Games For Learning
As the field of education continues to evolve, various trends have emerged and are here to stay due to technology's ever increasing presence in our schools. Outlined in this blog post from ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education) are eight such trends they have identified, spanning from ideas such as equity and inclusion, to project-based learning, and even the use of augmented, virtual, and mixed reality in the classroom. One topic that I think will stand the test of time and continue to grow even more in popularity is the concept of using games for learning. What student doesn't want to have fun when they're at school? Why should teachers have to choose between work and play when there are tools out there that can accomplish work through play?
When I think of the various tools that are more game-based in nature that I have at my disposal, the first that comes to mind is Gimkit. Gimkit is an interactive educational platform designed to make learning more engaging through game-based quizzes. This platform is used by many teachers at my school as a tool to help students review concepts taught in class and as a way to prepare for assessments. When using Gimkit, students have the opportunity to play as an individual or on a team to earn virtual currency and different power-ups. Truthfully, my knowledge and use of the platform is limited. I really enjoy using other platforms with similar ideas, such as Blooket and Kahoot, but my students seem to love using Gimkit so much that I feel I owe it to them to explore and try something new! Check out my screencast on Loom to see how I created a kit for my students and tested it out for myself!
Pros and Cons of Gimkit
Pros:
- Engaging and motivating- students compete in real time to earn virtual currency and can use earned currency to customize their Gim (game pawn) or purchase power-ups.
- Variety of game modes- students can play as an individual or on a team and choose maps that have different objectives for them to accomplish.
- Immediate feedback- students know immediately if they got the question right or wrong, helping identify areas where they may need more practice.
- Customizable and premade quizzes- teachers can create their own kits with questions from study guides or notes, or search for kits in their library to find kits made by other educators on the same topic.
- Detailed analytics- teachers get a report of student performance for each question at the end of the game and can use it to reteach skills if needed.
- Learning Curve- it can take time for teachers to become familiar with using the platform and for students to understand how to play the various game modes.
- Risk of Distraction- students could focus more on playing the game and earning virtual currency rather than the content they should be reviewing.
- Cost/Limited free features- with the free/basic version, you are limited in the game formats you can play and many advanced features require a paid subscription.
For Your Reading Pleasure
- 5 Ways to Gamify Your Classroom- International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE)
- 5 Ways Gamification Benefits Teachers and Students - Reflex
- Using Gamification to Ignite Student Learning - Edutopia
- Gimkit: How to Use It for Teaching - Tech & Learning
- Gimkit Review for Teachers - Common Sense Education
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