Gamified makers, a change is occurring, and we got a laser cutter.

Gamified Makers-  http://gameon.wpengine.com/
Changes occurring in the class and around the class.  It's midway through the course for those kids who are only taking makers for one semester.

First and most importantly, the kids are growing and really settling into the class.  There has been a subtle shift over the past coupe weeks as kids move out of the "basic challenges everybody must do" part of the curriculum into choosing professions.  The quality of their builds has gone up.  The intensity of their effort has gone up.  The number of kids staying in for break has gone up.

Not all kids have leapt forward.  There are those that are satisfied at the moment to work on simpler tasks, repeating a "safe" and known skill.  I think, for the moment, I am ok with that.  I will need to nudge them along at some point but not now.  For many 7th graders, this is a really chaotic time as the first quarter ends.  They are getting loaded up with homework and assessments and they may just need a place in class where they can work, and be successful, in a non graded way.

This class separates the kids into two groups, self-starters and those that really cannot get started by themselves.  A few kids ask me, "What can I do now?" nearly every day.  I refer them to the challenge page, but even when they are looking at it they might struggle to make choices about what to do.  They want me to say, "sew a flag today," or "solder an electrical circuit."  Getting them to the point where they don't need me for the WHAT, but use me frequently as a resource for HOW is my goal for these kids.

Laser cutters are awesome.  We received ours a week ago, and I spent a fair amount of time and energy over these last 7 days fiddling with it.  I feel like I have just barely dipped my big toe into a gigantic pool of making.  The kids have designed badges and cut/engraved a few.  Today we are going to make the first non-cardboard badge, and it will be made with leather.

One month reflections on a gamified maker class.

Gamified curriculum, specifically gameon, is awesome.My efforts pale in comparison, but they are here.

Things to remember:

1. Kids are loving, loving, loving this class.  They are always busy, always engaged, and finding their own path through the curriculum.  Some take their time and redo projects to get them just right.  Some are going as fast as they can to get levels and gold.  There is no judgement on either route.  Check out this comment from the dept chair.  
2. This choice, the idea of choosing a challenge and then researching and attacking it, is so powerful.  My favorite current student idea is to create, using programmable LED strips, a clock that shows not only the time, but syncs with our color block schedule to show kids what color period it is and what is coming next. The young man working on it has found the materials we need, (and I have ordered), and has recruited some help at various times from other more accomplished arduino users as he works through the coding.

"Each time I walk into your room and I more excited by what I see happening. Your students were the picture of personal learning today: each student or small group of students was working on a different lesson or task from your Level Up Makers list. They were all engaged in their work and were supporting one another. I heard one student coaching another on how to ask you for help; it is clear that they understand they must try to work something out on their own or with a peer before turing to "the Big Man" for help. Even though there are many things happening in your room at once, you are a constant presence and you hold the students accountable--in this case you held them to a clean room at the end of the period."

1. Kids help each other all the time.  Instituting honor (which is required to get your master certificate) as a reward for kids that teach each other was a HUGE win.  The kid that gets helped MUST report the helping to me, in writing, which is a nice wrinkle.
1. The fact that the students took disparate routes initially was super challenging as I was working with kids as they learned power tools, circuits, arduino, soldering, 3d printing and sewing all at the same time,  Now that there are student apprentices in each field, they are working with each other and it is beautiful.
2. Auctions, where there are some mystery bags for the kids to spend their gold on is a hit too.  Candy and some gift cards for things like sit in the comfy chair, put your spotify playlist on the room sound system, or work on a passion project, add spice to the environment.
3. Tomorrow I am adding in a special challenge for the day.  Write (with photos or video or voice over if they choose) about your BEST failure in makers so far.  
4. Documenting work (through seesaw atm) is a great way for kids to see what each other are doing.
5. We have made 1 minute youtube videos on what the kids have done so far, and what they look forward to.

Two days of gamified makers class

Two days of class.  Two days of total student engagement.  Yup it's early.  Yup it's sss.  At the same time, those two days kicked butt.

Quick observations.

• Not once, in about 400 kid/class minutes did I need to redirect a middle schooler.  That is pretty wild.
• After completing quests, and getting their reward (both gold and xp, two students asked if it was "too early in the year to spend gold to stay in for break to work."  Unfortunately, because it's all hands on deck for break duty, the answer Friday was yes.  Tues, they can stay in.
• Two different students came to me and said, "Mr. Cook, we need badges.  Can we design some?" They then spent their lunch time coming up with 30+ achievements and their names and began finding the art to go with them.  Thanks to Mike Skocko, http://maclab.guhsd.net/, for getting back to me on how to get the badges into the game.
• I need to find ways to get more girls into the class (now it is at 4/20).
• Many kids are NOT used to learning on their own and allowing them to grow into that is a big job all by itself.  Kids choosing their own topic to start off, from arduino to sewing, is a great way for them to buy in early, but stretches teacher a bit. 
• They are going to get through this "game" much faster than I anticipated.  Which is excellent.  And scary.  And wonderful.
• The amount I am going to learn, as the kids race off in every direction, will make my head explode.  

Updated my game-on site.

In what is becoming an all-consuming project, I am updating the gamification structure for my makers' classes.  Kids will earn experience and level up from performing the tasks they work on.  At the same time they earn a basic level of gold that they can spend in the class store for things like listening to music during class, or even at the extreme studying for another class.
Saving gold has a big reward, it can be used as part of gaining membership into a guild.  Guilds have rewards like 1.5X exp or 1.5X gold or other perks as yet determined.
Another portion of gaining entrance into a guild is growing (or improving) a mindset.  Kids must earn honor to enter a guild.  Honor is only attainable through showing empathy and making the world a better place.  Whether they help a classmate, find a maker project to help another community member, or cure cancer, their goal is to help a little or help a lot.
Other mechanics like taking damage (to nerf rewards) for "conduct unbecoming a Flint Hill Husky" and earning special currency called Minutes for work outside of class are in the works.  I have a general idea of how they will be incorporated but I have yet to insert them.

http://gameon.wpengine.com/

try clicking on the challenges and the bazaar button to see what I have done so far.

Things are slow as the family sets into summer routine, but I keep reading and thinking about what comes next.
This is worth a couple minutes.

https://medium.com/@spencerideas/ten-things-that-happen-when-kids-engage-in-design-thinking-9838b5627233#.2m6jwpm8i

As is

http://maclab.guhsd.net/reimagine/

This last is a 20 minute read.  Sit down and buckle up.

Today it begins in earnest.   I am careening into educational Valhalla, creating a middle school course that is :  gamified, occurs is a maker space, and teaches empathy.  I would say wish me luck but I think luck will play little role.  I have the blessing of my administration, my colleagues, my inner 13 year old, and most importantly my students.

So how do I weave them all together.

Here is my opening salvo:

1.  Use gameon, a wordpress plugin to create the enviroment, maybe someday like this example http://maclab.guhsd.net/)

My fledgeling effort here:  http://gameon.wpengine.com/

2.  We have a maker space and students eager to fill it.

3.  Teaching for empathy.  We are starting with https://www.extraordinaires.com/ as a way to break into making for others gently.

More to come over the next days/weeks/years as I inch closer to spending my days in battle against drill and kill....

Presenting today for VAIS tech conference.

Today I am presenting at the VAIS tech conference at Flint Hill.  My topic is Rockets and Project Based Learning.  It is my favorite 6th grade unit of the year.  The kids prep for building by learning a bit of aerodynamics then using numerous rocket simulators and our homemade wind tunnel.  When we launch, they do so under low pressure to test the rockets' performance and then we crank the psi to about 100 and off they go.  The kids get a real feel for design, build, test, redesign, test, modify, fail, rebuild, test, .... and then hopefully they get a 400'+ launch.  

Visit to a true teacher of children....

For a first entry, I thought I would put in the content of an email I sent to an educator.  I went to visit his classroom in March of this year to seek inspiration for and affirmation of my goals with a gamified makers education class next year.  I received both in spades.  It sums up my thoughts on why Makers Ed and its ilk are important to kids...

Hi Kevin,

I very much enjoyed my day in your classroom.  You were a very gracious host, even with such chaos and intensity swirling about the room.  

If I wanted a reminder of why classes like yours, and hopefully mine, matter to kids, I got it observing the action in your room on Wednesday.  Kids were bringing their own ideas and thoughts to every project.  From practical to really out there, every idea was welcomed and encouraged.  Sometimes, from the wildest ideas come the best results but kids will never know unless they have the chance to think them through.  Taking risks in your class, where kids are respected and valued, is an expectation you have.  When you speak of what is going on in your class, it is always about the kids, never the content.  "_____ is a special ed kid who presented at a conference in front of hundreds.  How awesome is that?" or "That is an awesome question.  I never would have thought of that,"  are typical comments I heard the likes of over and over again.  That attitude that the kids matter as people was pervasive through the entire day.

Most importantly, kids are directly learning how to be empathetic.  You tell them to change the world, and then you help them to see that they can indeed be the change they want to happen.  Change the world for one, or for a thousand, it all matters.  

Flint Hill's vision statement is comprised of three short statements:

Be yourself.

Make a difference.

Take meaningful risks.

My makers class is built around these three core themes, and kids love it.  They come early, try to stay late, and find me in the hallways to discuss their ideas.  Sometimes young folks hang out in places because the supervision is loose, and they can get away with things, and sometimes kids love being in a place because they feel valued and respected.  I hope that kids spend their time in my room for the latter reason, and I feel pretty strongly that they like your space because of the environment you all work to create..

Some points that I am bringing back to Flint Hill:

• Reemphasis on directly teaching empathy.  My challenge now is to weave projects for real people into the gamified world I want the kids to operate.  There is much work to do there.
• Design projects and challenges that push kids to use what they know, and stretch them to learn new things.
• Respect the child as a person.
• Demand that the children be present.
• Nurture a growth mindset in both myself and the students.  Who knows where the next great idea is coming from?
• Don't forget to teach :)  Being there, and having knowledge and experience to share, not dictate, matters.
• Don't forget the fun.  Middle schoolers will find ways to be social and have fun.  Account for it, and leverage it into learning experiences.
• Nurture intrinsic motivation.  Keep the grades out of the equation.  We should all learn because we want to.
• Keep the kids doing the intellectual heavy lifting.  Their ideas are probably better than mine anyway.

I go back to "make a difference."   We might not be able to make a difference in every kid's life, but we damn sure can make a difference in some of them.  And some of the ones we do influence are the ones that traditional schooling tends to push away.  

Best of luck with everything.  I am proud to have set the record for the longest visit ever.  Enjoy your break.

Chris