Opportunity To Engage Learners

I reviewed the Webinar titled “Gamification: is it Edu-tainment or a Genuine Opportunity to Engage Learners?” By Brian Knudson of Noggin labs.
Gamification of Learning high lights – What
The webinar started by a brilliant experiment with those who signed up for the webinar and shared the results of the game. The webinar covered two broad categories of gaming types: simulations and social games. In this paper I was drawn to the first category, simulations because of its broad existence and usability, and because it maps into learning. A simulation is a illustration of the work activities that people perform at work. (Knudson, 2012)
Key components of simulation games: * Rules and probability * Goals, Constraints * Meters
Social
The creation of an effective game is a great deal more than just logging achievement and keeping score. Effective game design has a lot to do with the ability to create an engaging game experience where the players are really drawn to and would want to keep coming back for more. Designers need to focus on the elements that will make the learners’ experience engaging, memorable, and unique. The learner’s retention of a gaming experience should be the goal that the gamification of programs aims to achieve.
Learner Engagement is the driving force of organizations that adopt gamification principles to simulate business situations. Gamification is used as a sure way to measure learners’ achievement. The conceptual theory is that gaming methodology can be leveraged to improve how multiple scenarios of high levels of engagement could result in increased customers’ satisfaction. Another goal of Gamification is to attract users and turn them into loyal advocates, enthusiasts, and
The development of Apps has accelerated from fairly basic software programs into rather sophisticated and useful programs. Apps have proved very popular, because of the ease and flexibility to leverage functionality and the level of mobility they offer. The features of flexible Operating Systems, touch screen, HD imaging and long battery life found in all Tablets, such as the iPad, significantly increases the potential and usability in an educational setting. This format offers designers and publishers more possibilities to integrate interactivity and visual impact through animation, audio and video than, for example, e-books. Educational Apps are being introduced at a fast pace, however, the key test for good quality interactive apps is the extent to which these interactive elements are appropriately deployed to capture interest, stimulate curiosity and generate genuine learning experiences for students.

Although some of the most advanced gamification of educational apps has been designed for younger children, the gamification of apps for all learners age groups is taking off at a rate that will make the use of gamified apps a common place in all classrooms.