10 Gamified Tools to Transform Classroom Learning

As an educator, what is your favorite element of gamification? Gamification incorporates game elements such as quizzes and points into the education curriculum to keep every participant alert and on their toes. Incorporating the same features in modern classrooms pushes learners to explore their full potential, have fun while learning, and, in the end, retain most, if not everything, that they are learning.

Today, educators have experienced firsthand how game-based learning motivates learners by encouraging them to participate, resulting in deep comprehension and retention. Game mechanics like goal setting, challenges, rewarding winners, and feedback play a significant role when infused into learning.

Your Top 10 Gamified Learning Tools

1. Kahoot! is an interactive platform that keeps learners alert and active for an entire lesson. It also encourages self-paced learning and team collaboration exercises, which students can participate in by logging in from their devices. Kahoot! motivates students and boosts their self-confidence.
2. Quizizz is a very effective tool for both learners and educators. It is self-paced so that students can attempt the quizzes independently, and teachers can quickly check each learner's score on the leaderboards.
3. Classcraft is a gamification tool that uses role-play to encourage collaboration and teamwork among learners. One learner's actions affect their performance and that of their team members. With this knowledge, learners strive to earn points and gold pieces through excellence in both academics and personal behavior.
4. Gimkit is a tool that rewards students who answer questions correctly using in-game currency and power-ups. It is very effective for both teachers and students. Its features allow inclusivity by letting educators set questions for learners based on their abilities. It also fosters the spirit of collaboration and competition among learners.
5. Blooket uses "Blooks," another term for rewards, to make learning fun and engaging. Students can use it individually or as a team to handle quizzes that test their decision-making skills and critical thinking. Teachers can use this tool to gauge learners' performance in different subjects.
6. Prodigy is primarily for learning math through role-play. Similar to video games, students have to solve math problems to proceed to the next level in the game. This is both fun and motivating for learners. Prodigy allows teachers to gauge each of their students and set personalized sums to suit every learner's level and abilities.
7. Minecraft: Education Edition makes learning more adventurous and fun by captivating learners with the Minecraft virtual world. It encourages creativity, critical thinking, and collaboration among learners. Educators can also use this tool to teach a variety of subjects. It is also easy to monitor individual students' progress and identify weak areas to focus on for each student.
8. Breakout EDU has puzzles and challenges to keep students motivated and engaged. Students work together to solve puzzles within the given time frame. The thrill of finishing on time and getting everything correctly teaches students to solve problems, work together, and think critically.
9. Edpuzzle is an interactive video-based learning tool that allows learners to watch videos and answer questions added by their teachers. This tool's beauty is that feedback is immediate, and learners' progress can be easily monitored.
10. BrainPOP's GameUp offers educational games for various subjects. Games have been designed to handle every part of the curriculum and then integrated into animated videos. The experience is meant to cater to every student's learning needs, build their skills, and help them understand concepts at a deeper level.

Best Practices for Gamification in the Classroom

Align game-based activities with curriculum objectives to make learning interesting and content retention easy. Ensure that your game-based activities align with curriculum goals and objectives to get the most out of them. Note that some game elements work best in some subjects and not all, so pick the most appropriate.

Use rewards and leaderboards to encourage participation. Rewards motivate learners to push themselves to the best of their abilities. Conversely, leaderboards provide feedback, essential for encouraging healthy competition and helping learners gauge their performance as the game or learning progresses.

Keep gamification inclusive and engaging for all learning styles. Effective learning only happens when every learner is included and engaged. This can be determined by how they respond, how they perform on the quizzes, and the level of fun and interaction they have in the classroom.

How can you make your lessons fun and increase concept retention? Gamification is key to elevating classroom learning to a whole new level.

Try any of the gamification tools we discussed, and get ready to experience tremendous results! Reach out for more personalized discussions, and follow the link for more insights on gamification in learning.