Barbie Inboden has thirty fifth-grade students this school year. That's a lot of preteen energy to manage! One strategy that has worked well in engaging everyone has been the gamification of class content.
She has also used Gimkit to reinforce classroom procedures. But what I think is even more remarkable is that Barbie has used Gimkit to teach the students about each other, pulling tidbits from community circles and informal conversations. To me, that's worth all of the experience points and badges combined.
In education, gamification is intended to transform traditional lessons into an enhanced learning experience where students choose to explore and practice content, earning badges and status benefits. Edutopia, December 2021
Barbie has experimented with several gamification platforms, including Kahoot and Blooket, but Gimkit is the current class favorite. Here is what they love about Gimkit.
- Gimkit randomizes teams. Students can't turn to the same partner or teammates time after time.
- Gimkit relies on class cooperation and collaboration. Students have to work together to find answers. Barbie likes how they hold each other accountable.
- Students join a game by entering a code. They don't create accounts with usernames and passwords. We love this in the Technology Department! Barbie asks that they use their first name with an emoji. Though students might prefer silly aliases, games can provide valuable formative assessment data
- The students love the graphics. Kids agree that Gimkit feels like Mario -- a good thing
- Gimkit is fast-paced. Everyone participates, and everyone is engaged. She loves that all kids can participate, including striving readers and multi-lingual learners.
Kristin Patrick, Blended Learning Coach
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