Many options for “making” video games (or simple animations) have emerged. In this short piece, Edudemic shares how one can use GameStar mechanic to make games along with a video. It is well worth a try although, depending on the type of game, Microsoft Kodu or Scratch may also work. There are also some very cool games with the Xbox Kinect SDK app that let you capture a person’s body movements much like they do to create characters like Gollum in The Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit.

Anne Mirtschin, Australian teacher of the year for 2012, rocks. She’s enrolled in the Games Based Learning Mooc and in this blog shares what she is learning. I’m inspired by this veritable well of knowledge, energy, and love for students. To know Ann is to love her.

“Having enlisted for the Games Based Learning MOOC, I am determined not to be a lurker, but a participator of some nature. I am not a’ gamer’ but I have participated in Second Life and worked with my students in Quest Atlantis. Having observed students at school being distracted, when bored, by playing games and  willing to spend hours playing their favourite games, I am curious about the nature of such engagement. On Friday lunchtimes I open the computer lab for students to come in and play games. A group of 10-15 students will happily sit, just watching two or three players on their x-box. How can  games be used for effective learning in the classroom.  I want to learn more and this means having a go at some of them. During week 1, the following actions were completed and following observations made:-

Foldit is made a game out of a problem, folding proteins, with startling results. I think that as we look for how games can be used at education, we should consider how problems themselves - even those we do not have the answers to - can become games and competitions. This is not a bad thing as some have said and the attitude of creating a game, even out of things that are very serious, has potential.

world-shaker:

Just as a heads-up, this if for educators who want to know more about gamification. This is a competent and short article from EDUCAUSE. It’s available for download as a PDF or ePUB, so it’s very mobile friendly with the right device. I saved mine to iBooks for later reading on the iPad 2 :o)

Here’s the abstract for those of you curious about a click-through (emphasis theirs):

Gamification is the application of game elements in non-gaming situations, often to motivate or influence behavior. The rewards or the spirit of competition can spur students’ concentration and interest and lead to more effective learning. The use of gamification is wide-ranging in higher education, from extra-credit awards and in-class team competitions to complex multi-level schemes that can pervade a course. Although gamification can be deceptively difficult to employ effectively, it has the potential to help build connections among members of the academic community, drawing in shy students, supporting collaboration, and engendering interest in course content that students might not have otherwise explored. Gamification offers instructors numerous creative opportunities to enliven their instruction with contests, leader boards, or badges that give students opportunities for recognition and a positive attitude toward their work.

Gamification article from educause is a fascinating read for those wanting to deliver powerful learning and are willing to work for it!