In this episode of All Things Marketing and Education, we were delighted to speak with Todd Finley, professor of education at East Carolina University, writer, and creator of Brain Blasts, downloadable infographics filled with best practices for educators. Elana Leoni, CEO at Leoni Consulting Group (LCG), chatted with Todd about gamification, student engagement, the guiding principles of game design, and so much more. It's not easy to summarize a conversation with such a fun, knowledgeable guest, so we'd love for you to listen to the entire podcast episode. Additionally, we’ve highlighted some of our favorite points below. Make sure to scroll to the bottom to access the resources that Todd mentioned (and there are a TON!).
What is Gamification?
The first step in discussing gamification is differentiating it from game-based learning, which generally means repurposing an existing game as a teaching strategy. Gamification, however, is applying game mechanics to learning environments with the goal of increasing learners’ motivation and engagement. Todd shared these basic elements of gamification:
"It should have objectives, some kind of rules, and some kind of reward. Also, games need to have interactivity – if it’s social, if it’s a challenge, that’s great. The best games put you into a role. Gamification is purposeful. It’s designed to teach students something."
As a professor at East Carolina University's College of Education, Todd makes a point of using gamification to teach gamification. He aims for transformative experiences to help his students truly understand what learning feels like so that, when they become educators themselves, they'll be equipped with another powerful strategy for student success.
Student Engagement is a Science
Why gamify? Simply put, it may be the best way to ensure student engagement. Todd believes that inventing and playing games is part of being human. Here's his description of how they're integral to learning:
"When you engage with somebody and you’re really paying attention, there’s an intensity, a commitment, a participation. It’s physical, emotional, and strategic. And the research shows that if you have students do something engaging and then have content that occurs right after it, because dopamine is released and the hippocampus responds to dopamine, then recall is increased. And you don’t even have to have the activity relate to what they’re about to learn."
Todd also recommended energizers, another dopamine-boosting strategy: "Energizers give students' brain a break so that they can come back to the learning engaged. And the neat thing about them is that they are economical, maybe four minutes long. But that four minutes can be really important for student attention. So you can have a learning activity, and then some kind of energizer after the activity, and that can have the same effect as a gamified activity."
Design Games For Fun and Learning
As an educator who's consulted for EdTech developers, Todd understands which games will best engage students:
"We do things to infantilize kids, whereas kids – adolescents in particular – have a more complex aesthetic. And they can tell whether it comes from someone’s heart or it’s just designed to have them build skills. When you're really interested in their opinion, students will tell you what they feel. Even a shrug means a whole lot. But I’d say for EdTech companies, start with what you think will give the audience the most pleasure, before the skill. Because that’s central to any game – not just the game design, but also the aesthetics, that sense of delight. My other piece of advice is that we need to prioritize transfer, meaning that if you learn something in one situation, that learning transfers to another, usually authentic situation. So have a product that’s committed not just to simple skill-building, but to having students seeing how it can be used in the real world as well."
Bottom line: When you make learning fun, you'll have students who recall better, perform better, and are more successful.
Here's the full transcript of Todd's podcast episode.
Resources Mentioned in this Episode:
Terms Todd mentioned:
Energizers (physical or group activities used to raise the energy level of a classroom or meeting)
Freemium (a web business model offering users the basic features of a product or service at no cost)
Game-based learning (the use of already-existing games as a teaching strategy)
Gamification (an approach for increasing learners’ motivation and engagement by incorporating game design elements in educational environments)
Perspective-taking (an ingredient of successful gaming and simulation that enables recognition of another person's viewpoint and understanding of their reality)
Student engagement (the degree of attention, curiosity, interest, optimism, and passion that students show when they are learning or being taught)
Transfer of learning (the capacity to apply acquired knowledge and skills to new situations)
Apps, games, and platforms Todd mentioned:
BuzzIn Live (an online buzzer system adaptable to any kind of gaming use)
Kahoot (a game-based learning platform)
Mindcrack (a creative problem-solving game that was repurposed for educators
Quizizz (a gamified student engagement platform)
Quizlet (a free website providing learning tools for students)
SuperBetter (a gaming app by game designer Jane McGonagal)
Books Inspiring Todd right now:
The Extended Mind by Annie Murphy Paul
SuperBetter: The Power of Living Gamefully by Jane McGonagal
Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
All Things Todd:
Brain Blasts (Todd's at-a-glance graphic presentations of teaching and learning strategies)
Todd’s Brain Newsletter (full of strategies and ideas for teachers)
Elana Leoni, Host
Elana Leoni has dedicated the majority of her career to improving K-12 education. Prior to founding LCG, she spent eight years leading the marketing and community strategy for the George Lucas Educational Foundation where she grew Edutopia’s social media presence exponentially to reach over 20 million education change-makers every month.
Todd Finley, Ph.D., Guest
Todd Blake Finley, Ph.D., a tenured professor of English Education at East Carolina University, doesn't write like an academic. Previously, he taught elementary school and 7-12th grade English in Minneapolis and co-developed the Tar River Writing Project. In 2014 and 2015, he was selected as one of the Top 12 Global Teacher Bloggers by Cathy Rubin for the Huffington Post. Todd has published two books on teaching, numerous e-books, over 150 blogs, and articles for Edutopia, and his prolific and tactical "Brain Blasts" on Twitter are widely shared. His mission is to super-size teachers’ joy and effectiveness.
About All Things Marketing and Education
What if marketing was judged solely by the level of value it brings to its audience? Welcome to All Things Marketing and Education, a podcast that lives at the intersection of marketing and you guessed it, education. Each week, Elana Leoni, CEO of Leoni Consulting Group, highlights innovative social media marketing, community-building, and content marketing strategies that can significantly increase brand awareness, engagement, and revenue.
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