"Across the country, teachers are already using gamification in their classrooms every day. They 'gamify' learning by replacing grades with levels and merit badges; or, rather than delivering lectures and then testing for retention, teachers create project-based units where completion, or the demonstration of mastery, is what allows the student to move on" (Shapiro, p. 8). |
Texts selected for class reading this week and discovered on my own reveal that the use of games in education is certainly not a novel idea. Entire classrooms have been "gamified," traditional lessons have been upgraded to include engaging and interactive game elements, and the spirit of competition has become a regular part of learning thanks to technology tools that bring fast-paced formative assessment options to the K-12 world. Games are not just for rainy days anymore; they are everywhere in our schools.
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Huh???? was the first profound thought to pop into my head upon hearing McGonigal talk about gaming as driving force for a better world. Seriously? Alas, her TED Talk, Shapiro's Guide to Digital Games + Learning, and the Empowering Educators research report helped square some things away and brought all this talk about games into focus.
Banville, L. (2014). New Study Indicates What Kind of Teachers Use Games to Gauge Learning. Games + Learning. Retrieved from http://www.gamesandlearning.org/2014/12/10/new-study-indicates-what-kind-of-teachers-aim-to-use-games-to-gauge-learning/
Farber, M. (2015). Three Games About Viruses That Teach Interconnectedness. MindShift. 1 April 2015. Retrieved from http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2015/04/01/three-games-about-viruses-that-teach-interconnectedness/
Farber, M. (2013). Gamifying Student Engagement. Edutopia. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/gamifying-student-engagement-matthew-farber
Fishman, B., Riconscente, M., Snider, R., Tsai, T., & Plass, J. (2014). Empowering Educators: Supporting Student Progress in the Classroom with Digital Games. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan. Retrieved from http://gamesandlearning.umich.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/A-GAMES-Part-I_A-National-Survey.pdf
Granata, K. (2015). Teachers Take Advantage of Minecraft in the Classroom. Education World. Retrieved from http://www.educationworld.com/a_news/teachers-take-advantage-minecraft-classroom-60294258
McGonigal, J. (2010). Gaming Can Make a Better World. TED Talk. Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/talks/jane_mcgonigal_gaming_can_make_a_better_world?language=en
Ossola, A. (2015). Teaching in the Age of Minecraft. The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, 06 Feb. 2015. Retrieved from http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2015/02/teaching-in-the-age-of-minecraft/385231/
Shapiro, J., Tekinbas, K., Schwartz, K., and Darvasi, P. (Retrieved 25 Apr 2015). MindShift Guide to Digital Games + Learning. KQED. Retrieved from http://www.kqed.org/assets/pdf/news/MindShift-GuidetoDigitalGamesandLearning.pdf
Stiff, H. (2015). Monforton teacher instructs coding to kids. Belgrade News. 06 Feb. 2015. Retrieved from http://www.belgrade-news.com/news/article_6716d926-ae2a-11e4-959b-13ebce844c1c.html