Gamification Survival Guide

Get a Grip - A Quick
Introduction
options and control
rewards and badges
acknowledgement
levels and xp
perks and power-ups
quests
surprises
narratives and virtual
worlds
characters and avatars
things to think about
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www.mrdaley.com
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GAMIFICATION SURVIVAL KIT
This is my Gamification Survival Kit, which contains all the necessary ingredients to begin Gamifying your
classroom. This is my version of Gamifying, which is not the only way of Gamifying.
This Kit contains explanations of gaming elements, the order in which you should attack them, and links to get
you moving in the right direction.
GET A GRIP!
To understand how to Gamify your classroom, you need to understand how the elements of a video game
make them so addictive and fun to play. Here is a quick list:
1. Options
2. Player Control (or illusion of control)
3. Rewards (Badges)
4. Acknowledgement (via online Leaderboards, etc)
5. Reachable Levels
6. XP (Experience Points)
7. Perks
8. Challenging Quests
9. Surprises
10. Compelling Narratives in Amazing Worlds
11. Fantasy characters
Not every single game has every one of those elements, but many do. Lots of games offer options, but not an
infinite amount of them. In fact, the options and control a player has over the game are directly related to the
experience of the character. You cannot defeat the Level 7 boss until you have defeated the Level 6 boss.
If you wish to Gamify, you need to bring as many of these elements into your classroom as possible, starting
from the top (#1) and moving down to the bottom (#11). In my opinion, #1 is the most vital to gaming your
classroom, and #11 is the least vital. This is not to say that the bottom elements are any less important - the
greatest games known to man have narratives and amazing characters.
You should attempt to Gamify by working from #1 to #11.
OPTIONS / CONTROL
If you are a control freak, Gamifying your classroom may not work for you. The main reason students choose
games over homework is that they are in control of the game. Usually kids feel they have little or no control
over what they are going to do in your classroom; therefore, it is important that the assignments, quizzes,
projects, homework, etc. all come with options. If the student is to give a presentation, give his/her 4 or 5
options on how to complete it: Prezi, SlideRocket, PowerPoint - whatever! If you want students to read a novel
and analyze it in the form of an essay, either let them develop their own thesis or give them a variety of topics
to choose from.
If you wanted to give the students even more control, set up stations in your room where students can go and
focus on a specific task that enhances their understanding in an area of your curriculum.
Here is a great site by a teacher who gives students great options - CLICK HERE!
REWARDS and badges
All games have rewards! In Super Mario Brothers for the Nintendo Entertainment System, when you complete
a level in a certain time and leap from the staircase onto the flag, fireworks will explode over the castle.
(If you have not experienced this simple joy in life, stop reading, go buy a Nintendo from eBay and play it.)
In newer games, the completion of a task comes with a BADGE! Just like members of the Boy Scouts, gamers
receive little badges, which are basically for bragging rights.
BADGES are the Holy Grail of the video game world nowadays.
Badges should be awarded for various things, but it is important to note that badges are easier to acquire at
the beginning of the game and harder to earn them as the game progresses.
**SIDE NOTE transmission
Making badges too easy to earn or giving them out too often will result in BADGE BURNOUT and will
seriously devalue the whole game. You want the students to feel a real sense of achievement when he/she
receives it.
** end of side note transmission
What do you award badges for?
2 things
- individual CLass Skills
- Group work
- life skills
The first thing you want to reward would be the mastering of Class Skills. If you are analyzing metaphors from
Dante's Inferno and a student completely understands that Dante's Journey symbolizes the battle to become
moral, and that the three animals Dante encounters on the way up the mountain represent the sins of man,
and the various tortures the sinners have to endure is a metaphor for how they lived their lives on Earth and
can explain it to you in a nice developed essay THAT deserves a nice badge, don't you think?
You studied theme and the student proved he/she understands it = BADGE!
Many of the best games require players to work together in order to progress. These games contain co-op
(cooperative) campaigns. Your class needs to award students who cooperate with one another; therefore, it
is vital that you begin the game with some GROUP BAGDES that can only be awarded to a GROUP of students.
**SIDE NOTE transmission
GROUP BADGES are as crucial to the game as individual badges are. students may become overly competitive
if they know they are out for themselves. create work that requires them to work together to earn xp and acquire
badges.
** end of side note transmission
Badges should also be awarded to students who display desirable behavior.
Here is a list of Life Skills that should be BADGED!
Integrity
Ethicalness / Honesty / Honor / Lawfulness / Open-mindedness
Dedication
Commitment / Optimism / Perseverance / Self-Discipline / Valor
Effectiveness
Efficiency / Focus / Practicality / Resourcefulness / Responsibility
Accountability
Forthrightness / Openness/Preciseness / Reliability / Responsiveness
Decorum
Composure / Congeniality / Decency / Discretion / Wholesomeness
Forethought
Cautiousness / Preparedness / Reflectivity / Wariness / Wellness
Initiative
Adaptability / Ambition / Creativity / Helpfulness / Self-reliance
Stewardship
Agency / Civic-mindedness / Custodianship / Environmentalism / Neatness
Sensitivity
Fairness / Gentleness / Graciousness / Humaneness / Respectfulness
Cooperativeness
Attentiveness / Consideration / Involvement / Nobility / Patience
Professionalism
Dependability / Expertise / Proficiency / Thoroughness / Wisdom
Leadership
Entrustment / Loyalty / Mentorship / Temperance / Understanding
So, how do you turn LIFE SKILLS into BADGES?
Well, that is easy.
Take CUSTODIANSHIP for instance. A student who consistently keeps his/her workspace clean should be
awarded with a BADGE.
A student who is SELF-DISCIPLINED enough to show up to class everyday rain or shine for a period of time
should be given a BADGE.
A student who displays CREATIVITY above and beyond what is expected of him/her should be given a BADGE.
If a student becomes a tutor or MENTOR of another student, he/she should be awarded a BADGE.
You get the idea!
BEHAVIOR BADGES PRE-MADE - class dojo
There is a great website called CLASS DOJO. This online system can handle the Behavior Management end of
your Badge Reward System. You can create a class and add your students, and add a set of positive and
negative behaviors.
When Susie raises her hand to collaborate with the class, you can award her +1 Discussion points. When Todd
disrupts class by throwing a spitwad in Johnny's ear, you can give him -3 Disruption points. When either
student accumulates +20, I will award the student with an Edmodo Badge. The Class Dojo system will award a
Badge as well, but I want all my awards to be kept in Edmodo. Class Dojo has an easy-to-master, and you can
use your web-ready handheld device to access your class to control the awarding of points.
How do you make a Badge?
The canvas for a BADGE needs to be a perfect square - not a circle, rectangle, or other oblong shape.
If you are using Adobe Photoshop, Aviary, Paint.net or other photo editing tool, shoot for 100x100 pixels or
higher. I've made badges 400x400 pixels large, but I like HDTV, so go figure.
Once you have created your empty square, you will need to add an icon.
Here is a great place to go to look for icons:
Icon Archive
Ok, so my class is studying the digestive system and they made a model of the digestive tract, or did a
presentation on it, and I want to reward them with a BADGE. I scoured the net for an icon that represents that
mastery and plugged it in the center of my square canvas.
" IT'S ALIVE! IT'S ALIVE! "
If you are reading this, more than likely you are an Edmodian, so you should know how to upload a badge to
your Edmodo account. If not, here's how...
In your Edmodo profile, you will see this text on the right-hand side of the screen.
When you click that, you will see a "My Student Badges" page with two options.
Option 1 - Look and admire your already uploaded badges
Option 2 - Create a New Badge
If you Create a New Badge, you will see THIS screen.
From this screen, you need to give your BADGE a title, describe under what conditions the student will earn it,
and upload your BADGE image.
You can see an example of a badge and description below.
**SIDE NOTE transmission
SHARE YOUR BADGES by clicking the share button
even if you think your badge is super special and only relevant to you and your school, someone else may find a
use for it.
** end of side note transmission
To award that badge to a student, you need to go into your Edmodo Class Group Page and select "MANAGE"
on the right-hand side, which is located directly over top the group avatars.
On this screen, you should see all of your wonderful students in nice, neat Edmodian columns.
Go ahead and select a student and this screen should appear on the right-hand side of the screen:
You now have the ability to AWARD this student one your fine BADGES!
Don't forget you can also remove a badge from that person if you awarded it by accident.
**SIDE NOTE transmission
you should never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, remove a badge that has previously been earned. that is poor
gaming and never occurs in the video game world. ever.
** end of side note transmission
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Who cares if you beat a game if no one knows about it, right?
Well, Edmodo gives the students the ability to "creep" on each other's profiles and check to see who has
which badge.
Some teachers may choose to make a class leaderboard and plug in the number of badges for all in the school
to see, but I would advise against this. You want the competitive students to get their competitive fix by
competing with their competitive friends, but there is no reason to drag everyone else into their competitive
world. In other words, don't encourage it, but let it occur, and most of all, make sure it remains friendly!
Trash talking is part of gaming, but you may want to keep classroom trash talking to a minimum.
LEVELS and xp
Reaching levels is what keeps a gamer going. Every gamer wants to be upgraded just as everyone who joins
the military hopes to be promoted to sergeant and every fry cook hopes to be promoted to drive-thru
window! True gamers wish to reach the highest level and receive every last XP the game offers.
XP (Experience Points) are simply points given out for the completion of an activity or assignment. In the video
game world, you receive these points for defeating foes, collecting coins, and overcoming obstacles.
If my character acquires a certain amount of XP, I will LEVEL UP my character!
In order to LEVEL UP your students, you need to think about how much freedom you have over the way you
grade your students. For instance, if you have the traditional A thru F system, you will have less freedom than
someone who does not need to give formal grades.
In a traditional school, there are already levels in place.
60% = D Level
70% = C Level
80% = B Level
90% = A Level
100% Complete Class Mastery
In this system, the student begins with an 'A' and spends his/her semester trying to maintain it.
This system can become quite stressful, even for the best students.
In the Gaming world, you always start at ZERO - the bottom - and work your way up. While you may
instinctively think that sounds horrible, it actually gives a sense of where you stand and where you need to be.
In my class, I plan on giving out a maximum of 1000 points in a 9 week period.
So, I will create my Levels accordingly.
1000 - 900 points = SCHOLAR LEVEL = A
899-800 points = MASTER LEVEL = B
799-700 = APPRENTICE LEVEL = C
600-699 = NOVICE LEVEL = D
599 and below = NOOB LEVEL = F
In my school, I have no choice but to use the traditional system, so I plan on equating XP to Grade in this
manner. My students will walk into my class knowing where they stand and what they must do to achieve a
grade. They need to accumulate 600 points to even pass the class. This is a different way to look at the grading
system in school. In order for this to work, I have to plan well and be ready to overcome unforeseen obstacles.
How does this look in my Gradebook?
Student
ZIPPY McDONALD
ZAPPY HAMILITON
Percentage
3%
3.2%
TOTAL XP
60/2000
65/2000
Set weight to 1
Quiz A
20/20
20/20
Set weight to 0
Project A
40/45
45/45
Set weight to 0
You will see that my first grade column is for Total XP. I will continuously add the student's points into this
column. Whenever I give an assignment, I put the grades in as I normally would, but set the weight to ZERO, so
it doesn't factor into the overall grade.
You can see that these students have achieved about 3% of total class points. This is very similar to video
games today. The student can see how far along they have come, and how far they have to go.
Beginning
End
One of the observations I hear often is "The student will see that they have an 'F' in the class for a very long
time. Won't the parents get upset? Won't coaches prevent the students form playing a sport?"
This could be a problem, so my advice would be to do the following:
a) Make sure all the parents completely understand what it is that you are doing;
b) Keep in constant communication with parents;
c) Did I mention to keep in contact with parents?
Also, you could do a little Gradebook trick:
Student
ZIPPY McDONALD
ZAPPY HAMILITON
Percentage
100%
100%
GAME POINT
1/1
1/1
Set weight to 1
TOTAL XP
60/2000
65/2000
Set weight to 0
Quiz A
20/20
20/20
Set weight to 0
Project A
40/45
45/45
Set weight to 0
So, all the columns are set to a weight of 0, with the GAME POINT column set to 1, making it look like
everyone has an A+ - 100%.
Of course, at the end of the grading period, you would switch the TOTAL XP column back to a weight of 1.
If you do this, you MUST make sure to stay in contact with parents of students who are falling behind. The
worst thing would be for a parent to think her son has an A+ only to find out in the last three days he had
plummeted to an F. That would be very bad!
However, it really is not a bad idea to do it this way because seeing that 100% all the time is kind of a morale
booster, don't you think?
AN ALTERNATIVE WAY OF LEVELING UP
It is possible to have students Level Up using Badges instead of XP. The system could allow the students to
progress by accumulating a set number of Badges. For instance, the student moves up to Level 2 after
acquiring five Badges. In this system, the motivating factor is not the class grade, but the status perks and
rewards that come with Leveling Up.
PERKS and power-ups
In the real-world, when you are promoted, you acquire all the perks that come with that new position. The
same holds true in the world of video games. When you reach Level 2, your character may be granted the
ability of flight, the ability to slow down time, or a strength boost.
Sometimes in games you can go shopping and spend the points you've earned, or power up your character in
a myriad of ways.
So, set up a Class Shop where the students can choose or buy their own PERKS.
Scenario
Joe earns 100 points and LEVELS UP. He then can buy 1 item from your Class Shop.
Example of a Class Shop
10% Point Bonus
Homework Pass
Mp3 Player usage
for a day
5 minutes to use
textbook during test
You could even have the Shop items costs XP Points, if you wanted. If the student earns 100 XP, they can
spend 100 points in the store. That doesn't mean that the XP would disappear from the gradebook, but it
would disappear from their spending money.
**SIDE NOTE transmission
Don't give away the best perks early on in the game. reward the students for saving up or have better perks as
the student reaches higher levels.
** end of side note transmission
Also, you could use STUDENT PROFILE SHEETS to LEVEL UP the student in a number of ways.
With these STUDENT PROFILE SHEETS, I will sit down with the student after completing a QUEST and move
them up LEVELS in LIFE SKILLS and CLASS SKILLS. - EXAMPLE #1 - EXAMPLE #2
QUESTS
"Quest" is just a gaming term for an assignment. A Quest can be anything from an in-class debate to a quiz,
but true quests have multiple steps - like a PROJECT.
If you are familiar with Project-based learning, then this should be easy for you.
On the first day of school, my students will complete the ALL ABOUT ME QUEST (inspired by Mrs. Webb on
Edmodo - thanks Mrs. Webb)
Here is my tweaked version of the assignment - CLICK ME!
The end result is the PRESENTATION, and there are multiple steps to get to it.
Quest begins
Step
Step
Step
Step
End Product
You will also notice that there are options as to how the student gets to the End Product.
Great Quests also challenge the player, so it is important that the QUESTS deal with the familiar, but also
dabble in the unknown. Remember, learning comes from discovery!
Quest Content
Mastered content
Newly discovered
content
Unknown content
I am a HUGE advocate of technology, but education SHOULD NOT solely exist on a computer! So, make sure
the quests have sections that occur off of the internet and computer. Make the students get up move around
the room or in the school. Make an attempt to make the QUEST 50/50 on and off the computer.
Here is an example of a QUEST SHEET I made for my Language Arts class. It contains XP Possible, Description
Box, and Check boxes for Skills related to the Quest. I plan on handing these out at the beginning of a QUEST.
Actually, I will have THREE available at all times to give options.
There are some great FREE sites that you can store your QUESTS for easy access:
Edmodo
SURPRISES
Edu Glogster
Weebly
Google Site
Surprises are what will keep your game afloat. If the game becomes predictable, it will be become stale.
Here are some ways to keep things fresh:
1) Reveal only a few badges at a time. I would reveal most of the Life Skill badges early and some of the Class
Skill badges, but keep many hidden away.
2) Get rid of the BELLRINGER! Now, they shall be called MINI-GAMES and MINI-GAMES are more fun. MiniGames should be quick, fun, painless, and creative. Just changing the name makes it sound more fun!
Here are a couple MINI-GAMES I've made:
WORD ARTIST
QODE QRACKER
3) Think of new ways to attack old lessons. Lessons should be like snowflakes - no two are the same. This
simply means do not lecture, lecture, lecture or even work on the computer too many days in a row. Things
will get old - quick. Keep your QUESTS fresh by making the students get up and move to different parts or the
room or the school.
How about having the kids follow clues using QR Codes to freshen things up a bit?
Read about QR Codes - CLICK HERE!
4) Try to add actual Video Games into the content. If are feeling ambitious, there are many online FREE tools
that help you build educational video games. Your students would be blown away if you made them run
through a virtual maze to unlock information they would use in class. Some sites even have pre-built games.
Here are a few good ones:
STENCYL
GAMESTAR MECHANIC
ATMOSPHIR
DIMENSION U
NARRATIVES and virtual worlds
A good narrative is why people go the movies, read books, and play games. The best games also have the best
accompanying storylines: Metal Gear Solid, Left4Dead, Final Fantasy, Halo Reach, Beyond Good and Evil, and
Dreamfall.
This is the toughest element to instill into a GAMIFIED classroom because you have to come up with a story
and how each assignment helps the storyline progress.
QUICK (underdeveloped) EXAMPLE:
All the students awake in the futuristic city of Epoch Terminus. They don't know how they got there or even
their own names. They must explore their surroundings and interview characters to get information. Perhaps,
to get through a certain door, they need to use a code word found in their textbook - maybe the code is the
answer to a question.
Perhaps they meet a character who needs a favor, which results in some science experiment in class.
I was a Dungeons and Dragons Game Master in elementary and high school, so I love coming up with fun
scenarios.
Find the D&D nerd within you!
Maybe, the kids can help write the narrative as you move along and assist in the creation of Quests and
Storylines!
Creating virtual worlds
If you are feeling ambitious, you can create a virtual world for your students to explore. Students would love
to be immersed into an educational fantasy realm for a couple of hours a week. This world could contain the
story and the class assignments.
Here are some sites to help you build your virtual world:
Wix
Edu Glogster
Weebly
Google Site
If you need some inspiration, here is a link to The Greatest Video Game Stories Ever Told
Also, check this site out. These geniuses have educational narratives down to a science - SuperStructGame
FANTASY CHARACTERS
Your favorite
student, ever!
Games are great because they allow us to immerse ourselves in a new world. We read books to become swept
away just as a gamer plays a game to see new places, meet new people and, often times, to become someone
else - if only for a brief period of time.
Online avatars are used to represent us in a game or online.
Your students may enjoy having an online persona as well. Allow them to chose their own avatar character
and post it on their Edmodo profile. You could even go as far as allowing them to choose their own game
name and addressing them as that during the course.
"Do you know the answer to question number 4, Zooble456?"
The more you can make it feel like a game, the more the students will enjoy it. Also, the kids will get a kick out
of it!
There are many tools that allow the creation of avatars from scratch:
Evolver
Voki
Clay Yourself
Faceyourmanga
Marvel
ScottPilgrimAvatar
Doppelme
Hero Machine
Eightbitme
**SIDE NOTE transmission
Let the students chose their own avatar. don't pre-select ones or make overbearing rules about them.
the only rules you should make should be no profane, sexual, offensive or graphically violent avatars.
if they want to pick medieval demon-monsters or care bears, let them.
** end of side note transmission
Things to think about
•
Allowing the students to move up levels with XP allows for more freedom for grades to improve. If a
student needs 30 points to reach the next level and the quarter is up in a couple days , you can give
new assignments to help that student earn more points. The student will feel empowered. "If I do
the work, I get the grade."
•
Try to get rid of writing A, B, C, D, F on assignments, quizzes, and other assessments. Instead, record
how many XP earned. The point is to move up, so, even though, the work may have been an "F",
award the XP earned on the paper instead of a letter grade. "You've earned 10 out of a possible 20
XP!"
•
Allow for RESETS - All games have DO-OVERS. I consider myself a fairly tough teacher (and have been
told so by hundreds of students), and really do not feel bad for unprepared students, especially
when I gave every opportunity and time in the world. However, not all students will be interested in
your content as much as you are, nor are all students wonderfully organized human beings. Video
games come with LIVES, so, perhaps, give the student 3x LIVES to use throughout the semester.
•
This is a Trial and Error process. No one has ever died trying to Gamify their classroom! No student
has ever died trying to cope with a teacher trying to Gamify his/her classroom! Start slow and work
your way from #1 to #11. Move as fast as you feel comfortable and introduce an element at a time.
HAVE FUN!
JOIN THE CONVERSATION ON EDMODO
http://www.edmodo.com/mrdaley
www.mrdaley.com
** end of transmission