User:Nathaliez2/midtermgroupproject sandbox

This page is dedicated to the midterm group project assigned in ITP Core 1 Fall 2019.

Carlos, new plan. I propose adding a new section to the digital pedagogy wiki. How about gamification? We’re reading on it now. And this section seems to be lacking in the wiki. Here’s my first take on the topic. Let me know what you think:

Gamification in education includes the employment of typical game elements such as competition (with others, a digital competitor, or simply the clock), scoring, levels and rewards to engage learners in content acquisition and retrieval (Hung et al, Gamification in the wild: Faculty Perspectives on gamifying learning in higher education, Issue and Trends in Educational Technology, Volume 5, Number 2, Dec. 2017, pp. 5-6). A wide range of tools and approaches function as a roadmap to success by showing learners where they stand and how they can/should proceed. Gamification can also signify to students what values and skills are important to the class, and give instructors an extra set of tools, in addition to traditional grading, to use to motivate and offer feedback. Quests, narratives, virtual currency, and avatars draw inspiration from role-playing games, and allow instructors to design courses with mini-narratives that students, as players, can pursue (Sheldon, 6 Issues and Trends in Educational Technology Volume 5, Number 2, Dec. 2017 2011). Other forms of gamification overlap with good instructional design, such as giving students multiple pathways to learning and showing competence (Nicholson, 2013) and freedom to take risks without fear of failing (Lee & Hammer, 2011).

James Paul Gee, the leading something of gamification in education, argues that designing problem-solving spaces gives learners opportunities to acquire and apply knowledge with immediate feedback and encouragement, as well as increasing levels of difficulty and/or complexity.

“Humans learn best from well-mentored, guided experience centered on interesting problems to solve, clear goals, copious feedback, and a relatively low cost for failure. This is what good games supply.” (James Paul Gee, The Anti-Education Era: Creating Smarter Students through Digital Learning, looking for page number)