Virtual Reality Takes Learning to a New Level!

⇒Gamification⇐

The 2 distinct ways gamification have been used in the classroom include game-based learning or gamification. Game-based learning is used to teach and review classroom content. This includes games like Kahoot or classroom Jeopardy. Gamification allows the student to learn and receive information via playing a game. It turns the entire learning experience into a big game. This is the newer concept that is being introduced into education. 

Advantages of Gamification:

• Freedom to fail
• Freedom to experiment
• Freedom to assume different identities
• Freedom of effort
• Automated teaching
• Individualized learning

Disadvantages of Gamification:

• Distracting attention
• Social tension
• Extrinsic rewards

Gamification allows a learner to fail and easily pick up the motivation to try again. Another advantage is individualized learning. Usually only students with IEP's are granted this advantage and proven teaching technique. Gamification would create a mainstreamed way for learning to be individualized for all. Drawbacks include the expectation of extrinsic rewards vs appreciation of the internal reward system. Social tension can also occur amongst peers as any type of game can become 

competitive. 

2 Practices of Gamification

1. Gamified courses: course-long gamification efforts usually seen at a university level.
2. Gamified activities: individualized activities that support the core gaming structure, this allows teachers to stick to traditional teaching methods.

3 Elements of Gamification:

1. Mechanical elements: onboarding and instant feedback (think quests!)
2. Personal elements: status visibility and leaderboards (think avatars!)
3. Emotional elements: psychological state of flow (think flow!)

2 Factors that Hinder: 

The 2 factors that can hinder the introduction of gamification include technological prerequisites and educational prerequisites. The resources and flexibility are needed in order to introduce this tape of learning into classroom. Any teacher can attest to how opposite this is of our current educational system.

Classcraft is described as the following: 

"Using Quests, teachers can overlay their course content and learning activities onto interactive maps, essentially making their lessons a choose-your-own-adventure experience.

Each point on the map consists of a learning activity created by the teacher, which could be a worksheet, video, quiz, or other material, alongside an optional narrative element. As students complete activities, the adventure unfolds, getting them excited to progress and find out what happens next." - Classcraft.com

Different techniques Classcraft uses include personalization where students are allowed to create their own characters, mechanical elements where students are given quests based on what they are learning, and the emotional element of flow as the game creates sequential and individualized learning.  (I WANNA PLAY) -nerdy gamer on a Friday night.