What's the score? iKnow!, Moodle, and Gamification
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iKnow! is a popular spaced repetition software (SRS) for studying Japanese, Chinese, and English. Although iKnow! is not marketed as a game, it includes numerous game-like elements among the iKnow! suite of three applications; iKnow, BrainSpeed, and Dictation. McGonigal, J. (2011). Reality is broken: Why games make us better and how they can change the world. Penguin Schell, J. (2008). The Art of Game Design: A book of lenses. CRC Press. by Dubhgan Hinchey Apps McGonigal (2011) outlines all games as,” sharing four defined traits: a goal, rules, a feedback system, and voluntary participation” (p. 21). Schell (2008) "A game is a problem solving activity approached with a playful attitude“ (p. 37). What’s the score? iKnow!, Moodle, and Gamification All apps are games as stated by McGonigal (2011) and Schell (2008), though rules and goals vary by app. Meta data is collected from all 3 apps to calculate study time. All the 5 Principles apply depending on language environment Prin. 1) Active, Critical Prin. 2) Design Prin. 3) Semiotic Prin. 4) Semiotic Domains Prin. 5) Meta-level thinking about Semiotic Domain Basic Principles Application of Input Multimodal & Subset Insider & Multiple Routes Future Moodle integration If students are placed in an English speaking lab or have a need to present or publish in English, then there is more of a case for the 5 principles being applicable. Such students, as Gee (2007) states, would experience the world in new ways, form new affiliations, and prepare for their future learning (p. 24). Gee, J. P. (2007). What video games have to teach us about learning and literacy.: Revised and Updated Edition. Macmillan. 10 of the 36 Learning Principles Prin. 6) “Psychosocial Moratorium” Prin. 10) Amplification of Input Prin. 12) Practice Prin. 14) “Regime of Competence” Prin. 16) Multiple Routes Prin. 20) Multimodal Prin. 23) Subset Prin. 27) Explicit Information On-Demand and Just-in- Time Prin. 33) Distributed Prin. 36) Insider Strong Principles “Regime of Competence” “Psychosocial Moratorium” Practice & Explicit Info. Distributed
description
Spaced Repetition Software (SRS) has a long history of use in English language teaching. Current smart phone adoption, online app stores, and the general decrease in the price of tablets have created a new platform and market for commercial SRS services. Such services are often marketed as being fun and game like. The critical question is how faithfully gamification is being applied in the commercial, education market and what elements of gamification are lacking in the available options. This presentation will take an objective look at the commercial service iKnow!, identifying elements of gamification and ascertaining which James Gee’s 36 Learning Principles are in use. Suggestions on how to support the identified lacking elements with a Moodle installation will be presented.
Transcript of What's the score? iKnow!, Moodle, and Gamification
iKnow! is a popular spaced repetition software (SRS) for studying Japanese, Chinese, and English. Although iKnow! is not marketed as a game, it includes numerous game-like elements among the iKnow! suite of three applications; iKnow, BrainSpeed, and Dictation.
McGonigal, J. (2011). Reality is broken: Why games make us better and how they can change the world. Penguin
Schell, J. (2008). The Art of Game Design: A book of lenses. CRC Press.
by Dubhgan Hinchey
Apps
McGonigal (2011) outlines all games as,” sharing four defined traits: a goal, rules, a feedback system, and voluntary participation” (p. 21).Schell (2008) "A game is a problem solving activity approached with a playful attitude“ (p. 37).
What’s the score? iKnow!, Moodle, and Gamification
All apps are games as stated by McGonigal (2011) and Schell (2008), though rules and goals vary by app. Meta data is collected from all 3 apps to calculate study time.
All the 5 Principles apply depending on language environmentPrin. 1) Active, Critical Prin. 2) Design Prin. 3) Semiotic Prin. 4) Semiotic DomainsPrin. 5) Meta-level thinking about Semiotic Domain
Basic Principles
Application of Input
Multimodal & Subset
Insider & Multiple Routes
Future Moodle integration
If students are placed in an English speaking lab or have a need to present or publish in English, then there is more of a case for the 5 principles being applicable. Such students, as Gee (2007) states, would experience the world in new ways, form new affiliations, and prepare for their future learning (p. 24).Gee, J. P. (2007). What video games have to teach us about learning and literacy.: Revised and Updated Edition. Macmillan.
10 of the 36 Learning PrinciplesPrin. 6) “Psychosocial Moratorium”Prin. 10) Amplification of Input Prin. 12) Practice Prin. 14) “Regime of Competence”Prin. 16) Multiple Routes Prin. 20) Multimodal Prin. 23) SubsetPrin. 27) Explicit Information On-Demand and Just-in-Time Prin. 33) Distributed Prin. 36) Insider
Strong Principles
“Regime of Competence”
“Psychosocial Moratorium”
Practice & Explicit Info.
Distributed
