Education

Excel Template to Calculate Activity Value

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Score calc Excel Template to Calculate Activity Value

A while back I wrote an article about how you have to balance the reward value of activities against the value to the client, user and effort.

The basic idea was that if a user has to work hard to get a reward, it had better be worth something. At the same time, if the value of the activity is high to the client, the reward should also be worth having.

At the time I wrote that, I developed a simple spreadsheet to help me calculate reward values for activities for a client I was working with. I thought I would share that with you to help you with your projects as well. Read More ...

Fair Play: More Important than Rules

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Crying baby 1458216972 Fair Play More Important than Rules

In gamification, we often talk about rules. They split games from play, fair from foul. However, just because you have rules, does not mean that everyone will feel that the game is fair!

This came to mind when I watched my youngest daughter’s reaction to being told she could not take a teddy bear to the nursery. The reasons / rules were explained, but that was not of consequence. Up until this point she had always brought toys in and more importantly – so had her friends. “It’s not fair” was about all we could understand through the distraught crying! Read More ...

The Gamification Hexad Saves My Classroom! Guest Blog

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User types and learning v2 The Gamification Hexad Saves My Classroom Guest Blog

Well, this is a first, but I hope you will agree, it is a good first! I was lucky enough to be asked to scan a chapter of a new book that gamification and education expert Scott Herbert was writing. It was all about how he had been making use of my HEXAD in his classroom and it was excellent! I asked if he would be willing to write a little blog post about his experiences, what I got was this – and I could not be happier. Enjoy my friends!

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Kids do not really care for school, which as a teacher obviously makes things a little difficult. I teach Grade 8 Sciences and when you are trying to teach someone about cellular biology or the history of light they have a real hard time connecting it to their world. It’s a slippery slope. Read More ...

What would you change?

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Change 1443010847 What would you change

I was asked a great question the other day. If you could go way back, what would you change?

It  got me thinking at the time and I have had it in my mind ever since. At the time I said that I would probably change nothing. The truth is that what I have experienced in my life is what has made me who I am. For the most part, I am pretty happy with how it all turned out!

That is a wishwashy answer though. I then started to think about what I would changed if I was being forced and I did think of something. My A-Levels (the exams you sit at 18). I took Chemistry, Physics and Biology and I was dreadful at them all. I would go back and try to take Computing, Ceramics and Physics if I had the chance again! Read More ...

Are Mario, YouTube & My Little Pony killing my Daughters Imagination?

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Imagination 1440664813 Are Mario YouTube 038 My Little Pony killing my Daughters Imagination

I am a huge advocate of the benefit of games. They are amazing and I would quite happily argue with anyone shouting about games and violence, or games being bad for kids. I am also not against T.V. My youngest has amazing shape recognition, counting and even spelling and maths abilities – at three – thanks in large part to Team UmiZoomi!

However, I have started to notice a slightly concerning issue with my eldest daughter. She seems to have no imagination any more, or at least a very reduced functionality one! Read More ...