#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?
Hey #games4ed! N from 🇨🇦. Can't believe it's only Thursday... I feel like there's been twice as many days this week. #edtech creator, cofounder, enthusiast. Hoping to get back out on a kayak this summer.
Tomorrow is JUNE!!! on the Northeast, we still have one month left of school but that doesn't stop me from talking about the end of school with #games4ed 2night. Michele, 8th grade ELA teacher in NY - summer means #ISTE18 & @USMSpark + Shakespeare in the Park
Such fun! I kayaked a couple weeks ago...ended up with major gashes in my leg chasing down a canoe that some 8th graders didn't beach well! But the kayaking part--that part was great! #Games4Ed
A1: End of the year was a PBL poetry unit and my Ss just finished writing #popsonnets for @billboard top 100 & next week Ode to 8th grade as a digital poetry video - lots of creativity flowing #games4ed
A1- My kids are working on a End of Year Quest in @classcraft that has them creating vidoes, memory books and more! We just finished state testing so we can be a bit more relaxed! #games4ed
A1 I teach a unit on Einstein, his physics, and nuclear weapons. Ss love learning about the genius of Einstein. Having to cut most of that unit this year. #games4ed
I struggle so much with the list of activities I'd love to do more often and the number of hours in a day (limited more by the number of hours of sunlight). #games4ed
I would love to know more about the quest and is it primarily related to books - I like that idea, I am trying to rethink my poetry unit as a quest for next year #games4ed
A1) I teach state tested courses so I am reviewing and preparing for exams. For these lessons I try to make the review fun/game based. My students love kahoot, quizlet live. I also try to have them up and moving around with a Jenga review and matching games. #games4ed
Q2: Some of us have had our last day of school. For others, it's still coming. But what does the last couple days of school look in your (ideal) classroom?
#games4ed
A2- We've been doing some fun STEM projects from @Erintegration and have several more to do. This is the time of year that they have to stay very engaged! #games4ed
The last days in my ideal classroom look like a group of students that have had an amazing semester, are ready for exams, and will miss being in my class. But mainly... students that know I think they are awesome and I am proud of them! #games4ed
I'm in the same boat. I've got a few teachers in the district interested in quests on Classcraft. I think that might be their first sip of the KoolAid!! #Games4Ed
A2 This year I'll miss the last 2 days with Ss cause I will be at #USMSpark instead! Woot! Ideally it would be full of reflection, which is what they'll be doing the 1/2day I'm gone. #games4ed
A2: Reality - my 5-7 get to help the "whole clean-up take the classroom apart" process; 8th get the "privilege" of graduation practice :) Ideally, we are learning up to the last bell! #games4ed
A2 - Ideal? I'd love to get rid of it mainly by removing the concept of grades (grade 5 grades, not A,B,C). I'd love for it to be something kids do (with regular breaks and holidays), where they work on always moving forward, based more on interest, less on timeline. #games4ed
Q2: Some of us have had our last day of school. For others, it's still coming. But what does the last couple days of school look in your (ideal) classroom?
#games4ed
Man, that is kind of a bummer, but so pumped to see you at @USMSpark!! Honestly, it's ridiculous how great the sessions are this year--I don't know how I'll choose some of them! #Games4Ed
YES! The make your own deck excites me even more than the other stuff! (Did we talk this up on FB?) But teachers or students creating a genre or topic based deck opens Storium up to so many content areas #games4ed
Do you plan the GeniusHour expo during the day or evening? In conjunction with other activities? I'd love to do this but trying to figure out how to with srs in the spring... #games4ed
A3: We had our last Student Exhibition Night last week. This is really a celebration of learning where stduents presented either their passion projects (Genius Hour) or the project they were most proud of. Always a super cool event. #games4ed
A3: We use PBIS at our school...students get to nominate others in their class for Golden Dolphin Dollars (extra special recognition) for our four overarching expectations: Be Nice, Fair, Respectful, and Your Best #games4ed
A3: On our last day, my seniors do a signing party with their literary magazines. I'm thinking about making this a larger event next year, maybe with our awards night #games4ed
I did that for several years, only they wrote to themselves in 5th and received it back in 8th. At one point I forgot about it. Need to restart it as I remember it fondly. #games4ed
In reply to
@MusingsOnEdTech, @legendlearning, @mpilakow
A3 - I did an @OutwardBoundCan trip, and at the end, we went around, and everyone had to say a strength and a memory about each person. I really wish it was recorded, because it was so nice and positive. I think this would be fun to do with Ss, but maybe written to keep #games4ed
Andrew from SoCal. A bit late! A3: I ordered “Super Bowl-type” rings for my students to celebrate a TMB tournament. TMB is a game my students and I co-created! #Games4Ed
Yes, I would love the idea of eliminating grades all together, its easier in ELA because I can just write comments and have no grades on papers #games4ed
A3: Another fun one I've done... Each student cerates a web showing how they are became connected through the work or activities they participated in. #games4ed
I haven't eliminated completely yet, but definitely backed off this year and did conferences with students. One of the best moves I've done in teaching, for sure! #games4ed
A4: A Gamify Literacy Unit for our entire fifth grade, each class competing against the others (and cooperating in their own class) to bring out the two best interpersonal intrinsic motivators to engage S's for the ELA they hate most: informational text structures! #games4ed
As time goes on, my biggest problem with grades, is that they've become an excuse for allowing people with barely 50% of the knowledge to move forward. Grades don't encourage mastery, because you don't need it. #games4ed
I plan on doing badging next year. Didn't get a chance to plan it out this year and didn't want to do it wrong. Glad to hear it went well for you. #games4ed
And if you added in all subjects, you could do so many more fun projects, that are cross disciplinary. Interested in skateboarding? Think of all you could learn trying to custom make your own board. Cooking? same thing... #games4ed
Making it very public and available to all. Students were going back and forth looking to see whether they had earned the badge and completing extra quests in order to achieve the required mastery for the badge. #games4ed
This is such a cool idea, Mariana! I've thought about doing this with books, but this is so awesome with students! Could be a great beginning of year activity, too! #games4ed
A3: Another fun one I've done... Each student cerates a web showing how they are became connected through the work or activities they participated in. #games4ed
LOL, agreed! I still instinctively want to answer whenever I hear a question! But I've gotten better at staying quiet and waiting to see what happens! #games4ed
So bizarre that 50% is considered "passing." It means you don't know HALF of what you were suppose to learn. That, or for some reason, we're teaching you 50% of stuff you don't need to know. (and in math - being able to add half the time = not being able to add). #games4ed
A5 I'm working on a whole 1/2 baked ideas section on my blog. Working on a new narrative and delivery system. Here's 1.
#games4edhttps://t.co/CoEp3ccgyH
A4: My side quests. Just posted about it a couple of weeks ago attempting some automation so that I do not become too overwhelmed https://t.co/I7I9NPGBDC#games4ed
A5: I want to continue removing the extrinsic reward attached to my gamification. Slowly, I have been able to do this. At this point, the reward means very little to the kids. The true reward comes from the experience of playing! #Games4Ed
Wellllllll, I teach 11-12 ELA, so not sure it would work well for me? That said, I have a 10-, 12-, and 14- year old who all love math (go figure for an ELA teacher mom). Would you suggest the game as a good one for them? #games4ed
I'm tempted to try it next year. I think it's so cool! My students know each other but it could be a way to have them find deeper connections! #games4ed
Did the kids read multi-genre or write it as well? I've been thinking about doing a multi-genre unit in conjunction with playing Gone Home with one of my classes. I used to do them years ago but thinking it's time again... #Games4Ed
Ive always thought of externals as a gateway to the deeper motivations. Eventually they should be weened off but they are a good hook for some... #games4ed
In way way way to many schools and universities. :( But, to be honest, I'm not sure where the cutoff should be. Which is why I think no grades, and mastery- and interest-focused learning are key. #games4ed
The badges were an end in themselves. The "proof" of mastery if you will. My goal was that all Ss would eventually earn them all, though this did not happen. #games4ed
That's a good idea as I start planning my speech and theater classs this summer. Maybe that's a direction I can head b/c it's going to be more self-selected paths compared to my core classes #Games4Ed
Have you thought of a core set that you want all to earn, and then a secondary set that is more "above and beyond"? That way, those who can more easily earn the core, have something to still work towards, and others have a more solid initial focus? #games4ed
A6: I am currently trying out Fortnite! After hearing all my students raving about it, I finally gave it a chance. I’m looking at how I can apply elements of the game within my classroom for next year. #Games4Ed
Totally agreed. Sometimes the points and externals is what gets them going. (Or sometimes in April when there's two weeks left for seniors, the chance to win food is also a necessary external motivator ;) #games4ed
I've been in university classes, where people, who had only about 40% in the class, after curving pass. :( #games4ed One of the reasons degrees don't impress me much (saying this as someone with a PhD).
The way I have it set up, I have some that are leveled and some that are a "one shot deal". Since the leveled ones worked best, I may just set them all up that way, though that will require a bit more planning. #games4ed
Providing recording time and location. That was my biggest issue. I created a "studio" in my prep room and they could also go down to the music room to record. BTW my Ss do very little outside of school. Had to provide much in class/school time. #games4ed
In our #xplap chat on Tuesday someone shared an amazing Gatsby reverse breakout/escape room that is based off of Clue, it looks incredible and I would love to try something like this with one of my literature units #games4ed
Yes, entirelypossible, especially for my 1st period seniors! Sitting on the classroom couch was definitely a motivator that kept working all year long! #Games4Ed
In reply to
@MusingsOnEdTech, @MrPowley, @gameboydrew
A7: Hoping to go to Oregon to attend a workshop by @hmarrs24! If not, I will attend several local sessions put on by @IV_CUE. I’ll also be presenting as well! Can’t wait to share what GBL/gamification can do in a classroom! #Games4Ed
Sounds like my summer project should include fabricating some DIY sound booths. And as for the time, we are in the same boat. It it's ging to happen it will have to be during class time. #games4ed
Just keep grinding! Nearly 25 hours in but my idea is coming together. Hopefully this will be the ultimate review / gamified event I’ve ever created. Saving the village of “Ultima Examen” Can’t wait to unveil it so I can finally share it. #GameMyClass#xplap#games4ed@EICSTalks
Yes, we did multi genre with WWII reading and writing and some of the projects were amazing filled with poetry, vignettes, monologues, letters, diaries, drawings and each one was based on primary resources #games4ed
Don't sweat it. I'll Google it, and if that doesn't work, I'll go through the #xplap archives! Dang it, why do people keep coming up with amazing ideas that I have to see and be inspired by?! #games4ed
I have no idea where this past hour went. I am so overwhelmed with ideas that I'll need to spend another hour writing them down. Amazing evening #games4ed folks! Thank you for another amazing hour of brilliance!
#games4ed thank you for another great night, tonight I realized that I have to do more reflection and revision to prepare for another great game based school year
A8 My end of school year is spent reflecting on what things will get me the most bang for my buck to develop for the next year. Def more gamification: badges and a "store" coming up. #games4ed
Always a pleasure to chat with you all. Thanks again @mpilakow for an awesome chat. Won't be in next week (graduation), but will see you soon after that. #games4ed
