GET  YOUR  GAME ON!

Now it's time to begin!  Let those creative juices flow!  We'll look at the meat of your site and how to fit gamification into what you do every day.

 

       1.  Earning Experience Points

 

       2.  Earning Badges

 

       3.  Earning Perks

 

       4.  Level Length

 

       An Important Side Note

 

       

Let's look at these pieces and how to add them onto your new site.

 

1.   Earning Experience Points

 

The idea of experience points (exp) is central to the idea of gamification.  Several studies suggest that students are motivated by the fact that everything they do - even if they do badly - still means that they earn points.  

 

Students will earn exp each time they do something that you want them to do.  You can call these things whatever you like - Missions, Quests, Tasks, etc.  They can earn exp for completing classwork and homework, for passing tests and quizzes, for completing projects or parts of projects, for having good behavior, for returning signed documents, for being good citizens, for doing enrichment assignments, for doing remediation assignments, or for whatever else you can think of.  

 

The ways to distribute exp are as broad as your imagination.  You can list each opportunity to earn experience points online on your game level (see Mistru).  You can also only list the Badge Assignments and Side Quests on the game level and write experience points on each assignment as you give them back (see My Great Adventure).  

 

Whichever you choose, you will need a way for both you and the student to keep track of points.  We'll talk more about that in Step 5.

 

I want to add that students never lose points after they earn them.  I never take points away.  

 

I want to note that exp does not necessarily equal grades.  You can give exp for any assignment that you ask students to do, even if you don't put it in the gradebook.  I actually found that I could use exp to keep track of who had turned in practice work that I didn't intend on grading or, in the middle school model, I could keep track of who was missing work before I had a chance to sit down and grade it.  

 

Experience points are also a GREAT motivator for students to engage in enrichment activities.  Each level that I create offers more exp than is needed for the level, and I found that students often completed enriching extra work that they wouldn't have otherwise taken time for.  

 

It's also a good way to differentiate becuase it allows students to make choices.  For example, in Mistru's Level 6, students had to reflect on a recent public speaking experience that they had.  They could create and turn in a video to help others learn how to give a speech (worth 40 points), create a video and share it online (worth 50 points), create a useful website or blog about public speaking (30 points), or create a booklet with at least 5 full pages (20 points).  The final product held the same information, but students had choices in how to present it.  The more challenging the format, the more points it was worth.  Depending on how well students did on their other assignments, they could choose how many points they needed or wanted to earn.

 

 

 

2.  Earning Badges

 

One of the great things about gamification is that it encourages students to work on enrichment activities and gives them some choice in their assignments.  For example, students have to earn a set amount of points to level up.  This can mean that they have some choice in which assignments they complete.  While research shows that student choice is a good thing, there are some assignments that your students just have to do.  That's where badges come in.  

 

To level up, students have to earn a set amount of exp and a level badge.  The level badge is earned by completing specific quests.  These quests are usually larger, more important assignments.  

 

My badge requirements in Mistru were at the bottom of the page.  In My Great Adventure, they were listed at the top of the Quests section.  Badges may be earned for one cumulative project or for several key assignments.  They are really just a way to make sure students do what is required.

 

Badges can be issued online, using sites like Edmodo or Class Badges.  They can also be given physically, as a sticker or taped "badge" on the Player Cards.  I've used both and they both work equally well.  Online is a little less time consuming, but it's easier to show off (and check) when it's actually on the Playere Cards.

 

 

 

3.  Earning Perks

 

Perks are rewards that students earn in the real world or in the game world.  These are rewards that students earn for leveling up or reaching a certain number of points.  Some teachers also allow students to spend exp to buy perks.  (This is not a strategy I've tried, because I feel that points should be cumulative and a tool for students to assess their progress academically.)  Perks can last the entire time the student is on a specific level, for a set period of time, or as a single use item.  Some ideas for perks can be found below.

 

* add 5 points to a quiz * choose your seat in class for a day * eat lunch with the teacher * free ice cream or cookie * extra time on one assignment of your choice * use pillows in class * extra reading time * extra computer time * exempt from warm-up activity * give any student 10 exp (does not affect your exp) * trade your current perk with another player * choose any previous perk to have again * teacher's helper for the day * work with a friend on a class assignment * name your game character * create your game character's apperance * keep a stuffed animal at your seat today * leave class one minute early to go to your locker * no questions restroom pass * extra recess time * the class earns a extra brain break * getting to choose a writing topic, morning meeting activity, or brain break * library time * library helper * soda at lunch * earn a toy, candy, or rock * earn class dollars * 

 

If you find that some students are earning a lot more exp than their peers, then you can also offer a Presteige Perk that allows students to trade in a large amount of extra exp for a specific, extra juicy reward (like helping the teacher decide what happens next in the story or being the principal's helper).

 

I want to add that my Level 1 never get perks.  In fact, it generally comes with a message about how the player is still a n00b and hasn't earned the right to a perk yet.  I want my students to earn the rewards they get and to realize that hard work is rewarded (a message that gamification is acclaimed for supporting).

 

 

 

 

4. Level Length

 

Plan for levels to last about 1 week.  I have experimented with levels of different lengths and a week seems to be the sweet spot.  Levels that last two weeks or more cause students to lose interest.  Levels that last less than a week are time consuming for the teacher to create.   I'd suggest planning for levels to last 5 - 10 days each.  That means that after 5 days (or 6, 7, 8, 9, or 10 days), all students should have had the opportunity to earn enough points to move up to the next level.

 

What do you do with students who don't earn enough points to level up?

 

First, there is no legitimate reason to not level up since each level should have more than enough ways to earn points.  However, this will happen at some point, so let's address it.  Students who don't level up with the class are still required to do all of the work for the next level, but they don't get any of the rewards that their classmates get (no perks, no continued story, no password).  Generally, students are pretty motivated to level up - even if they have to do so later than their peers.  If you see motivation being an issue, make the new level perk a really good one.

 

The bigger problem you'll run into with this is that once students fail to level up once, they never catch back up.   You can deal with this in several ways.  One option is to require points for each level, but don't necessarily combine the points.  For example, Level 1 needs 100 points to level up.  After the class moves on, Level 2 needs 70 points to level up - meaning students have to earn 70 points from missions on that level instead of requiring a minimum of 170 total.  Another option is to give students a set amount of time after the class begins a new level.  Any students who have not leveled up by that point get automatically set to the minimum points for that level, but don't get any perks or priviledges that come with leveling up.  For example, Level 1 requires 100 points, but Bob has only earned 84 points and the class has been on Level 2 work for the past two days.  The teacher will take Bob's player card and write 100 points on his card.  He will still have to earn the points to make it to Level 3, but he has enough points that it's possible for him to do so and re-join the class in the game. 

 

 

 

 

An Important Side Note!

 

It's a really good idea to add directions on your homepage (like I did on the Mission Control page of Mistru).  This way students can go back and review the rules and how to play whenever they need to.  It's also a good guide for you when you introduce it in Step 4.

 

It's also a good idea to keep most Level 1 quests done-as-a-class so that you can help students learn how to play and keep track of their points, getting them ready for playing independently on Level 2.