#games4ed discussions cover ways in which gaming can be used in education. Games mirror the way the human mind was designed to learn. They motivate players to take risks and actions, persevere through failures, set and achieve increasingly difficult goals, and devote attention, time, and effort to acquiring knowledge and skills. All this while the game is tracking the player’s actions and assessing the player’s achievements and skills. Isn’t this what we want from education?
What’s up everyone?! Andrew from SoCal here! 4th-grade/GATE teacher. School may be out, but I sure have been busy. Trying to get my original classroom game into the hands of as many students as possible! Sending out sample decks across the country starting next week! #games4ed
JP Skevington from Clarksville,TN. K-5 RTI reading and math teacher. I'm celebrating summer with family, fishing, travel, and masters classes. #games4ed
Kellie from Virginia Beach, VA- 4th grade- Just finished an amazing Digital Summit at #VBDLSS Now it is time to play with horses and hit the beaches!
#games4ed
Steve from NJ here. I teach game design and development at a middle school in NJ. Summer is a mix of PD. #picademy#iste18@g4c#xr4c@scratch and vacation to Hawaii! #games4ed
Hi! Jocelyn Kervin, Toronto ON, former HS Music Tr, now Digital Literacy Resource Teacher (kind of like a TOSA / Tech Coach!). First time in this chat! Counting down the last few days until summer here! I'll celebrate with some great craft beer, cottage time, and golf! #games4ed
Mallory Sterling from Knoxville, TN. 4th grade teacher. I am celebrating summer by hanging out with my family, celebrating my sweet girls first birthday, going to @iste this weekend, and DC in July! #games4ed
A1 An unsuccessful PD is when you aren't involved in your learning. I've been in so many PD's where you just sit and listen to the presentation. I need hands-on activities! #games4ed
A1- Those mandatory PD that you don't choose, and that they read you the presentation/text/activity- If I don't choose to be there, I'm not engaged! I'm worse than my Ss! #games4ed
A1: I went to a presentation where the presenter was an expert. However, he struggled at connecting with the audience. His references weren’t relatable/relevant. No one had heard of Gone with the Wind! Know your audience. Just like a classroom, you gotta differentiate. #games4ed
A1: Not differentiated or repeated yearly for the sake of those new to the staff. I know we all may need reminders but if nothing new is added why would people need to re-take. Could we maybe test out? Also irrelevant #games4ed
A1: not organized. I went to one for our new math series and we had sent the company all of our questions and wanted a real trainer. Company sent their sales person who had never really used the program in a classroom #games4ed#edu5213SBU
A1 cont: Even worse PD that is "taught" by experts/consultants that have never been in the classroom or not in for ages. Staff is sitting there thinking "Well, the idea may be OK, but it's just not going to work." #games4ed
A1- Those mandatory PD that you don't choose, and that they read you the presentation/text/activity- If I don't choose to be there, I'm not engaged! I'm worse than my Ss! #games4ed
A1: not organized. I went to one for our new math series and we had sent the company all of our questions and wanted a real trainer. Company sent their sales person who had never really used the program in a classroom #games4ed#edu5213SBU
A2 I heard a quote from @mrgfactoftheday in a discussion the other day that stuck with me "games can be a great equalizer" - providing a gameful situation around your topic levels the playing field and breaks down barriers of seniority, subject, etc. #games4ed
A1 I just finisheda required on-line PD. Tons on reading with a quiz at the end that referred to abstract stuff in the reading. Plus it was a repeat from last years F2F #games4ed
I always listen closer to teachers/admin who are still in buildings. Like you said, you can just feel a disconnect in those speakers who haven't been around kids for a while. #games4ed
#games4ed A1 ones that only cover info I am already fluent in, ones that don’t cover what they say they will or do so so superficially that they may as well not have. Don’t give a overview of what’s covered in advance
A2- I've done a couple of PD's that were presented in HyperDocs and Quests- They were self paced with supports when needed! They were differentatied! I left feeling I had accomplished something! #games4ed
Exactly. The same reason why I do not do videos. Don't hold me hostage... I can read faster and act on things faster than you can tell me about it. #games4ed
A2: Add a layer of competition to the PD. Have a leaderboard, display points, etc. The most memorable PD’s I’ve attended have allowed participants to learn successfully through fun competition! Capture buy-in through play. #games4ed
2 if a district runs them and keeps track of “players” accomplishments it could cut down on Tt sitting the same PD every year, could also work towards district micro credentials and make participation more appealing #games4ed
A2 I think having educators think of their professional development as a "skill tree" is a great way for them to visualize their growth. Both #GBL and #gamification can help them see this connection. Here's a starter skill tree for my library science majors #games4ed
A2 I heard a quote from @mrgfactoftheday in a discussion the other day that stuck with me "games can be a great equalizer" - providing a gameful situation around your topic levels the playing field and breaks down barriers of seniority, subject, etc. #games4ed
A2: breaks barriers to have us collaborate with group outside of our normal social circle, presents a challenge that we want to be the winners (we laugh, we clap, we collaborate, we have a sense of urgency); breaks up the experience into engaging chunks #games4ed
A3 not many really though I’ve attended some where they make you play silly games that have little to no connection to the topic, it often was visibly awkward and non affective. I would love to see class gamification modeled during PD #games4ed
Though you do have to also be careful. Don't treat me like a kid. I have better things to do than participate in a "getting to know you/collaborative" activity. I've been working with the same ppl for 8 yrs we already know each other well. #games4ed
I like the idea of a leaderboard. I know we are sometimes leery of them in classrooms, but for short activities with teachers, I think they work really well! #games4ed
A3: I went to a Quizlet PD that was outstanding. We had a great time playing the games. One at a time, in groups, relay style. Endless possibilities. #games4ed
A3: I’ve given a PD where I arranged attendees in teams. Teams earned #tmbgame cards through participation. The cards awarded the points. The team with the most points at the end got a small reward. I also added Easter eggs into my presentation by using QR codes. #games4ed
Yes, microcredentialing is a great idea for PD. Also, if it is available for others to see. If someone is "expert" at something, say Google Sites, then others can seek them out for help #games4ed
A2. Just the fact that it would break up the monotony of sitting in a seat for an entire day listening to the talking heads. Not the band, that would be way better. #games4ed
A3 I've found that attendees have really enjoyed a #gamified contest at the end of sessions. Lately I've been doing a gamified Shark Tank Contest w/ staff & students. Link here: https://t.co/ZWUaC0MsEX#games4ed
A3. I created a google quiz with auto "XP" points awarded for correct answers along the way. The site I was presenting from (participants had the link) also had hidden Easter Eggs. It was fun to watch people find them then share them. #games4ed
That is awesome! And what stands out to me is that you have time to explore. That makes PD more meaningful for me if it's a time to play and explore #games4ed
In reply to
@msweisenbeck, @MarianaGSerrato, @vbschools
Q4: We often talk about the importance of play for our students. What might a "teacher play time" look like during one of your professional development days?
#games4ed
A4 it would be cool if each T brought a game that they use in their class and during play time teachers got to share and model their game as well as see how it could be adapted to the topic of the PD
#games4ed
A4) I think PD is great when they allow teachers to branch out into different activities of their choice to collaborate with teachers of like subjects from different schools #games4ed
Q3: one of my favorite sessions to present is on mini games. We play each game, and the teachers are so into them. They see first hand how game mechanics change the atmosphere and energy of the room. #games4ed
A3: I’ve used #breakoutedu in PD sessions but it tows the line between #gamification and #gbl. Regardless it was great to get everyone working together, moving about the room, and the fun of solving problems! #games4ed
A4: I think it would be awesome to see what other teachers use in their classrooms. We could collaborate and take ideas back to our classrooms. #games4ed
A4: If we took the time to create something with what we were taught and earned XP for it…maybe even present our ideas to other teachers Shark Tank style, then build together…Thinking aloud here. #games4ed
I'm right with you with unnecessary "silly games." I tried my hardest one PD to lose rock-paper-scissors so I could sit down. I ended up winning the whole room. And my reward: I got to read my summary for everyone.
Not a cool use for a game.
#games4ed
A3- I did a Mystery Hangout in the PD I led today and that was so much fun! I would love to use some of the ideas I've seen from @MrBadiner ! If I get and ITS position that I'm longing for, I'll hopefully do more! #games4ed
Agreed! Honestly, doing a Breakout is the best game I've played during PDs. (Other than maybe Kahoot, b/c I get deadly competitive in Kahoot!) #games4ed
A4: I did a session at our in house #edcamp on #VR in the classroom. There was a lot of playing while understanding the potential of the technology. #games4ed
Q4: We often talk about the importance of play for our students. What might a "teacher play time" look like during one of your professional development days?
#games4ed
It would be fun to find a way to award prizes for finding the Easter eggs, I need to figure that one out. Maybe even an auto sound when an Easter egg is opened… #games4ed
I’d like to take one out of the @lucasgillispie playbook and create a @classcraftgame series of quests for teacher PD and award micro credentials while allowing teachers to meet PD requirements at their pace based on choice #games4ed
A4: I would love to see PD more like an #edcamp. What are you interested in talking about/sharing. Let's inspire and learn from each other. I'm the negative nelly that recoils at the idea of the team building activities. #games4ed
Q5: Some teachers are interested in #gbl#gamification but don't know where to start. What games or activities are good starter or gateways to gamified learning?
#games4ed
Quizlet Live would make a great option for PD, especially if it's people who don't know each super well. And then teachers can easily take it back to their classrooms. Great mention, Jon! #games4ed
A5: I feel like I am one of those teachers, which is so sad! I'm a young teacher and my school is 1:1, so I don't have a reason to be this way. We use Kahoot, but that's it. I need more ideas! #games4ed
A3 I've found that attendees have really enjoyed a #gamified contest at the end of sessions. Lately I've been doing a gamified Shark Tank Contest w/ staff & students. Link here: https://t.co/ZWUaC0MsEX#games4ed
A5 that will vary from T to T. I started by building my own Soc. Aligned RPG. Others may start by adding a few games to their day to help engagement in learning while others may want to jump into gaming for class engagement & management and do something like ClassCraft #games4ed
A4 it would be cool if each T brought a game that they use in their class and during play time teachers got to share and model their game as well as see how it could be adapted to the topic of the PD
#games4ed
A5) I think starting with the familiar like we talked about last week is great. Less intimidating to adapt Jenga than build a whole new game. #games4ed
A4: I would love to see PD more like an #edcamp. What are you interested in talking about/sharing. Let's inspire and learn from each other. I'm the negative nelly that recoils at the idea of the team building activities. #games4ed
Not gamified in a true sense of the word, but that is what #KQEDTeach is all about. https://t.co/xdlL7YEfxK Take a module, get a certificate, repeat. If you want interaction, participate in a bootcamp. Repeat. #games4ed
In reply to
@mr_isaacs, @lucasgillispie, @classcraftgame
A3: just hosted patio PD for Ts in my district tonight on engaging introverts. Gave some ideas/apps, many included game elements, and we actually used the ideas/apps as we proceeded. Ts we’re sharing ideas and using the apps while we were there. #games4ed
A5: Check out the @instituteofplay for their online course in gamification/GBL. It’s a great how-to-guide. From there, check out what the teaching experts in the field are doing! They are all cool and open to discussion for the most part! Lastly, engage in the #games4ed chat!
A5: Table-top games can be a great start! CodeNames, Forbidden Island, Pandemic, and more! @breakoutEDU or online tools like @classcraftgame can be great for starting out, and connecting with the #XPLAP (Explore Like a Pirate) crew is also awesome! #games4ed
A3- I did a Mystery Hangout in the PD I led today and that was so much fun! I would love to use some of the ideas I've seen from @MrBadiner ! If I get and ITS position that I'm longing for, I'll hopefully do more! #games4ed
I"d love to see this by tech integrators/teacher coaches. Then teachers could learn about the things they want to learn and what will benefit them.
Plus, I really want to have my own avatar. That's the bummer of being the teacher in @classcraftgame :) No avatar! #games4ed
I’d like to take one out of the @lucasgillispie playbook and create a @classcraftgame series of quests for teacher PD and award micro credentials while allowing teachers to meet PD requirements at their pace based on choice #games4ed
Now that you've said this, and after reading @mr_isaacs tweet, I'm going to request @principalcronin to do an #edcamp in August. I think it would be brilliant! (Yes, Andy, I will be willing to be in charge if needed!) #games4ed
A4: I would love to see PD more like an #edcamp. What are you interested in talking about/sharing. Let's inspire and learn from each other. I'm the negative nelly that recoils at the idea of the team building activities. #games4ed
Good point. I have a bad ass @classcraftgame avatar but I guess the students don’t see it in game. Hmmmm. Game master should certainly have an avatar. #games4ed
In reply to
@mpilakow, @classcraftgame, @classcraftgame
A6: Last year was my first full year gamiified. It was okay, but I can do so much better. I want to learn how to weave the content into my game better. It feels too much like 2 separate animals. #games4ed
A6: Would love to spend more time learning about/planning for different Player Types, to allow for differentiated learning opportunities for teachers! #games4ed
Kids are calling me, so I have to run! Thanks @mpilakow for having me along tonight. Loved seeing all of the ideas. Next week I’ll remember on time and make the whole thing! 😆 #games4ed
A6. I'm interested in setting up a monthly lunch and learn at my work to develop the other instructors but don't want to become the boring talking head. #games4ed
Agreed! Mallory, we were all beginners at some point! It's all about starting somewhere, and the fact that you're here is that starting spot! And we're all here to help and answer questions! #games4ed
A6: I’m pretty familiar with how to use gamification/GBL in the classroom. However, I’d love to attend a PD where attendees learned how to design a whole gamified unit. Maybe the presenter could show how to unpack a gamified unit through a backwards mapping process! #games4ed
A6: I think we need to model #gbl and #gamification in PD in general to raise greater understanding and awareness #games4ed. And twitter chats ad PD. Hmmmm. Bring all your staff to us!
A6: I love discussing #gamificitaion game play and design. Would be great to have a hack-a-thon where Ts get together and knock some games out #games4ed
A6 I think what I really want at this point is to just sit in a room with a pile of gamification teachers and just share, explore, brainstorm and collaborate, standard PD has been letting me down lately, it’s time for something new #games4ed
I tried to do this last year at a science teachers conference. I did okay, but I can be better. I am adding a planning template and more suggestions next time. Unit games are more intense than year long games. #games4ed
I love the idea of having a real life escape room during a PD day. Would take a little setting up ahead of time, but the relationships it could build would be powerful! #games4ed
A6- If I stay in the classroom, I want to add to what I started this year in @classcraftgame ! If I move to an ITS position, I want to figure out how to add gaming to PD for my coworkers! I want learning new strategies and tools to be fun, not overwhelming! #games4ed
Yes. Yes you do. And don’t hesitate to ask. Many of us use it and the company is amazing and so accessible / receptive to feedback and questions #edtechbridge#gamification#games4ed
In reply to
@JPSkevington, @mpilakow, @classcraftgame
I'm getting some work done on that. Since we are "boldly going where no one has gone before and seeking new civilizations" (yes, total ripoff), the bossbattles for each planet have the same "species" of bosses. #games4ed
Don't feel that way at all, Missy. Four years ago, I knew nothing. NOTHING about #gbl and #gamification. The fact that you're here shows you're an amazing teacher and innovator! #games4ed
Bring the kids into the process. Ask them. Let them help co-create lessons. Get involved in true co-learning with them. That will surely add to / ensure efficacy. #games4ed#gbl#stuexpertise
I completely agree!!! Nothing I ever do in PD is actually on the cutting edge of education. I want to learn what's going to excite kids!
#READ5305#games4ed
A7: By sharing videos and resources through different social media platforms and updating everyone with how they are going! It is important to invite people to these platforms #games4ed
A7: I can continue to expose others through PD. I’ll be giving one next month on gamification/GBL. I also met with my superintendent recently to share my original game #tmbgame. She was very supportive, especially when it came to other teachers trying it out! #games4ed
A7) I presented on gamification at a district con last year. Skipped it this year because of limited interest. Probably should have done it anyway. #games4ed
I am going to play this at a department meeting and try to get it at a faculty meeting. Even just paying for fun can be powerfu. https://t.co/04uUZhHeFK#games4ed
Here's a slidedeck of some games that might help. And think of games you played as a kid--you might find a way to twist to it work for you! https://t.co/TVy2WwjJP4#games4ed
I’m big into open world video games and saw so much potential in immersive gaming environments that I decided to create my own and teach within them, it’s a lot of work but I love it! #games4ed
A7: I'm starting a small #gamification pilot project in my district next school year. Hoping to expand it from student engagement to educator PD down the road! #games4ed
A6 I think what I really want at this point is to just sit in a room with a pile of gamification teachers and just share, explore, brainstorm and collaborate, standard PD has been letting me down lately, it’s time for something new #games4ed
I have involved other teachers in my game. Hidden Easter eggs in their room or had them give a secret message. They are excited to be a part of it. It could be an entry point. #games4ed
YOu're very welcome. Feel free to share with whomever. It's all about getting the game love out there and getting teachers started or inspired! #games4ed
Q8: Final Share Time! What conferences, books, webinars, or
other resources do you recommend for great PD this summer? #games4ed
Also, don't forget to follow anyone you've met in our chat tonight!
A7 be thoughtful about what and how you use gamification to make sure you maintain the integrity of the standards, I think this goes a long way to making gamification more acceptable within school sites and districts #games4ed
What I need is for someone in a PD/lunch/happy hour to share games I can easily include in my classroom and let me pick their brain. I think too many teachers begin to feel overwhelmed to even begin to think of adding something new.
#READ5305#games4ed
A8: I’m hitting up the local events by @IV_CUE! I’ve also applied at just about every summer conference to speak. Those will be confirmed in the next weeks! Asides from that, I am still moving into my new home. It is a never ending story! #games4ed
I used a small tackle box and put the badges in there. They were attached with packing tape to Ss science notebooks. I would tape the badge to the bottom of the board with Ss name above it. I nearly always had Ss offer to cut them out for me. Not perfect but it worked. #games4ed
So many familiar faces AND new faces tonight! Thank you for the chance to learn from you, and thank you for all the idea sharing! Let's make some #PD great and encourage others in our schools to do the same! #games4ed
A8 “reality is broken” is a great read for information on why gaming is engaging and useful, add people who are doing great things to your PLN, ask them questions!!! I pick brains all the time! Look into non educator gaming classes and development training #games4ed
Oooh, happy hour? I'm in!
And don't feel overwhelmed. Start with one or two. Whatever lesson seems drab, change it with a game. You can do it!
#games4ed
What I need is for someone in a PD/lunch/happy hour to share games I can easily include in my classroom and let me pick their brain. I think too many teachers begin to feel overwhelmed to even begin to think of adding something new.
#READ5305#games4ed
