Thesis Research Checkpoint 5
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"Daniel Donahoo: Gamification in Education: Should We Play?." Breaking News and Opinion on The Huffington Post. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Mar. 2012. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/daniel-‐donahoo/gamification-‐in-‐ education_b_927842.html>.
Summary: “Gamification has come under some fire from gamers recently, specifically since this post from Ian Bogost (since republished in The Atlantic). It could be the beginning of a backlash against the use of video games and game culture in a wide variety of spaces. Bogost is ruthless in his attack on the corporate world's foray into gaming, but what of serious games and the broader concepts around gamification and game-‐based learning in education? Where does this leave the push by schools and educators who have been exploring the use of games and game-‐based learning as a way of engaging students, teaching twenty-‐first century skills and finding ways to make the technologically-‐saturated lives of our children relevant in the classroom?” “Gamification does not necessarily involve the use of high technology. In fact, I've seen some very effective gamification that has been implemented using trading cards. A great example is the Teachers College at Columbia University, where they designed gamification for K-‐12 and higher education. Because many K-‐12 students don't have access to a computer, they implemented the whole gamification strategy based on "action cards." Gamification is certainly easier with the help of technology since it can help track a wider range of actions and interactions with a much higher fidelity than humans. However, the fundamental game mechanics and dynamics do not change -‐-‐ they are all based on behavioral psychology, not technology.” This article is great because it gets down to what proper gamification is all about. The focus should always be on behavioral psychology not on technology. Technology should be used as a tool to immerse and enhance the game play experience. It should never be the sole focus. _________________________________________________________________________________________________
Ferlazzo, Larry. "Kathy Sierra On Gamification In Education." Edublogs. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Mar. 2012. <larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/2012/02/26/kathy-‐sierra-‐ on-‐gamification-‐in-‐education/>. Summary: “I like to categorize areas that can/might be gamification into at least three categories: