1985- I was playing Zelda after school! (It was my first year teaching.) I spent many hours in my room digging aimlessly, no plot of land could go unturned. During the day, my students were busy on Reader Rabbit and Math Blaster on our 30 minute block in the computer lab.
In the late 1990s, I played Sims Farms as a way to "research" ways to teach my students about agriculture. My love for Sims games returned two years ago as I was drawn into Megapolis and played daily for over a year. One day, my mom guilt kicked in and I ended the game, cold turkey and haven't looked back. One of my favorite games is Diner Dash and variations of the game played on my PC and iPad as well.
In the mid 2000s, I kept up with the changes in games playing both Brain Games on my DS and Wii Fit (which I played with the kids so it was considered "family time"). Since Minecraft has increased in popularity during the time I've been enrolled in the master's program, I have decided not to "try" it quite yet. I do enjoy watching my kids play though.
As I look at the elements of gaming that can be used for educational purposes, I have thought of incorporating many of these in my classroom to create a gaming environment. The one I had not thought of would be LOSS AVERSION. I like the idea of keeping student engaged with a point loss for being stagnant in class. The INFINITE PLAY works well for the idea of mastering standards specific to my grade level. I have used a LEVEL UP system in previous years as a way to improve effort and engagement. I like the results a level up system produced and it was a very effective motivator for students. I am excited to begin gamifying my classroom.
Created by Knewton and Column Five Media
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