Classcraft

https://www.classcraft.com/

I have been looking into a way to "gamify" my future classroom and I feel like this is the program that I would like to use to do so (with school permission first of course). Classcraft mirrors the hugely popular MMO game Warcraft, but designed for the classroom. The website allows students to select and build a character of their interest with certain powers and abilities specific to each. The character can gain points, XP, and even gold pieces by accomplishing task within the classroom such as answering questions in class or handing in homework on time. As more XP is earned students level their character up. Levelling up unlocks new privileges like listening to ipods or bringing food to class. on the flipside, they can lose points for negative behaviours thus losing privileges. This system I believe would make classroom management a breeze. Parents can join in too!

Also, if you upgrade to the premium, there are extra options that sound incredibly useful like online discussion panels and ability to upload resources. By uploading resources, students can work together to complete "as" and "for" assessments in the form of a "Boss Battle" to gain huge rewards. In a world where most students are playing games daily that provide instantaneous reinforcement, Classcraft seems like a good way to bring that into the classroom. The premium upgrades I think are worth the modest 8$ a month fee (free to teachers if the school decides they want to subscribe).

The Classcraft support is very helpful and thorough. There are weekly training webinars, community forums, and online support too. 

I'd be very interested to hear of possible negative feedback on using this application or negative feedback on classroom gamification in general.

National Geographic Education

http://nationalgeographic.org/education/

Upon some investigation into a Science Methods assignment that required a Manitoba curriculum aligned resource, made by a third party outside of Manitoba that is freely distributed, I stumbled upon this beautiful page. For those of you who haven't seen the Nat-Geo Education resource, it is unbelievable. The page consists of a inspiring ideas, activities, guides, games, lessons, and even full units, all of which a free to download. The resources range in their audience from kindergarten all the way up through to grade 12 as well. The website is consistently being updated as well to stay relevant with current issues in the world.

The resource from this page my assignment partner and I decided on for our report revolves around a Deep Sea Adventure embarked upon by the great director James Cameron. The inspiring director had made the decision to dive to the deepest part of Marianas' Trench off the coast of Guam; a mission that compares in difficulty to landing on the Moon. The lesson involves investigating properties of submersible vessels that can withstand incredible pressures. The lessons are so well laid that even activation questions are outlined along with expected responses. There are also online videos and interactives to work with as well. This lesson, (among many others) seem like a great way to take students on a field trip that would not be possible without an unlimited budget. (and unlimited liability).

I will definitely be incorporating many of these lessons into my future classroom!