Games are fun. We love playing them, watching them and even creating them. But how can we bring elements of gameplay into our classroom in meaningful ways? Here are 15 ways to gamify your class.
A quick way to start a conversation is by asking someone about their favorite game. Whether it’s the latest video game craze (Fornite takes the cake there), a beloved childhood board game or the local sports team they never miss watching, games are an engaging topic.
As adults we love games. And so do our students.
Adding elements of gameplay in the classroom increases engagement. Throw in opportunities for students to level up, earn badges and points using teamwork in a friendly competition and watch their motivation skyrocket.
Gamification can be as simple as adding a Kahoot to the end of a unit or as complex as #QRBreakIn, an exciting game-based approach to centers.
During the weekly #DitchBook Twitter chat (Thursdays at 7 p.m. PST / 8 p.m. MST / 9 p.m. CST / 10 p.m. EST), we discussed gamification in the classroom. The conversation included ideas for using gameplay to create experiences that are different, innovative, tech-laden, creative and hands-on.
Below you will find 20 ways to gamify your class. Educators shared ideas along with links to resources so that you can begin using gamification in your classroom right away! Be sure to click on ALL of the blue links for quick access to all of the tools and templates!
Check out this Wakelet to see the whole discussion along with this Padlet full of gamification resources crowdsourced by the #Ditchbook community.
20 ways to gamify your class
1. Turn a boring sit and get PD or class about learning a new tool into an exciting experience through gamification.
A3: I think of this template by @historysandoval when wanting to gamify... #ditchbook https://t.co/9MgOTQW6bv
— Amy De Friese, M.Ed. (@MsDeFriese) February 21, 2020
2. Use Wakelet to create a scavenger hunt.
A3: Slides/Drawings and even Jamboard are great for remixing games, but you can even make templates out of @wakelet for scavenger hunts & other types of gamification! Like this scavenger hunt for my Save the Immune gamified unit! #DitchBook https://t.co/5BaRAnfv5W
— Lᴀᴜʀᴀ Sᴛᴇɪɴʙʀɪɴᴋ #RockNTheBoat (@SteinbrinkLaura) February 21, 2020
3. Turn a spreadsheet into a game of BINGO, Hangman and more with the templates provided in Flippity.
A3: Flippity is a great resource that has numerous template options. Many choices that are game-like @flippitynet #ditchbook
— Greg Jung (@edtech_workshop) February 21, 2020
4. Bring board games like Scrabble into the classroom digitally.
A3 There are SO many great gamification templates out there. Check out this idea shared by @creativeedtech! #Ditchbook https://t.co/Yu9mGbJH2C
— Karly Moura (@KarlyMoura) February 21, 2020
5. Use Slides, PowerPoint or Adobe Spark to pull in elements of your favorite games. SlidesMania has TONS of great templates you can work with!
A3: We can remix all sorts of games in Slides/Drawings/PowerPoint/Spark. Pull in design elements from the games. Make the template what you need it to be. Then share with students! #ditchbook https://t.co/xhNUUxWPpp
— Matt Miller@ #NCTIES2020 3/4-5 (@jmattmiller) February 21, 2020
@ #NCTIES2020 3/4-5 (@jmattmiller) 6. Use Google forms for students to solve a mystery with task-cards.
A3- Google Formshttps://t.co/uuWRlsRxmH
— Stephanie Howell (@mrshowell24) September 28, 2018
Ss can solve a mystery while solving task cards#DitchBook
7. Utilize online apps and tools like Class Craft, Quizlet, Kahoot, Class Dojo to add gamification to your lessons.
Q3: High tech and low tech, there is no wrong way. @classcraftgame @quizlet @GetKahoot @ClassDojo @breakoutEDU digital with Badges #DitchBook
— Jenna Ervin (@EverythingErvin) September 28, 2018
8. Google Sheets can be a fantastic tool for adding elements like points, badges and leveling up. Check out Alice Keeler’s post and template.
A3: Check it @alicekeeler's gamification templates using Google Sheets!https://t.co/doHNEYCMyk#ditchbook ("The answer is ALWAYS a spreadsheet.")
— Matt Miller
A3: There are lots of ways/tools for this, but it depends some on your theme. I am doing a Marvel's Agents of Shield theme, so side missions for agents will be in the form of QR codes all over campus. Sneaky ways to get learning in outside of class time. 🙂 #DitchBook
— Lᴀᴜʀᴀ Sᴛᴇɪɴʙʀɪɴᴋ #RockNTheBoat (@SteinbrinkLaura) September 28, 2018
10. Google Forms have many, many uses in the classroom. Try using them for a digital addition to BreakoutEDU.
A3- using Google Forms for @breakoutEDUhttps://t.co/qtXGp6gmPo
— Stephanie Howell (@mrshowell24) September 28, 2018
#DitchBook
11. A simple but effective way to add a little competition into Google Classroom is to let them reply to one another and choose their favorite response.
Q3: I've even used Google Classroom "Question" assignments and had Ss reply to their favorite peer responses with "Winner Winner Chicken Dinner". Student with the highest votes wins #ditchbook
— Jenna Ervin (@EverythingErvin) September 28, 2018
12. Old classics like “The Price Is Right” can make a comeback in the modern classroom using G Suite tools!
A3: OMG. Love love me some Price Is Right...so much I modeled a metric estimation game after it! Here's a link to it! https://t.co/gwhrGPSDw5
— Jen Walter (@JWalterTeach) February 21, 2020
#Ditchbook
13. Using AR and VR can take your games to a whole new level and completely change the way the players interact with each other and the game itself.
A3: @Kahoot & @quizlet! I have heard of @classcraftgame but have never tried. @cospaces_edu is an awesome and unique VR/AR format that is compatible with @MergeVR as well as @oculus and offers coding, physics engines, etc. #ditchbook
— Kim Pond, M.Ed
(@YodaPond) 14. Story Cubes add the element of storytelling to a game-based activity. Pair them with an online tool like Flipgrid to create a challenge for your students.
A3. @storycubes @gimkit @breakoutEDU @quizizz @Flipgrid and @LEGO_Group are staples of my #gamified #studentcentered classroom. LIGHT YEARS beyond Scantron and so thankful to be in Catholic Education away from Big State Standardized Exams! #Ditchbook #CathEdSocial pic.twitter.com/iWrkS6m9Um
— John Meehan (@MeehanEDU) September 28, 2018
15. The Iron Chef Eduprotocol is a class favorite for adding a bit of friendly competition to any subject area.
A3- Iron Chef (jigsaw activity) https://t.co/O9Vsfx2sIS
— Stephanie Howell (@mrshowell24) September 28, 2018
#DitchBook
16. Why keep scavenger hunts confined to school grounds? With Google Earth or Nearpod, students can literally explore the entire globe!
A3: You can also use @googleearth for scavenger hunts or @nearpod to great effect since it is a versatile platform! So many awesome possibilities! #ditchbook
— Kim Pond, M.Ed
17. Your students are extremely creative. Get them in on the gamification by challenging them to make badges for their accomplishments. Alice Keeler has some great templates to get you and your students started.
Q4: I had students last year who wanted to make their own badges for tasks they completed, to encourage higher-performance and competition with the other classes #ditchbook
— Jenna Ervin (@EverythingErvin) September 28, 2018
18. There’s a reason that online multiplayer games like Clash of Clans are so popular. When we leverage that engagement in the class, serious learning can come out of play.
A4: Heres a post about how Clash of Clans changed my class: https://t.co/DITcAscuk1#ditchbook
— Matt Miller
19. Start the year off with a gamified syllabus! Elementary level teachers can use this idea for the beginning of the year or even for Back to School Night!
A4. @alicekeeler was likewise nice enough to give me a guest spot on her blog a few weeks back! If you’re looking for a gamified approach to a course syllabus, give it a look! https://t.co/o5tM6t5IXF #Ditchbook
— John Meehan (@MeehanEDU) September 28, 2018
20. Level up your gamification and challenge your class to create their own game!
A3- I created a CYOA template as well as an Amazing Race template on #forms. https://t.co/bYf9UJ8v7y #ditchbook
— Matt Meyer (@54Mr_Meyer) February 21, 2020
How do you feel about game-based learning? How have you used it in class? Which of these ideas could you start using? Leave your ideas in a comment below!
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