Gaming in the Classroom for
Learning AND Fun!
Sarah J. Kiefer
Technology Integration Specialist
Ross Local Schools
Gamification:
Have you heard this “buzzword”?
The bottom line →
Kids
Games
Games in the classroom are nothing new … teachers & students have been playing games for a long time …
Bingo, Hang-man, Heads-Up-7-Up, and so on … there is even a word for it →
Today, there are massive amount of possibilities to choose from. I’ll highlight a few examples I’ve had great
success with (both IN the classroom & for students to do on their own).
Children these days have so many “things” competing for their attention. School seems to be lower on the
totem pole … we need to jump on anything that can grab (and hold!) our students attention. Games,
especially in a digital classroom, can be that hook you are looking for.
The table below is designed to give you a quick overview of each of the “games” I will try to cover today. Click
on the name of the program to link below to additional detail specific to each game. I put them in order of my
personal preference.
Teacher Account
Required?
Student Account
Required?
Yes
Not necessarily
Yes & No
PBS Learning Media
Yes
Kind of
No
Jeopardy Labs
No
No
No
Kahoot!
Yes
No
No
No (saves to Google Drive)
No
No
Quizizz
Yes
Yes
No
Vocabulary.com
Yes
Yes
Yes
Website
(click on the name to navigate
to info specific to the game)
Quizlet
Flippity.net
Cost?
But these certainly are NOT all there is ...
Resources with Additional Info:
1.
Ditch That Textbook Website
a.
Article that compares online gaming → click here
2.
Gamified.com
a.
3.
Education World
a.
4.
Non-digital games to use in your classroom → click here
TeachHub.com
a.
5.
A home for your digital, gamified classroom → click here
More non-digital games to use → click here
Many digital textbooks also come with built in “game-like” features
There is SO much out there - it’s truly hard to sift through it all. A Google search of “Games in the Classroom”
gave me nearly 74 million results!
Quizlet
DETAILS:
● FREE! learning tools for students, teachers, and learners of all ages
○ Can upgrade for additional options
● Log in with Google account = NO need to remember password!
● Create your own study sets OR search sets made by others
● Add images (basic ones provided in FREE account; can upgrade to add own images)
● Study features:
○ Several study options: Flashcards, Learn, Speller, Test
○ Game options: Scatter, Gravity
● Ability to listen (in 18 languages)
● Has an app for easy study access (both iPhone & Android)
● Integrates with Google Classroom
● Teachers can make a classroom game → Quizlet Live!
PBS Learning Media
DETAILS:
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Overview: PBS LearningMedia provides PreK-12 educators with access to free digital content and
professional development opportunities designed to improve teacher effectiveness and student achievement.
PBS LearningMedia was developed in partnership with the WGBH Educational Foundation and is offered
locally by 155 PBS licensees, representing 356 stations in 55 U.S. states and territories.
Discover PBS LearningMedia Products: Learn how you can tap into America’s #1 Educational Media
Brand for access to thousands of innovative, standards-aligned digital resources, compelling student
experiences, and professional development opportunities.
100K+ Resources: PBS LearningMedia offers teachers more than 100,000 videos, images, interactives,
lesson plans and articles drawn from critically acclaimed PBS programs such as NOVA, FRONTLINE,
AMERICAN EXPERIENCE, and SID THE SCIENCE KID, and from expert content contributors like The
National Archives and NASA.
Standards Alignment: Searching for detailed content or teaching to a specific standard? Every resource we
create showcases the subject, grade level and alignment to national and Common Core standards, and is
presented within the hierarchies of commonly taught topical areas, allowing educators to browse collections
quickly and easily.
Tools: Productivity tools including a Lesson Builder, Storyboard, and Quiz Maker enable deeper
engagement with content and allow educators to create personalized, interactive activities for students that
can be used in the classroom or as homework assignments.
DETAILS:
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It’s FREE!!!! and you can edit it later, if you need to
NO account necessary
Create a game for a topic/unit/theme and play in teams in your classroom
Most students do not understand the “reverse” method Alex Trebec uses on the t.v. show don’t feel tied to it.
○ Set it up how it works for YOU & your students
Scorekeeping (even negatives for wrong answers) is built in
Provide the link to students (via your website or on paper) & they can play on their own time
Example I’ve created & used → Politics & Government
Sheets template → use to lay out your game (and keep all important info about it for the
future).
○ There are 2 tabs (one for you to create yours, one to see my example sheet)
DETAILS:
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It’s FREE!!!
Must create TEACHER account (student accounts are NOT needed)
○ gives you ability to save, share, search, copy others, etc.
○ Can be played on phone, computer, tablet, etc - (web based device)
Create a game for a topic/unit/theme
Can ONLY be played in a classroom setting
Here’s a short (under 3 minute) video on how it works
To PLAY: students go to kahoot.it (I suggest bookmarking it) & enter the code you give
○ Suggested ways to play (click here)
Scoring is done automatically FOR you & you can download results into your Google Drive - TIP:
require students to use their real name so you can see who answered what
Images/video clips can be added to your question
My students LOVE playing them!
Flippity.net to Make Flashcards
DETAILS:
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Ok, it’s not really a “Game” - but it IS a way for students to review
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Visit this website for detailed directions → “Step By Step Guide…”
Flippity.net Quiz Show
DETAILS:
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Go to this site to get directions AND a free template to customize to
make your OWN
DETAILS:
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Create & play multiplayer quiz games, both in class and at home
Fun for everyone! → Avatars, leaderboards, themes, music and memes! We're always
working on new ways to keep things interesting!
Create quizzes in minutes! → The Quizizz editor makes it super-easy to create great
quizzes in no time
Great data! → While your students are having a blast, you are provided with detailed
class and student-level data.
Search or Create → Find amazing quizzes made by other teachers, or create your own
quizzes and share them with the world!
In-class or Homework → Start a "Live" game in class, or assign Quizizz as a fun
"Homework" task. You control the competition by toggling the leaderboard, timer and
other settings.
Play! → Students play together, but each at their own pace. Gamification elements like
avatars, leaderboard and funny memes add to the fun! Review your work in the end.
Analyze → Use our detailed class and student-level reports to understand where your
students need help.
Teacher Guide → (click here for a link)
DETAILS:
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“Vocabulary.com combines the world's smartest dictionary with an adaptive learning game that will
have you mastering new words in no time.”
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“Ditch the flashcards and stop memorizing definitions. Vocabulary.com teaches you words by
systematically exposing you to a wide array of question types and activities that will help you
understand all the meanings and nuances of every word you’re learning.”
Thank You!
If you have any follow up
questions or needs, please
don’t hesitate to contact me:
[email protected]