#reflectionopensdoors

To answer this question was to look  back at our journey through applied game theories, the latest new gamified applications shared by peers, and my own experiences as member of team Megalodon creating gamified classroom curriculum. I thought it best to revisit and capture my own “pearls” over the last ten weeks in this blog to see if my perspective have changed, grown, or remained the same.

WK-1″When I work with adult learners they are usually asked to assimilate a great deal of information in a short amount of time with no contextual basis for their own individual learning style. This manifests in knowledge gaps, boredom, drowsiness or spend more resources having to review it again anyway. It seems that not only games but more specifically the science or game theory in the game could unlock new levels of engagement for any age learner.”

WK-2 “I imagine the sensory aspect of gameplay as an undefined frontier...what parts of the body and brain will be challenged. e.g. Pokemon go brought pokemon gamers out into the real world searching for virtual objects. Was it the game or the hunt and ensuing shenanigans that was the draw? What ever happened to Tamagachi...it seems making engaging games is an ever moving target that appeals to some core cognitive similarities.”

WK-3 “After being inspired by classmates blogs it clear that using game like elements to create sticky learning events is what we all want. Participants that are motivated by either a sense of belonging that goes beyond the content or perhaps options to be successful that may not follow only a few select paths to the glory. Some educators use the points and scoring as a way to build that momentum...I am a fan of the Materas method of building buy-in with rock solid design elements (it looks cool therefore I will try it out) and maybe some compelling user interface elements like augmented reality circa Pokemon go. So now your students are bought into the “ecosystem” of your learning event and the reward currency is within the game itself and motivation incentives become addictive like giving breaks on due dates or extra free time or privileges etc. e.g. work hard...get in game loot!”

WK-4 “An interesting concept was that of “Hard Fun” which to me seems a bit oxymoronic in word construction as everyone knows “easy” is fun and “hard” is just... hard. The idea behind the hard fun would include using cognitive parts of the brain around strategy and achieving objectives. When this is balanced with a students perceived ability to play theoretically this would create a flow state but when out of balance creates frustration and disinterest.”

WK-6 “I was inspired by a game designers (Amy Green) ability to create a game that helps children deal with the challenges of losing a family member with Cancer. She created a game called “That Dragon Cancer” the object of the game is unwinable as it is about the struggle, journey and loss. In describing the game Amy states "We made a game that’s hard to play,“ she says, "because the hardest moments of our lives change us more than any goal we could ever accomplish.” I believe games like this are the “new world” for gamification as the concept of a game, digital or otherwise transforms to meet new challenges we face.”

WK-7 “In Douglas K. ed tech teacher article he shared a few different ways to use the Bartle as a method of understanding his class base to create better collaborative groups. For example after collected students Bartle results he would sort them by percentage in the four gamer domains of Explorer, Achiever, Killer and Socializer. At this point he could allow the student to ensure that teams are built representing each type or he could assign groups of like minded individuals to work on a particular aspect of a project that played to their “type” strengths.”

Wk-8 “Matera, in his classroom by building a “common language” was creating a highly functioning team environment similar to what you would see at a startup tech company with a culture of success! When I develop training for an employer I often start by asking questions around common language and company culture to help build a narrative that incorporates these elements into the design.”

WK-9 “As an example of how I would like to model game mechanics in the classroom, I attended the Association for talent development conference in Cupertino last march and sit in on a breakout session by Accenture. Accenture employees get a prompt to collaborate in all forms of social learning through a game called the Addo Agnitio Award—Latin for share knowledge—or A3 for short. Employees complete “missions” by earning A3 points when they connect, contribute, or champion within learning boards, The Stream, communities, or other social learning channels. (ATD Learning)By completing missions, participants earn badges like “Rock Star” and “Guru.” Scores are reset each quarter to give newcomers a chance to shine. The badges are displayed on each employee’s Accenture Knowledge Exchange page, and a leaderboard shows profile photos of top scorers for the week, month, quarter, and all time.”

WK-10 “I have had approximately 300 learners pass through my trainings and the highest engagement activity as reported by post class survey is a game/activity I do called “look up look down”. I do it directly after lunch as participants are returning bleary eyed from lunch to a stuffy training room. The game is simple but always produces laughter and a small amount of discomfort having to look directly into someone elses eyes. What I have learned from this is that a game does not have to be complex to get buy in but it does need to get all players involved at a certain level, possibly be a bit uncomfortable momentarily, and have some winners to celebrate. I have participated in trainings leveraging virtual treasure hunts for competency specific treasures...In the past six months I also have mixed it up with creative based activities asking participant what examples of great look like and then asking for drawn illustrations of their ideas along with words that capture the essence...Its cool to see an ER doc from Boston engaging and laughing with an environmental service tech from Scammon bay along with a nurse from Michigan. Play allows us to perform better than a standardized setting might allow. When we are in newly formed learning/game groups, a galvanizing key is the connection of our fellow teammates, if there is minimal connection it is difficult for each to know each other and share strengths that can make the team more powerful.