Throwback Tuesday - Flippity for End of Year Review & Games

Need a review game?   How about a random name picker?  Certificates? A timeline project? 

Could you use an easy way to have students practice spelling words?  How about a way to mix and match ideas for creative writing prompts? 

There is so much you can do with Flippity & the only skill you need is the ability to type text into a spreadsheet.  This original post was brought to us back in November, and the web application just keeps getting better and better.

As Breakouts become more and more popular I would like to showcase Flippity's version. They call it a "Flippity Scavenger Hunt".

Try out the demo now by clicking HERE! 

No programming skills needed, just add your questions and answers to the Google Sheets Template.

No time???

Have your students make up games for year-end review then challenge teams to open as many locks as possible in a station rotation!

Brain frazzled from PSSAs & Keystones? 
Here is exactly what you need to post to Google Classroom.

Link to add to Classroom:

 https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ubDVulJpW7B2NDDuHMA1CtBwRxGiehQQZzeJpExdcwQ/copy


Did you or one of your students make a game?   Post the link for us below to try!

Learning Beyond the Class with Goosechase!

Do you like adding gamification and competition into your classes?
Want to take demonstrations of learning outside your classroom walls?
How about getting your students to collaborate, connect and communicate in real time?

Try Goosechase!

Yesterday I had the opportunity to present on GooseChase to instructional coaches in IU 8, 9 & 10.

The coaches, principals and mentors had a blast with this digital scavenger hunt.

Now it's your turn SMA!  

Which building will come out on top?

Start strategizing now!  

• Up to 5 teacher-leaders from each building should download the Goosechase App on their phones
• Search for "SMA Teacher Goosechase" (no acct. required)
• Find your building
• Your team password is your principal's last name
• Start completing missions!!!!  Get text, photo and video evidence about why your building is the best in SMASD! 
• The building with the most points by next Tuesday will get faculty room treats! 

Ready to learn more & use it in your classroom? 

My presentation website is HERE.  

Click through the top to find a presentation, ideas, how to & more. 

Click HERE for a direct link to the setup tutorial.

Tired of Kahoot ? - Meet Gimkit!

Kahoot, Quizlet Live & Quizizz are all awesome formative assessment tools for our students.

Each of them coming with their own set of pros & cons.  We love options for team play as well as homework mode. However, sometimes typing in multiple choice responses can be a drag.

Gimkit is different.  It has the options of live mode and self paced.  You can play as a team or individually.  Questions are repeated, improving retention.  Multiple choice items are even automatically created from your term list.  But that is not all...

Gimkit adds one of the 4C's that I haven't seen a formative assessment game do yet, and that is
critical thinking.

As students answer questions and progress through the game, they earn money.

This money can then be spent in the "store" mid-game to help make their money work for them.




Examples:  

• Spend $50, and all future dollars will be multiplied by 1.5!
• Purchase insurance, essentially giving you a lower copay for missed answers. 
• Buy a bonus for correct answer "streaks"
• Increase the amount you earn per question. 

Multiple Choice or Fill in the Blank !

Did you know ???  

Gimkit was made by a HS student!?!?! 

 A HS Senior in Seattle,  Josh Feinsilber, started it as a school project and now is its own company! 

Don't forget to remind your students of this when playing!

Check out this demo!

Want to play???  

Click HERE > Enter your first name > Play!

Need help making your first Gimkit? Click HERE

Reward yourself!  
Get to the badging center and earn an Act 48 hour per entry. 
(Not to mention the coveted badge!)

*Gimkit is free when you create up to 5 games!  Pay $7.99 for one month or $4.99 for a subscription.  Remember this is a HS project gone start up.  I can think of a lot of sillier ways that I've spent $7.99!

Gaming in the Classroom

We know that in the 21st century, it can be hard to obtain and hold students' interest in the classroom. According to Jessica Trybus of the New Media Institute, "When education or training feels dull, we are not being engaged and motivated. In other words, we're not really learning. "Learning" doesn't mean rote memorization--it means acquiring the skills and thought processes needed to respond appropriately under pressure, in a variety of situations." 

One way to engage students and keep them motivated is to incorporate gaming in the classroom. This week at PETE & C, there were many sessions about gamifying learning experiences, so this post will focus on a few different ways you can get started. Below is a slide from one of those presentations, making the argument for incorporating game-based learning in the classroom.

Gaming in the classroom can take many forms. We've posted (and also presented at in-service) before about some formative assessment tools you can use that are in the game-based format. Some of those include Kahoot, Quizlet, and Quizizz. In addition to incorporating gaming, these are all great use of devices in the classroom and can fit any grade level and content area.

There are also several video-game type options that have been tailored specifically for schools. Many students spend hours playing video games at home, so why not tap into their enthusiasm for this hobby by incorporating it into the classroom?! Both Classcraft and Minecraft EDU have a gaming platform that can be used in a variety of ways. Teachers can use Classcraft as a classroom management tool and can incorporate assignments within it. Students can earn points and level up for behaviors the teacher sets like helping other students, correctly answering questions, and being a hard-worker/having a positive attitude. MInecraft EDU is based on the extremely popular game that you've probably heard students talking about at one point or another. Teachers can create lessons for students (or use already created lessons) that  have students utilize the Minecraft EDU platform. These lessons and activities cover subjects across the curriculum and can be used  with virtually any age-level. These gaming options are the perfect way to cover content, enhance collaboration, critical thinking, and problem solving skills, all while keeping students engaged and motivated. You don't have to have a background in video games to utilize these resources in the classroom and there are lots of tutorials and premade materials to help you get started!


My new favorite game-based find for this school year is Breakout EDU. Breakout EDU is similar to the idea of an Escape Room, but students are using boxes with locks instead of being locked in a room. They are given a back story and must use clues to solve a series of puzzles and unlock locks to "breakout." Again, the common theme among all of these different gaming ideas is that they promote teamwork, problem solving, critical thinking AND one I haven't mentioned yet-learning that failure is okay and a necessary part of learning. Teachers have already created a huge database of Breakout games that cover just about every concept under the sun and you can find games to fit every age-level. If you don't find something that fits your needs, you can create your own game, or even better, have students create the games! Check out the video clip below for more information and also the Techshowcase tab above for pictures of Breakout EDU games in action.

There were a lot of different ideas packed into this post and I know that can be overwhelming at first. However, I encourage you to think about how you could start small and incorporate a little bit of game-based learning in your classroom. Focus on one idea and go from there. If you need the support of a tech coach, please don't hesitate to ask!

Make Learning a (Ka)hoot!

I first learned about Kahoot two summers ago while attending a tech conference and immediately knew it was a tool that both my students and I were going to love. This FREE, engaging web-based tool turns your classroom into a game show, similar to a trivia night at a restaurant and can be used with any age level or content area. Teachers can create their own multiple choice questions, use premade games, and even have students create their own Kahoots. Students earn points for how quickly they choose the correct answer, and are able to participate by using a unique PIN number and connecting to answer with their own web-based device (desktop, tablet, smartphone, etc.).

There are lots of innovative ways to use this tool in your classroom, but to keep it simple, here are some basics:

• Formative assessment: Develop questions in quiz mode to monitor your students’ progress. After each question, you can see how many students chose each answer and can quickly gauge problem areas. Kahoot also creates a spreadsheet with the results from each game, so you can see student specific data as well. As an alternative, you could even have the students create the questions!
• Discussion: Create a single question to gather information and spark discussion. This mode would not be competitive. For example, you could pose a question about the best part of a novel the class has read. Students would choose one of the answers, you’d all be able to see the data, and the discussion could go from there.
• Survey: Create multiple questions to gather feedback or find out what the class knows. This mode is also not competitive and could be a way to give students an active voice in the classroom.
• Ghost mode: This is a new option that you can use after completing a game of Kahoot! According to the Kahoot site, “Ghost mode is a great way to encourage learners to compete against themselves as well as each other. It gives players a chance to beat their previous score and provides immediate feedback. You can also set a game for homework. Learners can create their own Kahoot! account so they can play again (and again!) against themselves in preview mode until they have mastered the topic.”

Here are some great tutorials to help you get started, both of which walk through the steps of creating an account:

Kahoot tutorial

YouTube Kahoot tutorial

Note: If/when wireless connections are not available, the computer labs in all buildings are a great option OR the next few weeks could be a prime time just to explore this tool, and then plan for introducing it to the students when the wireless is ready and there are more device options!

If anyone has used Kahoot in their classroom, or has any questions or feedback, please feel free to comment below!