[George Atzemian]

Here are some examples of game designs, which capture the learners on a much deeper level. These games help the learners to master the skill or information, as they put them to competition or challenges. Meanwhile, they also offer rewards and both positive and negative feedback:

Medieval Swansea
This is a highly interactive game. It’s a historical game in which learners take up the role of a detective to solve an old mystery. The game can be played on all digital devices. The underpinning ideas of the game include various scenarios driven by different branches, character witnesses and narrative stages, including progression. All of this; help learner to follow their progress and to know what is left to be done.
Every stage put learners to new challenges and provides them with instant feedback. The better they perform the better they can move on in the game.

Ribbon Hero
If we speak of corporate learning and gamification then Ribbon Hero is the game that first comes to mind. The game helps in meeting the basic demands of Microsoft Office. It helps learners to learn the basic tools of Microsoft Office. As the learners play the game they earn points for successfully completing the different challenges. The challenges are offered as text manipulation, page design, artistic presentation and a comprehensive section of quick points.
The game is smartly designed that put learners to various challenges while helping them developing Microsoft skills. Ribbon Hero tracks learners’ progress and links it with Facebook, allowing learners to share and compete with other learners.

Virtual Reality House
At eLearning Awards, the game has been awarded gold medal twice. The skillful game let the trade trainees for instance plumbers to utilize and practice their learned skills in an immersive and real-life virtual reality simulation. The game helps them to polish their skills, improve competence and confidence and to learn from their mistakes.
The game comes with scenario-based learning, with different pathways for advanced learners and beginners. It offers the players with tools, fittings, and fixtures the assist players in visualizing the real-life setting. Moreover, learners learn through step by step approach as they follow through the steps of planning, installation, and costing.

DuoLingo
This game is actually a language learning platform. The game offer combination of paid and free components i.e. free language learning and paid text translation feature.
The game offers different levels based on developed skills of the learners. It also comes with the features of websites and documents translation. Also, the learners can look at other learners’ translations, rate them and provide feedback. If the student completes the task within the time limit, they earn points as well as a time bonus. DuoLingo is definitely a great achievement in terms of gamification in education.

Brainscape
Brainscape is a simple learning oriented game. This helps the learners to create exceptional flash cards to meet their learning capabilities. In such way they learn the ideas in the most comprehensive manner, leaving out the ones they already know. Since learners usually forget almost 90% of the material while studying, brainscape overcome this issue with its smart flashcards. Teachers and students can create flashcards collaboratively, using the scientifically proven system of study.

Knowre
In a traditional classroom, it is difficult for teachers to personalize the material. The high achievers may not be challenged enough or the low-graders might get frustrated due to lack of motivation. But as we speak of the potential of gamification in education, Knowre has enabled the instructors to personalize the course material in accordance with every learner’s skill.
It is an adaptive math curriculum which enables instructors to provide personalized instructions to every student. It helps the student to get the experience and benefits of one-on-one learning. It helps students to break concept in a step-by-step process and help them in learning with more depth and with consistent feedback and review to overcome weak areas.

Lifesaver
The game helps learners in understanding and applying the basic steps to save someone’s life, suffering from choking or cardiac arrest.
The players are challenged on the basis of scenario-based approach, crisis simulation; choice of story and characters, and time limitations that help in understanding that time is essential in such circumstances. The learners can unlock levels as they progress and acquire the required skills and knowledge. Moreover, you can review your performance in the real-time, analyze your weak points and share your progress through various social media platforms to compete with other learners.

Virtonomics
This is game that offers extensive strategic learning for higher education learners. However, there is no age limit to play this game. The game is played by over 1 million learners around the globe. The storyline of the game revolves around an economy which is full of businessmen, scientist, students, entrepreneurs etc.
They live in a friendly yet business-oriented community. However, players have to use their strategic and analytical thinking, experience and knowledge to implement impactful business strategies in order to bring exponential success in your company.

• This topic was modified ang lalu by George Atzemian.

[Martin Sillaots]

One thing we need to decide is – do we introduce learning games as part of the gamification or we will leave them out because games are examples for GBL? In fact game elements are also mini-games so in this sense it is fine if we introduce some games. 🙂

If some of you ins interested in GBL and specifically how to use entertaining games for educational purposes then lately a good book was published: Learning, Education & Games, Volume 3. You can download a free pdf copy from here: http://press.etc.cmu.edu/index.php/product/learning-education-games-volume-3/

Sure not every game in this book is suitable for STEM and PBL but there are some promising examples like:
– Alien Rescue for problem solving and scientific inquiry in STEM
– Biome Builder for problem solving, STEM
– Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes for problem solving
– Parallel for problem solving and parallel programming
– Portal for problem solving
– SpaceChem for problem solving and algorithm design
– Undertale for problem solving

[Martin Sillaots]

Presumably most popular gamification environment is Kahoot: https://kahoot.it/. It’s free and easy to use.

When ever you need to test your students you can use Kahoot instead. Kahoot is a quiz and quiz is a gamified test.

Kahoot is a browser based game with what the teacher shows the questions with 4 answering options on the wall. Students can use personal devices like smart phones for selecting the answers. In the personal device they see only the color of the answer.

I’m using Kahoots for 3 occasions:
1) For motivating my students to complete home reading tasks. In the flipped learning strategy students are asked to read or listen presentations at home and do practical activities at school. In the beginning of every class they have a Kahoot about the home reading chapter.

2) For tracking who is attending the class. I’m very bad et names and calling names one after another is a bit childish so … if student has attended on Kahoot he has attended also the class. Traditional kahoot is designed in the way where you can see the colors for answer options in your device but text for the option is on the teacher’s screen. So you have to attend the class to complete the test.

3) For activating the presentations. Instead of powerpoint you can use Kahoot. You can introduce the new topic by using the socratic teaching method. First you ask a question, then you ask students to respond, then you show the feedback and explain why this or that is correct answer. It’s also good for starting discussion if students don’t agree because the options are limited.

Positive aspects about the Kahoot:
– easy to make and use.
– fast
– fun

Negative aspects:
– it’s the simplest format of the game (quiz) and lowest level of learning objectives (memorising facts).
– some schools have poor wifi connection (then play it in the computer lab)
– some students don’t have smart phones or they have flat battery (you can ask students to form groups)
– some students hate quiz (well … some quiz hates students too 🙂

[Martin Sillaots]

Another simple example about gamification is 99math: https://99math.com/.
It is a competition about making basic calculations. The target group are younger students but this game can be also used in the university math class for warming up, generating the positive mood or as a short break between the more serious exercises and presentations.

[Pengarang]

Catatan