The What and How of Gamified Learning | An Interview with Two Masters of Gamification

Content Strategy Manager and Editor in Chief of the Schoology Exchange

The What and How of Gamified Learning | An Interview with Two Masters of Gamification

Posted in Pro Tips | April 04, 2017

​Gamification is often a misunderstood concept.

"Normally when people hear the word 'game' at all," explains Beth Box, Instructional Technology Coach and AP Psychology teacher. "they think you're letting your kids goof off, that you're just automating the class in a way that they play all day and you don't have to do anything. It's much more based on theory and design, in that you begin to see those things that are required to create a game are really things that should be embedded in your instruction anyway."

"School itself is a game," adds Glen Irvin, District Technology Integrationist and Spanish teacher. "It's just that many times it's a really bad game. When we talk about engagement, or really people buying in to what you're selling as far as a class, many times our students are not buying into this game."

It's true. Teaching and game design do share some of the same elements. Fixed rules, variable and quantifiable outcomes, the necessity of player effort, orcs.

Okay, maybe not that last one. Maybe. But you get the point.

Game-based learning can range from including a game in your lesson to designing your entire course curriculum like a deep space adventure. But no matter how you far down that rabbit hole you go, the goal of designing more impactful learning experiences is the same.

So if you're interested in increasing student, encouraging organic and authentic learning, and improving student outcomes overall, watch the video above.

It's a LEAP webinar where our very own Bradley Kemp interviews two masters of gamificiation, Beth Box and Glen Irvin. Beth completely gamifies her courses and now enjoys 100% student engagement in her courses. Glen weaves Minecraft and Schoology together to make Spanish both fun and creative (Watch his students' anatomy rollercoaster videos in that post. They're pretty amazing.)

In their conversation, they cover what exactly game-based learning is, what the evidence and their personal experiences suggest the benefits to be, how to start gamifying your classroom using Schoology, and more.

Did the video change how you think about game-based learning?

About Schoology's LEAP Webinars

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Schoology's LEAP Webinar is a global forum of Schoology Enterprise leaders hosted by Senior Instructional Designer Bradley Kemp. On the third Thursday of each month Bradley (and often Director of Instructional Strategy Kellie Ady) take an in-depth look at best practices, features, and hidden gems of Schoology. This webinar is for anyone supporting technology integration, instruction, and Schoology Enterprise adoption among teachers and faculty. Be on the look out for our monthly LEAP registration emails.