The content of this page comes from an article by Vicki Davis named Epic Guide to Game-Based Learning.

"Games are fun. We can use them to teach. It isn't that hard. Game based learning excites learning in my classroom. It can ignite your classroom too", says Vicki Davis, a classroom teacher with 15 years of experience teaching high school and has 20 years of experience teaching teachers how to use technology in the classroom.

Welcome to serious games. Despite what some may think about the games, serious games are designed for a purpose. In essence, serious games are not just for entertainment. As shown below, well-designed serious games can teach, educate, and inspire. In summary, serious games done right can engage students and help us become better teachers. Not only do we want our students to be excited about learning but we also want them to be intrinsically motivated. Simply put, intrinsic motivation comes from within. In the final analysis, it is demotivating to "point-ify" everything students do. But in the long run, adding a game based layer to your classroom can get students hungry to win in the classroom and life. Interestingly, as can be evidenced by the kids running to my keyboarding classroom each day, effective game-based learning does release dopamine (which activates the pleasure centers of the brain.) It can become a powerful and positive motivator for this reason. Nevertheless, just because an activity has points and is called a game doesn't make it an effective game-based learning tool any more than putting me in a Doritos bag makes me a chip.

Therefore, we educators need to educate ourselves on game based learning. We should learn how to do it right. We should also learn how to avoid the pitfalls of poorly implemented game based learning. Let's dig deep into the resources, research, and tools that will help you become start using game based learning in your classroom.

School-Wide Game Based Learning

• How Ron Clark divides his school into "houses" for their school-wide year-long competition
• Quest to Learn Academy uses a school-wide game based learning approach.
  • What Does It Mean to Have Your Whole Middle School Curriculum Designed Around Games? Author Alexandria Neason writes an article about what is happening at Quest to Learn.
  • A Quest for a Different Learning Model on Huffington Post
• District-Wide Game Based Learning Guide
• Atlantis Remixed – this immersive 3D world was once called Quest Atlantis and is perhaps the most comprehensive tool used to teach students a variety of topics. It is fantastic! Bronwyn Stuckey is an expert in this area.
• World of Warcraft in School – Led by Peggy Sheehy who does awesome work in using virtual worlds and games in schools

Websites

• Games for Change – This website and organization sponsors contest to create games for change. You'll find many ideas for game based learning for social good on this site.
• Common Sense Education – formerly Graphite, this organization ranks and evaluations apps, games and activities for kids. I like that they recently added a feature to evaluate the privacy policies and COPPA compliance of websites. A great place to find games.
• Appolicious – This site pretty much evaluations iPhone/iPad games but has lots of them in the index.
• Game Based Learning Insights on the Samsung Insights Website has articles on recent implementations of game based learning in more fields than just K12 including health care, retail, etc.

Competitions

• Builder Bowls – Builder Bowls revolve around a wide range of immersive technologies, including Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), simulations, video games, caves and domes, 3D printing and robotics.
• Game On – a WordPress plugin used by teacher Kevin Jarrett and others to make their whole classroom a game.
• Classcraft – This is the game tool I use to turn my keyboarding class into a game.
• Rezzly – Used to be 3D Game Lab
• Student Shark Tanks – I wrote this about how we had a competition to see which apps would get funded.
• Drama in the Classroom: 2 Bellringers with Activities – Drama in the classroom can have game-based elements. I use this all the time in my classroom.
• Kahoot – This fun gaming tool is being used for classroom tool and review games everywhere. Students can play as individuals or in team mode.

Science, Technology, Engineering & Math (STEM)

• Reach for the Sun – this game teaches Photosynthesis
• Geocaching: Get Out Into Nature — Geocaching is a game-based nature exploration method. (Pokemon Go uses augmented reality and GPS coordinates, so it is related.)
• Funbrain – This website has many math games. I've used them to help teach my own children math facts.
• How an NBA Board Game is Getting Middle Schoolers to Care about Math – October 2016

Social Studies and Geography

• 10 Civics Games for Change
• Zombie Based Learning to Teach Geography by classroom teacher David Hunter
• News Games for Change
• Mission US: City of Immigrants – go through New York's Lower East Side as a Jewish immigrant from Russia.
• Arab-Israeli Conflict Simulation run by Dr. Jeff Stanzler at the University of MichiganArab-Israeli Conflict Simulation run by Dr. Jeff Stanzler at the University of Michigan
• Cast Your Vote – A Game that helps students understand debates and elections.

Economics & Financial Literacy

• H&R Block Budget Challenge
• Financial Literacy: Make the Money "Real" 

Literature and Composition

• Vocabulary and Spelling City – This helped me teach my son his spelling words. Great site!
• Funbrain Reading Games – This website has online books but also just about every grammar game you can imagine.

 

 

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