This is the 6th post in the Personalized Learning series.
Games are a lot of fun! What is even more fun is playing a game at school to learn. Game based learning and gamification are two ways to incorporate games in the classroom.
Game Based Learning is using games to teach, practice, review, or assess learning. Gamification is creating a game like environment for students to engage in the learning process.
Today’s generation, Gen Alpha, is seeking learning alternatives. Gen Alphas, or Gen Glass, is anyone born the same year as the iPad in 2007. They are projected to make sweeping changes to education, purchasing, global connection, and civic responsibility.
If you are an elementary teacher, you are teaching Gen Alpha. You may have noticed that there is a difference in how they approach school. You may feel overwhelmed and unsure of how to best meet their needs or capture and maintain their attention. I have been attempting to answer this very conundrum for the past two years.
The answer: Personalized Learning.
One type of Personalized Learning that I have been exploring this year is Gamification.
Library Media Specialists are typically the first ones in a building to test out a new tool, process, or approach. While gamification isn’t necessarily new, I am new to using it.
It is perfect for the truncated time given in a Library Media special. Instead of spending most of the time disciplining students while attempting to teach a mini-lesson, create an environment where students can learn on their own at their own pace.
If you are like me, looking for a way to engage your library learners (or classroom learners), then gamification is for you. More accurately, gamification is for your students.
To be clear: when I talk about gamification, I am considering something that has the look and feel of a game board or video game. I am not necessarily talking about using something like Minecraft to teach a concept. I would consider that Game Based Learning. A good gamification tool will:
Two tools that meet this criteria are Classcraft and Symbaloo Learning Paths.
Symbaloo Learning Paths looks like a Sorry game board. You can embed links, videos, and anything that has html code. You can also include assessments in the form of multiple choice and open-ended questions.
Classcraft reminds me of Dungeon and Dragons and online RPGs. You can embed links and videos. You can create Boss Battles for interactive assessments. They also have a classroom management feature.
Each of these tools is free (Classcraft also has a paid version). Each is highly engaging for students. They like the self – paced nature of the games and after all, that is a huge part of personalized learning!
How are you using gamification? What tools are you using to gamify? What results are you noticing? Share below; I would love to hear about it!
Next time, I’ll share about teaching kids how to be successful with personalized learning.
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