1st Quarter Progress Reports: Update

     I have to admit that so far the game (class) has been going smoother than first anticipated and the players also "bought in" immediately. However, I have had not implemented all of the aspects of the game as of yet. The reason all aspects have not yet introduced was a decision based on a possible "too much, too soon" concern for my players. The game aspects I have put off are: Team Raids (presentations), leader board (avatar points earned listing), studio bucks (homework pass, etc), and the opportunity for extra XP by singing up for a production meeting (extra help). The students have been achieving points in the game and have also been retaining the information seemingly faster and deeper than previous years using this model which I will discuss later.
     The game aspects that I have been using for the first 5 weeks of the class are: awarding extra XP for turning in assignments early, the opportunity for the avatars to redo any quest, boss, or crafting assignment they wish to gain higher XP, and also earning XP by simply attending the class. My players have been constantly turning their work early and interacting with the game throughout the day because it is available through the game LMS. Some players have even begun to come up with a strategy where they craft (write) at home and accomplish their quests (projects) during the class period.
     The grades are still a pretty wide range, but this time I do not have the number of students in danger of failing the 1st quarter as I have in the past. The number grades range from 70% - 104% in one class and 61% - 106% in the other. The students also at in attendance regularly and even email me of their absence at times in order to earn at least some XP for that class. I have also noticed that as earned XP is posted players go back and retry to earn more XP for that quest or craft. Level Bosses (multiple choice reviews) can also be attempted and my players have all retried each to earn higher XP. That tells me that they have motivation to get a higher grade but they are also attempting to "beat" that level boss.
      I am looking forward to watching the players continue in the game and will be posting what I observe more frequently.

The Rules

I have spent time over the summer reading blogs and books about transferring your class into a game. The book I used to assist me in rewriting my syllabus from a traditional class into a more game-like class was Lee Sheldon's "The Multiplayer Classroom." I have tried to make my syllabus visually more appealing to my students by using colors and sections for the course details. I attached the original syllabus below.

After reading the Sheldon book, I used his examples and rewrote my syllabus using his syllabi as a model for me to change my course syllabus. You can see the changes below in the files attached. My students seemed to be more engaged on day one as I spoke of the class being treated as a game. The new syllabus is below and I still kept the syllabus colorful to keep the visual learners in mind and also help the other students easily locate the different sections of the class requirements. The old black and white outline is too out of date and boring for today's learners. The new syllabus includes a back story to the course/game and also new grading system. I decided to make each week/level worth 100XP to make the grading process a bit easier.

I am looking forward to seeing if the students decide to actively play the game/class.

Introduction

I teach video and sound production in a Career & Technical (CTE) classroom in New York State. The students that come to me are, for the most part, generally interested in the material but even so, the motivation is not always there. Every classroom has students with ranging abilities and backgrounds and my class is no different.

But how do we get these students motivated? How do we get them learn the curriculum better?

 I have already been using Schoology to flip my class and I also approached the course with a more challenge based learning approach, but I always look for improvement. Then it hit me: Gamify the class. Gamification is a term that is not new, but I have not seen much of it associated with a CTE classroom and believe me I searched and searched. I was intrigued by the idea and excited.

This year, over the summer I decided to gather research, listen to opinions from colleagues from all backgrounds of education, and finally read blogs and books about gamification in education in order to transform my classroom into a multiplayer game.

This blog will follow me through the entire year as I reflect on the successes and challenges that occur as I turn my course into a multiplayer game.

GAME ON!