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HOW IT ALL BEGAN
Three years ago, my principal asked me to consider taking over the computer lab. For the eighteen years prior to this conversation, I had been a regular classroom teacher with a career that spanned second through twelfth grade. In my early career I had a willingness, curiosity and desire to keep learning and trying new things, which led to me often changing grade levels. It even led to one year of teaching math which was unusual for an English major.
Jumping into the computer lab taught me many things, not the least of which, was that there is really no curriculum for the computer classroom. This overwhelming truth led me to a great adventure, and to becoming an innovative learner. 
The first question that I had to answer was an important one; what skills do my students need to successfully navigate the digital world? This is what drove me to go deeper into the digital world and ultimately pushed me to think about teaching me students true computer coding language. The entire start of my research project. In the early days I wanted to see what impact learning the logic and problem-solving of html/css would have on student's overall critical thinking skills. My early research showed that it seemed to have an impact, but as I dove deeper into the world of the technology classroom, I began to wonder about the topic of gamification.
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LESSONS
HOW-TOs
ASSESSMENT
REFERENCES
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Attending my very first ISTE conference, opened the door to rethinking my classroom, and helping me to look into the research behind gamification. It was there that I first heard teachers talk about converting their classrooms into gaming platforms where students played by completing quests. Thinking about how much I loved playing video games, and understanding the research behind it, helped me to make the decision to try it out in my classroom.
The first and greatest hurdle that I had to overcome was trying to find a way to track, record, and reward my students as they worked their way through my "game". Initially this proved nearly impossible. Popular programs like Class Craft and Class Dojo, didn't have the sophistication and customization that I was looking for. Sites like the ones created by Alice Keeler allowed for lots of customization but required hours of work upfront. I was about ready to quit when I stumbled upon Michael Matera's website, Explore Like a Pirate. It was there that I found his amazingly complex, customization and sophisticated game tracking spreadsheet. He had put the hours and time into creating a place to house all your game information so that students could track their progress in the game. The end result is that I was able to create my own game, choose my goals, quests, and levels, but I didn't have to code any of the formulas in the spreadsheet; everything was already set up.
I am calling this school year, the 1.0 version of my gamified classroom. I continue to grow and develop ideas as I find more research, as well as fellow educators who are using this approach. Participating in weekly twitter chats about gamificaiton has lead me to learn more about how to improve my game and how to enhance my students experiences in the classroom. It is something that will continue to grow and change.
The first and greatest hurdle that I had to overcome was trying to find a way to track, record, and reward my students as they worked their way through my "game". Initially this proved nearly impossible. Popular programs like Class Craft and Class Dojo, didn't have the sophistication and customization that I was looking for. Sites like the ones created by Alice Keeler allowed for lots of customization but required hours of work upfront. I was about ready to quit when I stumbled upon Michael Matera's website, Explore Like a Pirate. It was there that I found his amazingly complex, customization and sophisticated game tracking spreadsheet. He had put the hours and time into creating a place to house all your game information so that students could track their progress in the game. The end result is that I was able to create my own game, choose my goals, quests, and levels, but I didn't have to code any of the formulas in the spreadsheet; everything was already set up.
I am calling this school year, the 1.0 version of my gamified classroom. I continue to grow and develop ideas as I find more research, as well as fellow educators who are using this approach. Participating in weekly twitter chats about gamificaiton has lead me to learn more about how to improve my game and how to enhance my students experiences in the classroom. It is something that will continue to grow and change.
Guide to This Website
LESSONS
How-To's
Assessments
References
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How I gamified my classroom and some sample quests and lessons. How to set up a gamified classroom with links to helpful resources. Methods for assessing students and instructional methods. Reference materials that guided my progress on this learning journey. |
INSPIRED BY . . .
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Learning from these inspirational educators led to my own journey of discovery. I not only explored the overall process of turning my class into a game, but also the tools I need to make that happen. You can see my tools and other sources of inspiration on my Lessons and How-To's pages, and learn about how my students are assessed on the Assessment pages.