I'll be honest. I really love this guy. I watched three different TEDx talks of his before deciding which one to write about today. And, I am interested in gamification in the classroom but just don't really know how to do it. So, that's my story for today! Here's my review of TEDx Berlin of Gabe Zichermann called Changing the Game in Education.
You have to enjoy a guy who begins a talk with a Yoda reference (yay, Star Wars!). But, he talks about the famous quote--"Do or do not, there is no try." He explains how we are DOERS by nature. And asking students to sit and stare and read most of the day is in opposition to the DO nature of humans.
Games affect motivation in ways reading and lecture do not. Games increase educational outcome by 1000%.
He discussed some great teachers who have embraced this. One teacher used Monopoly to raise test scores. Another used Nintendo DS to improve reading comprehension in 18 weeks.
He also mentioned fluid intelligence, the ability to problem solve in situations where you've never experienced it before--raw problem solving skills. Crystallized intelligence is using the things you already know. He mentioned lots of websites with gaming elements that help improve thinking.
Towards the end, he talked about how "feedback, friends, and fun" are key to harness the power of games to create engagements. He said we can use this to drive the love of learning forward.
This was an interesting talk, though I still don't have a great epiphany about how to get going with it in my classroom. I can find so many interesting discussions on this topic, but I need an action plan! Still, very worth the watch.
PERSONAL NOTES: So, our school started this Badge program for teachers this past year. I am relatively motivated by this type of game thing, leader boards, and so forth. However, I have a friend who has zero motivation by this (as a matter of fact, her perspective is one of those that upsets me of "I don't get paid for that and I am not doing it"). Even this year, a different teacher friend essentially refused to participate in a hands-on Breakout activity because she didn't see the point (I won't be using this in my classes; most kids would hate it). And, if I tried to gamify learning, I know I would run into that with students as well. Teaching is hard. It's like being so many things at once and trying to keep people interested in topics they truly have no connection with. We teachers are magicians. Be proud of that, but never be stagnant. Find new ways to engage and be open to the ideas of others in the process.
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