Epic Fail or Win? Gamifying Learning in My Classroom
Every week for 17 years, I've heard my students ask, "What do I need to do to get an A?" Historically, many have focused on their grade rather than on fundamental skills. My attempt to change this mindset started two years ago when I gamified learning in my classes. After researching gamification and its potential to help students master skills and processes, I used the 3DGameLab and then Gradecraft to develop and implement game-based learning. In each class, students could choose "quests" that, if completed successfully, earned them badges and experience points. Each open-source badge was developed using Badg.us so that students could take them into the digital universe (e.g. attach to resumes, ePortfolios, etc.) and -- unlike grades on a transcript -- document skills they've mastered.
Klondike - Rush for Gold
In the summer of 1897 two ocean going steamers landed on the west coast of the United States. One ship, The Excelsior, landed in San Francisco and three days later The Portland landed in Seattle. Down the gangplank of these two ships went a rag-tag group of men and women carrying sacks of gold. Some walked down the docks with $5,000 worth of gold while others had over $100,000 worth. The miners told of the rich claims they had staked one year earlier on a series of small creeks flowing into the Klondike River. This new goldfield, in the northwest corner of Canada, was said to be the richest gold find in all of history with enough work for tens of thousands of people.
Five of the best CLIL resources online - CLIL Media
In the posts on this website I usually share my opinion on CLIL as well as share some ideas of others. This time however, I would like to share CLIL resources that I think are really worth your time and can be used to advance both your knowledge of CLIL as well as help you with ideas for your lessons. 1.
The crayola-fication of the world: How we gave colors names, and it messed with our brains (part I)
“Who in the rainbow can draw the line where the violet tint ends and the orange tint begins? Distinctly we see the difference of the colors, but where exactly does the one first blendingly enter into the other? So with sanity and insanity.”—Herman Melville, Billy Budd Spectral Rhythm. Screen Print by Scott Campbell.
Horse race dictation
It is enjoyable because students are asked to predict the first word, in the same way people try to guess which horse will come first in a race, giving a strong motivation for the short but very intensive listening activity, in the form of a horse race commentary, which gives the solution. PreparationChoose a sentence and write words in random order on the left of the board, as in the example below. You also need to prepare a commentary, which should be challenging enough to make it interesting but not too difficult.
You Have The Power
Understanding energy and energy solutions is necessary if current and future generations are going to help solve our energy challenges. Being armed with a greater understanding of energy allows us to be better decision-makers and to make wiser choices in our personal lives, as well as in our communities. Energy-related decisions usually require the work of many experts to address economic, political, environmental, social, and other factors. But in this interactive, the decision belongs to students. Use or adapt these prompts to engage your students in the interactive: What does it mean to make an informed energy decision?
7+1 tips to make CLIL work with your class
CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning) has been adopted by a growing number of schools and language schools for a number of reasons, including more opportunities for language practice, motivation for learners who are interested in subjects other than English and developing 21st century skills. Yet, many educators often feel that the syllabus and previously followed practices, hinder CLIL and their students are deprived of the opportunity to reap benefits from its implementation. Indeed, habits from the past may jeopardize the efforts of the leadership and the teaching staff to facilitate learning and raise the standards.
EWG's 2013 Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce™
EWG's 2013 Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce™ Eat fruits and vegetables! The health benefits of a diet rich in fruits and vegetables outweigh the risks of pesticide exposure. Use EWG's Shopper's Guide to Pesticides™ to reduce your exposures as much as possible, but eating conventionally-grown produce is far better than not eating fruits and vegetables at all.
Alphabet Soup Game - Build words from missing letters!
Begin Game! alphabet-soup con__ve!@#$@!concave;connive$%^%$p_a_t!@#$@!
