The First Step to Gamifying Professional Learning By Cat Flippen
Making you professional development more game-‐like can be simple and effective. The beauty of gamification, or the using of game mechanics in a non-‐game environment, is that you only need to pick one game concept to incorporate and you are still “gamifying” your professional learning. Additionally, even bringing in that one concept can lead to increased motivation and interest, which are aspects that professional learning designers and leaders need in order to have successful programs. Following the recent SIGML Webinar and VSTE Mobile Monday session on Gamifying Professional Learning, a lively backchannel and discussion brainstormed some amazing ideas. The concept sparked interest in many administrators, educators, and PD designers, but there was notable discussion around garnering buy-‐in from skeptical teachers. Unfortunately, one of the direct inhibitors to any professional learning, not just a gamified approach, is the doubt and confusion of those receiving the learning. So, before incorporating experience points, badging, and quests, we need to approach the buy-‐in as our first step and consider some ways in which we can negate negativity before and during any gamified professional learning endeavor. • Gamify PD at Your Local School Only: Gamification at the district level, especially if this would be your first time doing so, would not only be a huge undertaking for you, but also would confuse the process and minimize effectiveness at the local school level.
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