This week, we looked at a very intriguing topic: the role of gamification in education. Turning learning into a game is a great way to reward students within the learning process. Fun apps like Duolingo and Khan Academy are just a few examples of popular gamified learning apps that are readily available for teachers to deploy in the classroom. Gamified mechanisms, such as badges and progress levels, reflect the learning process back to the student. By communicating the process of learning in an engaging manner, gamified learning encourages students to continue learning because of the added motivation.
“One hundred day streak @Duolingo #duolingo” by dullhunk is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
Also, multiplayer games, like Kahoot, are a great way to bring the class together in their learning. Ending a lesson with a fun quiz-like game lets students reflect together on their learning for the day.
“Kahoot! event” by IDI at NTNU is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0.
One consideration to make is that quiz-like games can be isolating. Students are being asked to compete with their peers, which can be beneficial at times, but we also need to make sure that we are allowing students to share their learning with each other through collaborative work.