Gamification… New age thinking to engage students and enhance the learning experience.

What is Gamification?

There has been a global movement to incorporate Games into education. Using games as a tool to create interactive educational activities that get students using what are seen as game platforms in their learning. There are a wide variety of different games out there – most of which i wont be able to touch on in these Digital Spotlight BUT here are a few that have been brought to my attention that teachers around the globe are using to enhance students use of digital technology in the classroom.

There are thousands of games out there that you can use – but just to get you started I am going to cover 2 games and their uses in the classroom just to get you thinking about ways in which Gamification can be used in the classroom to enhance the students engagement, understanding and learning outcomes.

Game 1 – Minecraft

Minecraft is an online gaming tool that can be best described as digital Lego. There are a wide variety of modes for this game but I think its best used in the “creative mode” where you have absolute freedom to design and build anything you want.

You can get an overview of what you can do with this program from the link below.

Minecraft Overview – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RI0BN5AWOe8

There is a digital book available for free that you can download and read regarding Minecraft and the Classroom

Teachers around the globe are using this game (in creative mode) to get their students to design and build a wide variety of different things. From architectural designs like houses and other buildings right down to the digestive tract of the human body. This interactive game can get students thinking in a wide variety of dimension and can get them creating and sharing their work.

The Minecraft game/app is not free and costs approximately $9 in the app store, but it can be a great tool to add to your classroom and your booklist to get students engaging with digital design.

To find a link to MineCraft open your app store and search MineCraft. You will be able to download it from there or by clicking the little arrow attached to the cost/purchase button you will be able to copy the link to the app and share that with your students.

Game 2 – SimCity Build It

Simcity Build It is a game that works on developing a civilisation or a city. This game can teach students how to design towns, how to supply amenities like water, electricity and sewerage, education, transport, shops, fire protection and housing. It can get students collaborating with others to gain equipment and resources to build and upgrade buildings and houses, as well as have them problem solve  issues like: traffic, utility capacities to cater for the needs of their inhabitants, natural disasters and controlling budgets and spending the coin earned from developing their cities.

This game has so many elements to it and can be utilised across a wide variety of learning domains to get students thinking about and interacting with simulations that reflect community issues.

This is a free app for iPad and Android devices but there are some in app purchases that you should be aware about. These purchases ARE NOT a necessity to play the game (these include purchasing more game coin to give students faster access to developing their cities) and you can interact within the digital building game without spending a cent

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Simcity Build It Overview – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIG_FksaDOw

The game also allows students to experience statistics with population growth, population density, happiness indicators which assists with city planning and feedback from the inhabitants in the city – regarding what they need to increase their happiness in the environment.

To find a link to “SimCity Build It” open your app store and search SimCity You will be able to download it from there or by clicking the little arrow attached to the GET button you will be able to copy the link to the app and share that with your students.