badges. (example)
Random Events
1. Each class period starts with a “Random Event”. Something to get us all awake and actively involved with the class. Random events give or take away XP or AP from students. (example)
2. I will put the Random Events into a PowerPoint. I will make 3 copies of the PowerPoint, 1 for each class. I will use the slide numbers as a way to randomly select an event. As an event occurs, I will delete it from the PowerPoint.
3. One day a week, the Random Event will be replaced with ” Lip Sync Thursday” (or what ever day you choose). Players or teams sign up to perform lip sync to earn AP. If more than one student/team wants to perform, one will be chosen at random.
Student Comments:
I’ll be back in 9 weeks with comments from my students 🙂
If you like this or if you have any suggestions or variations, please comment below. 🙂
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