Well look at me beginning my blog by again apologizing for the delay in between them. I keep accepting presentation offers, additional projects and even started a YouTube channel - click here to check it out! I am spreading myself thin, surprise a teacher doing too much ;) I haven't forgotten about this Blog just been swamped. 

Anyway, the idea for this blog came to me after I spoke at a conference and overheard a group of teachers who had just entered the profession talking and mentioning things like, "I didn't think I could do that" or "I don't think I'd be able to do that". So I wanted to write an open letter to all teachers, especially the new and/or still in school about my experience as a teacher up to now. From being told I would fail to having my ideas questioned I followed my passions and ultimately I have never been happier as a teacher nor have I had a such a successful classroom. 

So here it is ... 

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                                                                 Follow Your Passions and Put Your Students First
                                                                                       An Open Letter to Teachers

"You are going to fail as a teacher..."
 
Those were the words of my first practicum host teacher. Why? Was I too unprofessional or chronically late? Did I assess poorly or not care about my students? Nope! I was having "too much fun in the classroom". Now, for those of you who do not know me, telling me I cannot do something is not the best deterrent - it is a motivator! It was this exact moment that I knew where my educational career was going to go. I was going to infuse fun back into the classroom and by doing so would boost engagement and improve grades! I hoped anyway...
 
My name is Scott Hebert and I currently teach in the city of Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, Canada at Our Lady of the Angels Catholic School. My teaching load consists of grade 8 sciences and technologies from grade 6 to 8. However, I began my career working at Wesmtount Charter School in Calgary, Alberta, Canada where I was the elementary Physical Education specialist. I believe every teacher should have to teach at least one year in an elementary class because it will really open your eyes. When children begin school they are often full of life and excited about school. School recognizes, and even caters to this by infusing a lot of play, imagination and creativity in early grades. Sadly, and this is where my main goals arose from, they begin to remove it (play/fun/imagination/creativity) rather quickly as children progress further in their education. Why? Well, we need more reading, writing and math of course! Wrong.
 
Education should be about fun because when you are having fun, contrary to popular belief, you are in fact learning! Fun and play are innate in us! No one goes alright I have nothing to do and to fill that void I'll find something to do that is the most boring thing possible! My goal was to infuse play back into this physical education program. Less sit down, listen, watch videos of people demonstrating and more get up and get moving. I then added a focus on team work and strategy. I began intramural programs and had over 85% of the grade 3/4 student population playing - so many had never played a group sport before! We made action movie trailers using iMovie to learn gymnastics and designed games for younger students. By infusing play back into a course specifically designed to be about play we began to see amazing results in other classes and I made great connections with my students. This led to being selected for the Alberta Excellence in Teaching Award at 27. An award I was given on the exact principles I was told would be the death of my career. 
 
Sadly, we received some news in our family life that caused me to move cities for family. I now found myself in a middle school, teaching grade 8 sciences. The youthful exuberance for education was now gone in most of them. They were just going through the motions, Googling project ideas and not caring as much as they could about the course materials. I wanted to change this so it was back to my idea, my passion of fun in the classroom.
 
A colleague of mine, David Head, sent me a short video by the "Extra Credit" YouTube channel explaining that school would be awesome if we treated it like a game. Further research led me to the discovery of the concept of "Gamification". This was a concept used in business and marketing but not a whole lot in education. Generally speaking it is the idea of using game design principals in a non-game setting. I got to planning - it was time to make my class awesome!
 
I subsequently created "The Fight for Scientia Terra", a year long, medieval themed gamification in which students battle me, each other and other classes with the goal of taking down the evil Minotaur King. I adapted the language of my class to fit a game (i.e.: tests = boss battles, work = questing, etc..) I slowly morphed my classroom in a medieval land.  I made over 40 card games with perks/rewards for individuals or teams, added an emphasis on progress not failure (that is a whole other blog post!) and created goals not assignments. I wrapped it up nicely with a year long story and a running narrative of characters they discover and interact with and problems they encounter and need to solve. The results were spectacular! I had students engaged in the sciences like never before. Wanting extra work, collaborating and meeting deadlines like never before. It even doubled as a classroom management system and boosted grades 7-12% on average. The program even won the International 2015 Gamification of Education Project of the Year Award as given by the World Gamification Congress! Again - success based on what I was told would be my silver bullet. 
 
Gamification is still new but the results are incredible! I would encourage all teachers out there who need some help with engagement or classroom management to give it a try. It can be daunting at first but start small. The results are worth every second you put into it!

So what is the big take away message here? The idea is to follow your passion as a teacher and bring it into your classrooms! New or veteran it is never too late or early to change. There is nothing more powerful to a student then when they see you, their teacher, engaged and enthusiastic about their classroom/subject. It becomes infectious, it is like a disease. It will spread and it will bring about a total change in your class culture.

Are you passionate about pop-culture? Infuse it into your room and work. Music, the arts, technology, whatever it may be bring it in and own it! Do you believe you lack a true passion? Ask your students what they like and create a space designed around their loves ... a music corner or a sports cave or anything they'd like! 

I often think about that day I was told I would fail. What if I did listen to this host teacher? Would I be happy? Would I be making a difference in students' lives? I will never know for sure but my guess would be no, not likely.

As a new teacher, a young teacher or even a teacher in training, we are the teachers who will be bringing up the next generation. We are the ones who will be helping shape the education system. Why would we carry on with the same old way in education? What is my advice to you ...

Find your passion and apply it to your classroom! Let nothing stop you. Follow your heart as well as your gut. Be the change you always wish you had experienced a student. 
 
I will never teach any other way again! Gamification is a real Game-Changer for me - what will yours be?
 
Scott Hebert
Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, Canada
 
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So there you go. If you have an idea, run with it. If you have a passion, follow it. If you have a skill, infuse it. Together we can change the perception of school to meet the needs of our students instead of hindering them. 

As George Couros says, "Are your students succeeding because of you or in spite of you?" 

Just my two cents, I'd love yours! 

Until next time, 

-Master Heebs
(Scott Hebert)

Hey everyone!

Seems like I’m always apologizing about delays – doh! Just marked over 500 quests so I’ve been burning the midnight oil over here. Totally fine though the results are incredibly worth it!

Anyway, I’ll post a separate blog later regarding how you can use scratch ticket paper, based on my previous blog, effectively in your classroom. I recently presented at the 21CTLS Conference in Ponoka, Alberta and a question I always seem to get is – what is one of, if not the most important thing I should be doing in my Gamification. My answer every time, while not agreed upon by all, is …

To make them believe it!

Let me explain… this is a big one!

When I decided to gamify my class and go through with this full bore I knew that it could be an uphill battle if my students did not think it was “cool” enough for them to participate in it. In the eyes of students, if it does not float their boat they could sink it. I knew that if I was trying to convince 12-14 year old kids to become medieval characters in a desolate land, ravaged by a fear mongering warlord (the Minotaur King) I would need to sell it to them and they would have to bite into it hook, line and sinker.

My first approach was to look at all the elements of my land I wanted to come to life. Do this by simply listing them out. I knew at the onset of my game I was going to be …

• Selling cards of varying types
• Expecting the class to be medieval themed
• They (the students) were mercenaries I brought in to help me
• I want a place to do battle with kids (submit certain types of work)
• I wanted mystery/puzzles
• A communal space for cross classroom communication

 
Here is how I attacked these known elements in my classroom.

• Selling Cards

I’m fortunate that my classroom contains some old display cases with locks. They stand out and are great for storage but do not take up any usable classroom space – perfect! I ripped everything out of them and decided if it was medieval it would be brick and wood. So I printed high quality photos of brick and wood and created a backdrop of red brick and a wood panel floor (I even staggered the wood to simulate flooring – nerd alert!). It did not look right to me so I printed off a poster style old school store and attached it to the middle. Was still missing something. Shelves! So I printed strips of wood and created make shift shelves. The tacks stood out too much so I printed metal,  ancient nail heads and glued them over the tacks to hid them. Finally, a general, disgruntled shop keeper was printed and heck ya I had a shop!

​Here is how it turned out! 

I quickly realized that I had too much cards to sell so I used the second portion of the display case and followed the same steps above to create a blacksmith shop which would sell my crafting cards! For added effect I found an old steel girder (looks like a makeshift anvil) and put some crushed rock, wood splinters and various other scraps in the case to simulate it being messy and containing real supplies.

​Here is how that turned out! 

Then I needed a way to rotate in the cards for sale (never sell all cards at once – a solid tip with shops is to rotate cards in and out so that students have to plan and react when certain cards are available). This was an easy solution, laminated standard paper with dry erase marker and my shop had some signage.

Not being super artsy I was really pleased with how this turned out! The final touch was an old, cracked and broken 2x4 I found at a construction site, stained with dirt and I added some old, frail ropes. Some paint and hooks and my “Shops” area was complete!

Oh – I also had student paint the exterior of the display cases brown by dabbing them with an old, semi-ruined paint brush to simulate wood grain and it really sold the effect!
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The final product! 

• .Medieval Theme 

I needed the class to feel medieval so I started by covering the walls, poorly I might add, with blue paper on the walls by the windows to simulate a sky. I then added some clouds and various décor on the sky but it was lacking so I printed off images of old buildings, forests, trails, caves and the like. It put them around the room (these also doubled as my trigger images for certain quests!). This coupled with my stores were starting to get the effect I was looking for. I then had a student ask me if I wanted some green, outdoor mat/fake grass. I said sure expecting a small amount but they arrived with an entire 12ft wide roll! I went to town with that roll covering almost all of the ledges in my classroom so that the sky now met grass. Bonus! The grass though needed something so I threw it out there to message boards asking for old board game pieces, medieval items and the like. To my surprise someone donated over $300.00 worth of war hammer/dungeon and dragon characters to my classroom. We painted them out, threw some red paint around to simulate battles and the classroom was really beginning to take shape! I even had a colleague build and design broken down structures and buildings out of balsa wood sticks which totally added to the desired effect. Something like this …   

Then, because I’m a little too dedicated I began looking for old things that could pass as medieval or ancient. Some old musical theatre props, old chains, a horse skull (you read that correctly), some more red and brown paint, some scratches here and there and I was in business.

​Seriously, how cool is that skull! 

• Mercenaries to help me!

 
The cool part here is that I was totaling willing to accept the fact that this might just fail miserably, when you gamify that is totally OK! Some ideas will seem incredible and not work out at all while tiny ideas might explode into memorable moments or events. Let them roll either way! I decided to strip everything from my room, tables, chairs, supplies – I took it all! Why? Well, if I was hiring mercenaries to help me survive in a “warn torn” land full of monsters an bad guys they would arrive with only the materials they could carry. I needed to reflect that in the game so I took it all away, put tape on the group to divide up the territories and explained to them the aforementioned rational. Their reaction? “How do we get stuff?” “Get crafting cards and convince me that they would create something like you know old cloth card + cotton card + rope card would make a pillow” “So if I do that I get a pillow to sit on!?” “Of course!” Now they are hooked! The other cool thing that happened was that kids are always moving so they are always being active in big or small doses. I love this because I hate prolonged periods of sitting! It is actually a huge health concern at the moment!
​
Voila! 

• Battlegrounds

I wanted a space to battle them when they submitted work so I decided why not just build one?! We had an old Lego Robotics table that was about to be junked (about 4x8 or so) so I decided why not take it and fill it with sand (sorry custodial staff!). I then added some rocks, sticks and things to simulate an aerial view of a desert, beat up land. Our incredible art teacher molded some foam bricks into rocks and other shapes and a little silver paint here and there made the concept come to life. It was not what I wanted though, it needed a game element so again on the prowl for old board games! Someone messaged me that they have the old board game Siege! Jackpot! This is a game where you have elastic loaded castles, rocks and various other medieval figures. It also had land masses, paths and trees! I added this to the board and all of a sudden I had a board game! As kids dolled out damage to the monsters on their battle sheets (worksheets) they earned rolls of a dice and the ability to move up the board and fire at my army of bad guys (insert more war hammer figures!) and my castle. They inflict damage and I award them with gold!
​
Here is the final product – I’m proud of this one! 

• Mystery!

 
I wanted my game to hold an element of mystery so I began looking for different elements that generated that. First off, I covered certain parts of my classroom with black paper and question marks or placed envelopes with dirt and debris smeared onto them around the room. I created a board in the back of the room that holds treasure hunt clues where I unveil different hints towards items I have hidden in the school. I write things in different languages hoping the students will try and translate it (Latin is the language of Scientia Terra!) and various other things. I even setup things with no explanation hoping the kids will poke around it, explore it and ultimately make hypothesis about it and how it could help/hinder them! Love this aspect and it is a real game changer. Being vague is a good thing as it hooks your students! 

• Class to Class Communication

This one was easy enough for me. I have a large cork board in the back of my room so I covered it in blue paper to look like sky then printed out old wooden planks, cut them and placed them in a boarder format to create the outline of a message board. To really sell the effect I effect cut the paper off in the frame revealing the cork board and creating an awesome looking message board! I printed off some old wooden signs and labelled them with sharpie in a broken, shakey style writing and adding them around the board to label the certain zones.

Here is what it looked like!

Here kids, just like a medieval community message board, they could post items for sale, tips and clues, secret meeting or even talk in codes (yes some guilds did this!). It also became my way of communicating important messages such as calling for emergency meetings and things like that but not telling them thereby awarding the observant students in your class! 

From here just think - what would ____ land or situation have! Let your imagination fly!

​ Old cubby space that looks like this … 

This is where I toss all of the unnamed or unclaimed work! Missing something? Oh no, you’ll have to crawl into the “Cave of the Abandoned!”. Next time put your name on it! 

Took an old TV, I’m going to wrap it with cardboard and create a stone frame on the cardboard and call it “My Tablet of Truth” and periodically it will display messages or clues at random (thank you ChromeCast!). My front lab desk looked ugly so I hired kids to turn it into a castle and my chair a thrown (slip cover + paper mache!) This hasn't been completed yet but it will be soon! The list goes on and on. Go wild!

So what was the point of this post! To sell your Gamification you have to market it to the kids. Make them believe they are in space, in a western adventure or travelling back in time! Sell your concept and you will succeed in the face of any adversity! Your kids will never work harder!

Oh! Involve the kids in the design process. The sense of ownership keeps your classroom clean and well-structured because they hate the idea of ruining something they created!

Until next time!
-Master Heebs!

Hello!, 

I was not going to post this Blog just yet but I have been getting a barrage of questions about my recent Twitter and Instagram posts where I showcased my custom scratch tickets! Since today (the 18th) is my birthday and I'm writing this post it goes to show you how committed I am to you all and my cause of Gamification! :) 

Here we go ... 

The first question to address here is where I got my scratch ticket stickers/paper. While there are multiple places you can buy this online I always order from MyScratchOffs. Click here to check out their website. They have a wide variety of styles, shapes, sizes and colours to choose from - some really cool holographic ones too!. They are top quality and always come as advertised. I also find their prices to be very fair and their shipping to be quick and reliable. I ordered and received them in less than 2 weeks and I live in Canada - so that was impressive! 

If budget is not a hurdle for you they can even be contacted to create custom designs to best suit your vision. What is also unique about them is that they sell full size scratch sheets which also allows for total customization and creativity! Overall, this is my go to recourse if I am buying them. 

But what if budget is an issue for you and you cannot afford to purchase a set? No problem at all, here are a couple of links that allow you to create your own scratch off paint. Before I found MyScratchOffs I made my scratch cards this way. It does take a little more time and effort but it does work quite well!

Scratch Paint Link 1

Scratch Paint Link 2

Here why not ... a great YouTube tutorial as well! 

​Now ... it is time to walk you through how to create your own scratch cards! Gamification or not these are HUGE motivators for kids because who does not love the element of surprise or uncertainty?!

Step 1: Create Your Design 
*Note* For this tutorial I'll be walking you through how I created my loot bags *Note*

Before you get to this point you kind of need to have an idea about how you would like to use your cards. I decided that I wanted to create loot bags that could be found throughout my game, specifically when they defeated a monster or an enemy (I really wanted that RPG lke feel). I predominantly have enemies drop these bags when they are defeated and kids LOVE it! 

When I decided this I knew that I wanted to keep the dimensions of these cards to that of my game cards so I measured the pockets of my inventory holder and created a digital template that looks like this ... 

I decided to make the inner circle approximately 2" wide which is where I would be putting the prize information. Once I added the text boxes and adjusted the font I had something that looked like this ... 

A good idea here is to make some obvious so they know what prize they won but you can also create some more open ended prizes for added intrigue. For example, I have specific images on my game cards that I carefully selected so for example if I say "You find a chess piece" the players (students) need to figure out that it means they just found a Strategy Session card because it has a knocked over chess piece on a chess board as its card image. This also fosters a deeper understanding of your cards because kids have to know them to understand when they find them. Also, make sure to make losing cards too i.e.: "You find nothing" or "You find some useless bones". If everything wins the intrigue sort of dies off but if they know they can lose and it is not guaranteed, when they do win it increases motivation and the thrill of uncovering a prize! 

Next on the list is to print them out and a massive tip here is to use Card Stock paper! You want at least a 50lb value on the paper to ensure that it holds its shape and does not get destroyed both when it gets printed on and especially when it is scratched. Normal, run of the mill paper here will not fly. Once you have that set it will look something like this ... 

I'm pretty big on the idea of your game being totally immersive to the player so I'm big on not using plain ol' white paper. A simple check of an arts and craft store will reveal A TON of different card stock options. Try to pick something that will suit the style of your game. Above, you can see I used a burlap, worn type of card stock and it works perfectly towards the style/theme I want to create. 

A quick reminder, if your card stock is dark and does not allow for good quality printing of the text just make the text box filled with a white-ish colour and you can print on anything because the printer helps create the white space you need. While this does not always work it has helped me manage darker than expected card stocks!

Now that you have your items ready you are on to the finishing touches. First, DO NOT CUT THEM YET! Place your stickers, or your paint, over the area you want to conceal and be revealed when you scratch it. When you are done you will have something that looks like this...

Notice that even though the stickers do not fit the circle perfectly it is OK! In my next design I'll be shrinking the circle or removing it entirely it. For the first couple it is really effective to help you, and the players, know where to scratch. Sometimes they just start to scratch everything and anything when you introduce these so having that target circle often helps keep people a little more under control! 

Now, the creative part! I realized I did not like the looks of just this, and really who would - boring! So I found a graphic for an old style burlap, mesh type bag! I duplicated the template I showed earlier in the post and added the bag over top of it and lined it up so it all fit nicely. Then the crucial part, delete everything but the bag! When you are done you will get something that looks like this ... the left being the template to fill in and the right being the graphic overlay...

Now that you have the template and the overlap put your stickered, scratch off cards, still UNCUT, back into the printer and print just the overlay page! When you do that you get this ...

(...ignore the hole punch I accidentally set the photocopier to hole punch - doh!) 

The scratch ticket paper, whether you make it yourself or buy the stickers is totally printable! The incredible part about this is that because you can print on it you are only limited to your own creativity! Printing on them allows you to fully customize each and every scratch sticker you create! As you can see I will be removing the outer circle later on for a more seamless look but I'll keep it in for now so they (my students) know where to scratch! 

The last thing to do is to test it to make sure it work! 

And of course they will! Why? Because you are awesome and read my blog! :) 

So there you have it! A brief how to regarding the creation of your own scratch tickets for your class. 

In my next post I'll give you some more ideas about how you can use this idea in your classroom. I use them in about 3 to 4 different ways at minimum and I'll be sure to share them with you a little later on! 

Finally, a small gift to you! Here is a copy of my loot bag template! Just fill in your prizes and print! 

Now, go get the word out and start scratching your way to victory! 

Until next time! 

-Master Heebs
​

Hello people of Scientia Terra! 
​
Having a substitute teacher in your class can be a difficult task for both the teacher and the sub. As the teacher, what should you plan to ensure something gets done in your absence? As the sub, will the kids listen to you and get things done or will they push the limits? It is sometimes a tricky dance but I do believe that Gamification contains the answer …

When I had to plan for subs last year, which was my first true year in a gamified format, I had to write pretty unique plans because kids would try to circumvent the rules in my absence. Shop keepers would convince subs they could work the bank books and buy and sell cards while others would go into forbidden areas trying to get ahead in the game. When other students would call them out on it they would often get out of it because the sub would not know who was telling the truth. This became challenging and I needed to come up with a way to make it work so that I knew something was getting done, and fairly, while the sub was not stressed about the different environment they were in.

Then it hit me … give the Sub Super Powers!

You read that right! I decided to include substitute teachers into the storyline of my game by making them the carriers of ultra rare cards – which I called Soul Stones. Below are pictures of them … 

These cards can only be issued by substitute teachers and are only awarded to 1 guild per class so in one day in my absence only 4 of them can be issued (1 per class). Since I rarely know when I am going to be away in advance these cards are extremely valuable. The kicker here too is that you need to earn 3 of them to unlock what they do. This has kept the students guessing as to what they will do and to be on their best behaviour when I am away because they want a Soul Stone for their guild! 
​
What about if that does not work? Well sub can do good and bad! If you just cannot get it together then the sub can place a poison curse on you! Here is my curse card …

When you have been dealt a poisonous curse you must address me the next day and play a low percentage dice game for the antidote. If you win then I remove the curse and give you an antidote but if you lose then you perish in the game and I strip you of your gold and items. A massive, massive deterrent to students.
​
To make this work I also have my sub read the following paragraph as the first thing in the plans. It is a good tone setter and reminder to the students that today is worth something special. *Note* I will be modifying this each time ever so slightly to keep the story moving *Note*

So there you have it. Try giving your sub super powers and see how it works.
​
I’ve been away 1 day and in that day more questing (work) was accomplished then I could have ever hoped for!

Awesome!

Until next time …

-Master Heebs

Well that was a huge time between Blog posts! My apologies, life sure can get busy! 

Happy start of the school year to all my fellow teachers!

Alright to finish up my series on game card design! 

Who & When

This is a common question I get all the time, "Who gets the cards and when do I give them out"? It is a simple one to answer because you do not want to overthink this. Anyone in the game can earn any card in the game at whatever point YOU choose. My advice of course though would be to limit the amount of rare or mythical cards early and make them something that is sought after. Once they get a taste for the cards, that is to say your common and basic cards, begin to roll out the more rare and desirable cards. This will keep your kids coming back for more because they will want to see what they can earn or their guild can earn and the more powerful and rare the more pride of possession they exhibit. I also love making a big deal when someone earns something rare or powerful. Why? It makes them feel great and it encourages other students to dig deep into your game to earn the same amount of praise. This of course leads to ...

Where

This is where you get to have some fun. First, I decided to have a general store in my classroom as well as a blacksmith shop. These two shops sell different cards which I rotate in and out on a monthly basis. I pop in  the common ones then I roll out the rare and unique one periodically and I offer them at limited quantities. I even offer sale pricing on items I want to push out to the kids but only run my sales at certain times as well as limited quantities (i.e.: Staff of Wisdom is 50% off Friday at 12:00PM but hurry only 8 available). This really shows you who the true players of your game are because they will come whenever and where ever you ask - which is so cool! 

Second, I love mystery, mystery and more mystery ... oh and puzzles too. Open ended questions, puzzles and mystery keep the kids motivated to solve side quests. Students will go above and beyond to unravel a mystery that takes deep thinking and strategy. Reward them with ultra rare or powerful cards. The more difficult the challenge or more people voluntarily competing the richer the prize should be. You will be shocked what a group of determined students will do in order to earn something no one else has!

Finally, I decided to make my own scratch tickers using scratch off paper I ordered online! Here is the link to the website. Using the different scratch off stickers I was able create prizes such as loot bags. Win a battle and the enemy drops a loot bag that you can pick up and search. Hide scratch off treasure chests in books or as puzzle prizes. I even have a gambling section where students can buy a diamond and scratch to see if it is real. If it is real it unlocks a prize vault (I trade them for the diamond) and they can select their prize. You can even print on them so I make the sheets of designs, then place the stickers then print the final images over top. They awesome when they are done. Budget a little tight, here is how you can make your own scratch off paint ... click here for the link! 

The trick to the where question is simply "Where/How should I give ____ card(s) to the students"? Get creative!

Time for the finale ... 

How

So after all of this, where can you create your own cards? Here are some helpful links to different online card generators...

Magic Card Creator Link 1- My personal favourite! Many different designs for styles and themes

Magic Card Creator Link 2 - Excellent starting point for intro cards

Hearthstone Card Creator - Great for unique, rare or custom looking cards

Pokemon Card Creator  - Great for younger students  

Use any of these links to create cards that best suit your game. Of course you can always build a template using Photoshop then sub the text and graphics in and out but these are definitly some quick fixes in the short term. I use all of these in different ways. You can create different looks, styles and themes of cards and that helps to keep the game fresh and exciting for the kids!

So there you have it, the Who, What, Where, When, Why and How of Gamification in Education card design! Hope you find this helpful! 

Look for my next post about how to handle substitute teachers in a gamified classroom while you are away and kids just might try to play ... illegally! It's a good one! :) 

And as usual...drop me a line, a tweet or a comment if you have any questions! 

Happy gamifiying! 

-Master Heebs

PS: I created a survival guide that hangs in my class that shows all the game cards and how they work while some remain a mystery and they just get to look at the image. Great for creating a buzz, here is mine. 

Game Card Survival Guide

As I left off last week I was teasing the idea of more card ideas before moving into the other categories of card distribution and creation. 

Let's wrap that up first shall we? 

What  - Part Deux

The previous post eluded to how I came up with my different types of major cards in the game but my game goes far deeper than that so I had to think like a gamer to truly hit the idea of progression which is primary focus of almost all games - I would argue all of them! 

Battle Cards

This as a set of cards I wanted to impact a specific area of my game - the guild battles. These battles are mini review games, or just for fun games, that we play once or twice a month to keep engagement high, information fresh and relevant and strategy flowing. 

To design them I thought of what players would do to other players during the course of real game, like a video game per say. They would want disrupt their game play and gain advantages so I thought set out to do this. I have swords (force a player to answer a question) shield (block all attacks) spear (miss a turn) etc ... These are sold cheap enough and are also what I consider my entry level cards. When they begin the game each player selects a character class and each class starts off with 2 different battle cards from this set. They are very popular and add an incredible element of fun to our class work ... I mean quests ;) 

Click here to check out all of the battle cards

Mythic & Rare Cards

This concept is purely gaming with a sprinkle of teaching. Since games love progression and awarding those who work hard or take risks I decided to create a set of cards that would be powerful, rare and very limited. I also wanted them to stand out from the rest so I created them using gold and silver foil backed cards. These cards are only able to be unlocked when students complete side missions, take large risks or try to decipher different puzzles and clues hidden throughout Scientia Terra. They are based off of what students would always want to do such as Invisibility Cloak (allows a student to walk around during a test for 1 minute 'unnoticed') Shape Shifter (this card becomes any card the user wishes) or Hand of God (revive a fallen teammate without losing any gold or items). The trick is to limit the amount of them that you have in the game so they stay rare and powerful. 

For my own class I have 9 of each card or less for 100 students so they are tough to come by and very cherished when they are uncovered, earned or won. 

Click here to check out all of the mythic and rare cards

​Pro Tip: When you are away leave a mythic or rare card for your substitute to distribute with whatever criteria you wish to assign for its distribution. This gives the sub some power in the game (which helps in discipline and effort in the kids) and creates a card that is incredible rare and only available should you be away. Even give the sub a character type like a Wandering Warrior or a Travelling Gypsy or something that fits your game. Kids love this! 

Crafting Cards

The final set of cards I created were to balance out the strong and weaker players. Some players and guilds will excel right off the hop and earn lots of different things while those who are slow to connect, understand or buy in will be slightly left behind. In order to counter act this I decided the best way would be to toss my hat into the Minecraft way of thinking. I created a set of cards that allow kids to create items based on the combinations they choose to blend together. I have building materials such as wood, nails, rope and the like and more mythical items like a dragon's eye or glowing stone. Kids love to mix and match them to see what they can get! 

Click here to check out all of the crafting cards

Why

Now that we have the basics of what to make the idea is why do we even want to do this? 

The answer here is pretty simple. Games are amazing at constantly giving the user that sense of control and acknowledgement of hard work, risk or effort. Using cards in your game will do the exact same thing. It will demonstrate to your students you are recognizing their efforts and it will also foster a sense of control because they earn them and they get to determine when to use them and who they use them on. 

Also, let's not forget that it adds a massive element of fun and strategy. You will see kids keeping cards secret, planning attacks and just enjoying themselves more. 

Finally, it also gives kids goals to achieve. They are able to plan out "OK - I want this card so I have to ...." and that is something that I truly enjoy when I see it happening.  So often we want our kids to be forward thinkers but we do not give them true opportunities to do so! 

That's all for now folks! Part 3 will be coming out sometime this week and will wrap up with the Who Where, When and How of Game Cards.

Up to this point - what do you think? 

Until next time! 

-Master Heebs!

Part 1 ... of 3!

A major component to any gamification in the world of education would be the addition of items. With items, there are always a lot of questions that come along with them. Hopefully this will help some of the most common questions ... 

Let's tackle it with the 5 Ws - The Who, What, When, Where and Why and let's sneak in the How too!

What

Should you not know what items are think of them as privileges or perks that you can unlock during the course of your game. They can be simple or complex, work for individuals or benefit groups. They can be common and frequent or legendary and rare. In essence, they can be anything you want them to be and work in any way you see fit. An essential idea here is to theme your item cards to the theme of your game and use a common language. Do not name them with a futuristic name and style if you want them to be old and more rustic in nature. Students will right away notice a conflict in the theme and the item. This does require some deeper thinking and creativity but it is always worth it!

When I decided to design my items I had to determine what I wanted them to allow players to do. I cut my proverbial hat into two and thought one part like a gamer and one part like a teacher. 

Card Themes

I decided to create four different (at first - more on that below) classes of cards and colour them accordingly. The first theme came from the teacher side of my hat. Access cards - which I made green. Students always want to get something they forgot, wear a hat and things like that so I decided to create my first set of access items along that theme. I designed cards that allowed students to gain access to things they common want/need. For example: to wear hats, access and post on my Instagram (always explain clear rules and expectations when doing something like this but when well executed it is pretty fun!), access their lockers, charge their phones and even play our class X-Box. This gives students a sense of control because they get to determine when they use it and for what purpose. You just need to think like a teacher and ask yourself "What do you my students most commonly ask for?" and design your Access cards around that theme! You would be surprised how having to earn access to your locker or earn a pencil helps students to remember to come to class prepared!

Click here to view all my access cards 

For my second set, I thought both like a teacher and a gamer. I created a set of Modification cards - which I made red. These cards allow the player to modify or impact some aspect of the game. They can change the names of fellow players' avatars (lay out clear expectations and rules for this and always privately ask the player who name is about to be changed if they are OK with it so ensure no inside jokes or quiet bullying is about to promoted), go back in time to revert the change back, blow up other players items that pose a threat to them and modify due dates to extend deadlines! Lots of fun here! 

Click here to view all my modification cards 

​Next I decided to think purely like a gamer for my next two card sets! The first set I decided to create was all about XP - I made these cards blue. Since we are earning XP I decided to allow players to freeze other players XP, steal it and even just destroy it! They can even make a battles sheet or quest worth double the XP. Just remember, as I eluded to in a previous post, separate the graded XP from the game XP. Do no allow players to take XP that effects a students grade. XP is a game mechanic that fuels the competitive so I create copies of my latest up to date graded XP then only allow the students to modify the copy which is not tied my grade book. Hopefully that makes sense but if not fire me a message and I'll help you out! 

Click here to view all of my XP cards 

Finally, I needed to think purely like a gamer and create some attack cards - which I made gold! These cards are used during battle (tests) and during questing (work). They allow players to take choices off of multiple choice questions, ask for help from a peer during a battle, collaborate for a short time during a battle with their guild and make questions worth more on a battle (which backfires if they are wrong). These are probably the most frequently used and purchased. You can get real creative here if you wish! 

Click here to view all of attack cards

​Here are some example of my game cards. If you notice, I stuck with a dark theme as all images contain a dark coloured background and have an old, medieval flair to them. Cards I could not find old versions of, for example my "Song of Fortune" card I decided to keep it aggressive in style to fit the theme. 

But wait ... there's more!

If you are really creative you can get the brain juices flowing and implement one or more of these 3 ideas! 

More on this is part 2 coming in a week or so! 

​Until next time! 

-Master Heebs

​Hello!

My apologies for such a delay between posts. We recently sold our house and moved to a different city, not far away mind you, but when you are moving with children everything just seems a little bit further away. If you’re a parent you follow me …

​Also, I’d like to take this time to thank everyone who attended my sessions on Gamification over the past few weeks. I had a blast presenting at the ERLC and at the Eastside Teacher’s Convention. I received some tremendous feedback and it was very motivating.
​
So, on that note I wanted to touch upon my next topic, and one that I get asked a lot about in Gamification, and that is badges. So what are they?

The Basics

First off, badges are a way to honour the hard work or good behaviours you want to see in your classroom. They can also be for things like exploration, reaching goals or milestones and just about anything you would like to recognize but there is a trick to this. More on that shortly!

The major criticism to badges, or items (which I will blog about in a later post) is that we (gamifiers) are just rewarding with extrinsic rewards and ultimately are not impacting change because the player (student) simply wants what we have and does not care about the learning that comes with it. Really? Are they suggesting that we do not already use extrinsic motivators in school? Let’s explore this a little deeper.

Extrinsic vs. Intrinsic

First off, for those unfamiliar, extrinsic motivation can be defined as motivation that comes from outside the individual. For example I tell a student if you complete this assignment I will give you a piece of candy. They may not want to complete the assignment but the idea of getting a candy is just too much to ignore so the assignment gets completed. The other side is intrinsic motivation which can be defined as motivation coming from within. Using the same example as before, if a student is intrinsically motivated I do not have to offer them a candy because they want to do the assignment. They are motivated by the subject or topic and want to learn more about it so they do it without reward. This is of course ideal in education however is ideal realistic?

I never understand when an educator refuses to use extrinsic motivators for their students. While I am not a proponent of only extrinsic motivators I believe they are necessary in education. We need them in order to help students gain an interest in something that could be otherwise boring to them. Many topics I cover in grade 8 science, in the eyes of a student, pose little interest to them. I need to dangle something in front of them to get their attention. Once I have their attention I wean off the extrinsic reward so that they begin to think less about it. From there, after some time and ideally with some well delivered lessons and creative assignments, I help them develop an intrinsic motivation for the topic, or in a perfect scenario, the subject.

Extrinsic motivation is 100% OK in a classroom as long as you do not depend on it 100% of the time. If that is the only motivator you offer it will become less and less interesting to the student so use them as needed and work on the delivery and materials you present to the students. Help them understand why they should be interested in the subject. Connect it to real work scenarios and up to date information. Help them see it in the world around them and you will eventually begin to foster those intrinsic connections.

So how do you properly use badges then?

Badges & Rewards

The first thing you want to do is design your badges around different themes. The easiest of course is around achievement. Basic ones to consider are earning 100% on an assignment or test or upping your grade significantly from one assessment to the other. These are easy and motivating. They are basic to roll out and simple to track. These however are often where people stop. In a true Gamification your badges and reward system should go deeper.

Just like Xbox, the system that made the “achievement unlocked” famous, you want to show the students the names of the badges they can earn (be creative in naming them) and give them a logo or icon that leads them to want to uncover what it could be. Do not, I repeat do not, give them descriptors of each badge. Why?

Badges should not be rewarded for expected behaviours that are not authentic. What do I mean by that? I have a pretty basic example I always use which led me to roll out badges in the way that I do. Week after week there is always a student who spills their pencil kit in the crowded hallways of our school. Sadly as well, week after week, I see students walk over, around or even through the mess without offering any help. I see the struggle of the student trying to collect their things while people ignore that person. Would it not be nice to see a student stop and help them? This year, I witnessed just that. A student in one of my classes stopped and helped someone pick up their things and stopped people from trampling through. It was genuine and it was authentic and it was what we hoped students would do for each other. I pulled the student aside after because I witnessed this whole thing, unknown to them, and rewarded them with the “Helping Hand” badge. She was excited and humbled. A day later the same scenario happened but a student made a huge scene about how they were helping. Nope. No reward there. They were looking for it and I want students who mean what they do and mean what they say. Rewarding authentic behaviour is a very basic way to keep it going – in my opinion anyway!

I also setup my website so that after a badge is found it shifts from the unknown to the known section and describes who found, how and what they were awarded. Then, the original person to unlock will always have them with them. A little pride thing!

Some basic ideas for badges could be: scoring high on tests and assignments, improving significantly, taking a risk/stepping outside of your comfort zone, offering help to a fellow student, volunteering, raising money in a fundraiser, breaking up an argument, scoring consistently well or high, passing safety tests/programs, attending extra help sessions or solving a problem no one else could … just to name a few.

Here is a link to my badge page for more ideas.

Making Them

Now a major issue here is that you need to determine how you are going to make them. If money is not an option then you can try making, or contracting out, your own pins. Students could wear them right on their clothes, backpacks or pin them binders. However, let’s be real, we work in education and money is always a problem so what is the cash strapped teacher to do?

Head over to your local office supply store, like a Staples here in Canada, and go to the shipping labels. Shipping labels are nothing more than blank stickers right? Get some small ones, medium ones and large one. Also get some in different colours (gold and silver foils look great) and with differently cut edges. You can even buy full size labels that can be cut into anything you’d like.

Now, when you open the pack it will have instructions as to where you can find their pre-made templates! Log on and download the templates. Next, you need to design them but you say you aren’t a graphic designer? No problem at all. Head over to websites like these …

Site #1
Site #2 
Site #3

… and download your favourite free icons. No Photoshop to add text? I have come to realize PowerPoint is a pretty effective photo editor. Layover some text naming the logo, frame it if you’d like and take a snapshot using the Snipping tool (in Windows) or on a Mac press Ctrl+Shift+4. Add the saved snippet onto the template and boom – one achievement badge.

Just like shampoo – lather, rinse and repeat as necessary!

So there is a crash course in Badges 101. Remember the key details

• Do not give away all of the details … just a name and a logo
• Do not give badges every time for everything … look for authentic behaviours!
• Create different classes or themes of badges
• Make more important badges or tougher to unlock ones unique (gold or silver)
• Have fun with it!

Until next time my friends.

Keep gamifying
​
-Master Heebs 

So why did I decided to gamify my class? Well ...

Kids do not really care for school, which as a teacher obviously makes things a little difficult. Teaching Grade 8 Sciences can be difficult and when you are trying to teach someone about cellular biology or the history of light they have a real hard time connecting it to their world and you can lose them along the way. It’s a slippery slope!

So last year  I decided to gamify my entire classroom from September to June - go big or go home right? It was a lot of work and took some real thinking but it has been a revelation to my students. They are working harder, producing better quality work and enjoy our 40 minutes a day together more than I have ever seen before (check out my previous blog post here for some early statistics from my classes).

We, hopefully we I should say, know in education there is a massive engagement crisis. Study after study is being published that continue to reflect a noticeable decline in school engagement. However, when I decided to attack this crisis head on there was one major issue I needed to tackle. Creating a gamification/program that would hit all of my player types. What are player types though?

Usually, for the unaware, people apply Bartle’s Player Types (the style/motivation/reason people play games which are backed by psychology and his analysis of action and behaviour) in their gamification but even Bartle himself warns against this – he even calls them “bandwagons”. His player types (killers, achievers, socializers and explorers) were intended for the world of MUDs (what we now call MMORPGs) but are frequently used in places they should not – like a fitting a puzzle piece into the wrong slot. It kind of produces something but it isn’t what you hoping for in the end. Sometimes it even works but classrooms are way deeper than these 4 player times. Bartle does an amazing job explaining this and cautioning game designs, especially those interested in Gamification in this YouTube clip. This is Bartle presenting

In order to tackle this I decided to use Andrzej’s Gamification Player Type Hexad (left image) to meet the needs and motivations of my different students (player types). The neat part here is that this (how it applies to education) was asked of Andrzej before and he produced a model for that as well (right image)

Now this model is actually perfect for the education world but I wanted to add something to this so I decided to tweak his model ever so slightly and came up with this one! (Thanks Andrzej for cleaning up the sloppy text I added - looks way better!)

I decided to add The Disruptor (an original type in Andrzej’s model) to the middle because a) they can affect the learning of all player types and b) can be influenced by all player types depending on the scenario or disruptor style. Also, we all know that classes do potentially have a student or two who play the role of the disruptor – always. They are not a bad thing though they can be very helpful!

The 6 User Gamification User Types of the Classroom

The Player (a.k.a.: “What Do I Get Though?”)
                We all have that student who needs to get something to do something. They are willing to do whatever you ask of them but they want a reward or privilege in return. That is how a player type is motivated. Offer them some sort of reward and you will see results

The Philanthropist (a.k.a.: “The Class Leader”)
               
This student loves to lead groups and volunteer to do things. They learn by helping other people out and are often the first type of person you turn to when you need help supporting someone who to get something done. When they are helping and teaching others they are the most motivated.

The Free Spirit (a.k.a.: “The Problem Solver”)
               
This type of student loves exploring the classroom and loves seeing what everyone is doing. Sometimes they seem lost and confused but they are totally with it. Their projects and ideas see “out there” at first but they always have a way of roping them back in to produce awesome work. Give them space, freedom and creativity and let them soar. When you have a problem the free spirit is your go to.

The Achiever (a.k.a.: “The High Achiever”)
               
This type of student is self-driven to be the best at whatever they do. They get a task and attack it head on. They can be competitive and help push struggling groups forward. They want to achieve their maximum at all times.

The Socialiser (a.k.a.: “The Social Butterfly” or “The Team Player”)
               
This type of student loves to go about the room talking to everyone. You put them anywhere and they find someone to talk to. They love to work in group and they can be competitive in that scenario. If someone needs something they will be there to help.

The Disruptor (a.k.a.: “The Class Clown” or “The Black Hole” or “The Avoider”)
               
This type of student loves to seek out attention from those around him or her. They will crack jokes, interrupt lessons or attempt to derail class discussions. They can be tough to deal with. Providing specifics and surrounding them with the proper player type such as an achiever or a philanthropist will often keep them focused and moving forward.

Designing my game around these player types has truly changed my classroom. I create quests and bonus missions that hit the different styles of each learner. This creates different opportunities for people to lead and follow and that is a crucial skill all on its own! Here is another great model created by world renowned gamifier Andrzej Marczewski which depicts the motivations of the player types.

If you gamify anything this model is crucial! I use it every month when I design my quests in the hopes of capturing the attention of all of my different player types!

Gamification truly is a game changer in education!

Until next time!

-Master Heebs

I have to say this with all sincerity ...

Ever since I was selected as the winner of the Gamification of Education project it has been a whirlwind of excitement. People have been reaching out to me to inquire about what I am doing unlike ever before. I have been asked to present at a few conferences, asked to share with other teachers and do PD sessions, met with my superintendent, received countless new followers on Twitter and even made the paper. The best part is that this award has given Gamification a platform that it did not have around here before. People are interested and they want to know how it works! Awesome!

Let me be the first to stress that I am not an expert in Gamification by any means. I am still learning the ropes as I go. What I was blessed with was a supportive admin and resilient set of students who were both up for the challenge that was The Fight for Scientia Terra. To everyone, even myself, in the beginning it was a difficult concept to explain, let alone put together, but it has come together unlike anything I could have ever imagined! 

Recently, the local newspaper (The Fort Sask Record) stopped by my classroom and wrote a fantastic article that really did a great job explaining what our program is all about and the perspective of the student. The two students who were interviewed did a fantastic job! Raw and honest - the best way to be!

Today, I wanted to share the article with you all. I'm proud of it but even more proud of the kids. They really dove into the deep end with me and this is a definite testament to them! Thanks Omar for putting together such a great article! 

by Omar Mosleh

Scott Hebert’s Grade 8 science class is not all about fun and games, but they’re a significant part of it.

The Our Lady of the Angels teacher has been awarded the Gamification in Education Award by Spain-based organization Gamification World for his Grade 8 science class program, which he has morphed into a role-playing game that stays true to the province’s scientific curriculum.
​
Gamification is the process of using typical elements of games, such as scoring points, rules of play and competing against others to other areas of activity, such as education.

In Hebert’s interpretation, called The Fight for Scientia Terra (“Science Land in Latin”), players assume a class or role in a fantasy world, complete with a detailed story, heroes and villains. 

Instead of tests, they have battles where students can demonstrate their knowledge to inflict damage on their enemies. Instead of grades, they gain experience points. 

“It’s a role-playing game that hits every curricular goal and every learning target that I’m required to do by law. But they don’t realize they’re learning until they do assessments and they know all this,” Hebert said. 

The game map has five cities that correlate with the five main branches of science. Students can earn achievement badges, collect and trade items, and embark on quests which require them to scan items hidden around the classroom with their smartphones. 

Our Lady of the Angels Principal Lorne Monaghan said when he first heard of the gamification concept, he emphasized that it was important to meet curricular outcomes and make sure teachers were covering all the required material. 
“This seemed to provide that. It was something that piqued the interest of students but still allowed them to cover the required curricular material in a very unique way,” he said. 

Hebert first launched his game plan for The Fight for Scientia Terra in 2013 after winning an Alberta Excellence in Teaching Award while working as a phys-ed teacher. That recognition inspired him to continue developing innovative ways to teach. 
One thing he noticed is that the way school work is presented to students can be discouraging for youth.

 “One of the big things is I realized is that the language of education is intimidating to kids. When you say it’s worth this many marks or you’re going to fail if you get this much … while that’s real-world, for some kids who are nervous about school or are struggling with certain topics or subjects, that’s intimidating to them,” Hebert said.

That’s why Hebert gives his students experience points for defeating their enemies rather than grades. He also tells them what they did right rather than emphasizing what they did wrong. 
“If they’re doing a quest worth 500 experience points, and they get 80, I tell them congratulations, you gained 400 experience points,” Hebert said. “And they get really excited about that.”

The approach to learning had made science class a far more engaging experience for students such as Fernando Nunez. 
“You get to do more hands on activities and work with other people,” Nunez said. “And you get to know them better and also how to work with other people better.”

Others, such as Aimee Livingston, said it took them about a week to understand how to play the game, but then found it helped make learning about science a lot more fun. 

 “I found it really interesting,” Livingston said. “Last year I kind of failed science and this year I really enjoy it compared to last year … That’s like a huge improvement for me.” 

The kids have embraced the game, and are now driving it, adding components like jobs so the class now has classroom custodians. 

Hebert first heard his project was due for recognition when he was told he was short-listed as a finalist for the 2015 Gamification World Awards in the education category. On Nov. 1, he found out he was one of the top three finalists in the world. He eventually won first place. 

It was particularly humbling because his project was running against massive gamification platforms such as Classcraft, which is utilized by more than 600 classrooms worldwide. 

I thought it was cool that they would think my little classroom experience of trying this is even in that same category,” Hebert said. “I didn’t do it for recognition or the award – I did it to increase engagement in sciences.”
Ultimately, the most satisfying part of creating The Fight for Scientia Terra for Hebert is helping kids see that education isn’t something they should be afraid of.

“The cool part about a game is if you’re trying to get something and jump off a cliff and you die in the game, you get a chance to restart,” he said.  “And kids don’t feel that exists in education.”

omar.mosleh@sunmedia.ca 

twitter.com/omosleh