Thursday, October 20, 2016

Aesthetics

As a teacher aesthetics may not be the first thing we think about when we design lessons.  I realize more and more though that the aesthetics of our classroom and lessons is important.  I incorporate posters, graphics, and vinyl wall stickers to try to improve the overall aesthetics of my room.  I also have oversized colorful bean bags that can be used in brainstorming sessions.  One thing  I was lacking was aesthetics in my assignment sheets.  I have begun to rework all my assignment sheets to have color, borders, images, and a work scenario.

The visual improvements align with the overall gamification of my classroom but the work scenario takes the aesthetics (or the overall game experience) a step further. By "work scenario" I mean I am giving the students a real world situation in which they would have to do the project we are doing in class.  I am starting to include a brief story or background that would justify how the project would be proposed by an industry professional.  Some may be a little bit of a stretch but overall the work scenarios are things that could happen in industry.  I went back and adjusted all assignment sheets we've done this year to include the "work scenario" and let my students know they can find those in the lesson archives if they were interested.  I also told them that future assignments will always have work scenarios on them.

I stressed to the students that I want them to give me feedback on the new look of the assignments, work scenarios, and anything else they feel I should adjust.  It is important for me to get feedback from my students and put that feedback to work so students know they are a part of the process.  The point of all this is after all to improve their overall learning experience.

Wednesday, October 19, 2016

Software Development Class Project

My students are currently working on a software development project that includes everything in the process from brainstorming through release. A lot of my students are currently trying to narrow down their problem statements, target market, and completing customer surveys to guide project direction.  I want to help them understand that software development isn't just about coming up with an idea they are excited about but adjusting that idea to match customer wants and needs. 

Students are giving people within their target market demographics surveys that give them feedback on what those potential customers want to see in the game or app they are developing.  The survey results help guide revisions they make to their problem statement and design.  I am proud of my students everyday when I walk around the room and hear conversations about timelines, adjustments to mechanics, fatal errors that need fixed, and how to deal with problems which arise daily.  They may not realize it but this project is directly preparing them for the workforce by improving problem solving and critical thinking. 

I keep saying that I don't want to teach my students; I want to guide them down a path that leads to learning and most importantly thinking for themselves.  If my students rely on me to provide resources and walk them through each problem they never find out their capability which is more than they (or I) can imagine.  With online resources possibilities are endless if they know how to find answers and work toward solutions.  As teachers let's take a step back from our own egos and say that it is the students who do the hard work and we need to trust them to do so.  When we provide step by step instructions and allow no flexibility, creativity, or choice in assignments we stifle student's ability to really learn.

Tuesday, October 11, 2016

Gamification Expanded

I have been thinking about what information I want to offer for my gamification consulting workshops.  I've also started to revamp some of the things I am doing in class to redesign and improve what I am doing.   It is important for me to design gamification techniques for those who have computers for each student and those that may not have any technology in the classroom because I want my techniques to be user friendly for all types of classrooms and subjects.

I'm reading every article and peer reviewed research I can get my hands on and have started to narrow down what I think is important.  I know the main topics I want to cover include: what is gamification, how it looks in my classroom, setting the right classroom culture, game based principles, using storytelling, aesthetics (electronic and non electronic techniques), game mechanics, and a final closing and reflection piece.  I believe it would be a good gamification 101 workshop for any teacher so that they would enough information to actually get started in their own class afterwards. 

One of the things I've considered while designing the workshop is how many trainings I've gone to that either cover too much information and I feel overwhelmed or too little so that I feel like I need several more before I can put anything into practice.  I want to find a happy medium so that teachers can implement practices right away and know where to start.  I also began to work on my website which is: http://mrskirk.wixsite.com/accomplish.  I am excited to start this new adventure soon!

Tuesday, October 4, 2016

Different

My classroom is different.  I am not an overly confident person but I know there is one thing I excel at and that is teaching. Truthfully I don't consider myself a "teacher" in the traditional sense.  I am not a traditional lecturer.  I do not have homework, busy work, award extra credit, or points for turning in forms at the beginning of the year.  I only award grades based on competency based projects where students demonstrate skills they can use outside the classroom. I push students to think creatively, try new things, step outside the box, and find their own interests and passions within class projects.  I guess instead of excelling at teaching I should instead say I excel in facilitation, support, and advocating for my students.  I care about each of them and I want them to be as successful as they can be.  I want them to take ownership of their learning and be proud when they leave my class.

I do not want a PowerPoint for every project- I want the students to try something new wherever they can. Want to demonstrate programming knowledge?  Try a new tutorial, build an app, write a blog post about coding, or create a game.  They can all show the same knowledge just in different ways so why limit the student?  I tell the students about industry trends and what a manager would expect in the real world.  A manager would not give you a detailed rubric with step by step instructions and one particular forma- a manager would say here's your task get it done however you can.

In my class group work doesn't mean one student picks up the slack of others and does all the work.  Group work means each student holds a unique role within the group that they must fulfill and they get a grade averaged between three things: their portion of the work, the overall project, and a grade their peers within the group give them- not just the final project itself. 

I think as educators we need to ask ourselves the hard questions and attempt to improve and grow at every turn. Why do we try to fit all our students into one neat little format and require them to turn in identical work?  Why are we afraid of change?  Why can't we admit when it is time to change?

Monday, October 3, 2016

Gamification

If you have been following my blog you know I took a big leap this year and decided to completely gamify my classroom.  I had quite a bit of knowledge about overall game design due to the courses I currently teach (Game Design, Foundations, and Programming) but I had to look at those principles from a totally new point of view.  I did extensive online research, read several books on gamification both in education and business and had discussions with the students about their preferences.  I had the students assist me with mechanics and what type of badges they would personally be interested in, I created leader boards and we ran with it first thing this school year. 

Gamification in my classroom has been a great success so far.  I've already awarded several badges and I've even had a few students already pursuing "side quests" on their own.  I believe the feedback they get from receiving the badges and seeing their XP go up on the leader boards has contributed to the students motivation but it is more than that.  Showing the students the leader boards, giving little prizes, and building a culture that allows the students to have choice in what they do.  Gamification alone is not enough but it's a great step to add to the positive environment I am trying to build.  Getting excited when the students go above and beyond, showing interest in their interests, and treating the students with respect is responsible for as much of the classroom success as the gamification itself is.

The gamification process itself was difficult to begin.  A lot of time and planning went into its implementation and I've made a lot of adjustments through trial and error.  With the positive response I received from the students and their improved quality of work I decided to move forward with a new business venture- Gamification Consulting!  I had considered consulting for quite a while (I do have my doctorate after all) but I was torn about what I wanted to consult in.  Gamification consulting will allow me to help other teachers and school districts successfully gamify their classrooms and see similar results to what I have achieved.  As part of the gamification training I want to offer I will also cover how to build a growth mindset culture, cater to 21st century skills, and the importance of building mutual respect and trust with students.  Below is the vision I have in mind along with the services I will offer. 

My vision is to help teachers accomplish their goals of increased student engagement and improved 21st century skills while catering to a growth mindset.  I want classrooms I work with to become fun, collaborative environments where students take ownership of their own learning through a competitive game that encourages students to go above and beyond on every assignment in a new way.
  • Consulting and training:
    • Summer teacher workshops
    • Summer leadership workshops- school and district leadership
    • One on one teacher training
    • One on one leadership training
  • Standard gamification packages that can be used within multiple subjects.  Includes: classroom game mechanics, badges, and leader board templates.
  • Custom gamification packages based on subject area.