108 North Clinton Avenue
Trenton, NJ 08609
Phone: 609-656-4900
July 29, 2016
Trenton Public Schools
Office of the Superintendent
Dr. Bob Smith, District Technology Officer
108 North Clinton Avenue
Trenton, NJ 08609
RE: Chromebooks for Physics Gamification – Technology Use Proposal
Dear Dr. Smith,
I am pleased to present this technology use proposal for your review. I look forward to receiving
your approval to proceed with the Chromebooks for Physics Gamification project. The objective
of this project is to gamify the physics classroom by having students access digital gamification,
serious games, simulations and game-based learning sites and apps through Chromebooks.
The positive impact of gamification on student engagement and academic performance is well
documented in many peer-reviewed published studies, which I cite in the attached proposal. I
expect a measurable increase in student learning outcomes within the first semester of
implementing the program. An assessment plan to evaluate and quantify student outcomes is also
outlined in the attached proposal.
I would like to conduct a pilot study of the Chromebooks for Physics Gamification project in my
classroom. The total project cost to procure 20 Chromebooks is $3000. The gamification apps
and online exercises are free.
I appreciate your consideration of the Chromebooks for Physics Gamification project proposal.
Please give me a call at (732)-207-7452 if you require any further information or have any
questions concerning this proposal.
Thank you,
Laszlo Pokorny
Physics Teacher
Chromebooks for Physics Gamification Proposal
Project Title: Chromebooks for Physics Gamification
Project Summary:
The objective of this project is to gamify the physics classroom by having students access digital
gamification, serious games, simulations and game-based learning sites and apps through
Chromebooks. The project will achieve the following results:

Purchase a Chromebook for each student and the physics teacher

Integrate novel technology in the physics curriculum

Engage all students in learning and class participation

Improve student performance on physics assessments and standardized exams

Implement research-based teaching methods in the physics classroom

Maintain pace with other public schools’ classroom technology usage

Prepare students to work with Chromebooks throughout high school and college

Familiarize students with digital gamification, serious games, simulations and gamebased learning sites and apps
In the Chromebooks for Physics Gamification project we will integrate technology in to
standards-based instruction in the physics classroom. Chromebooks will allow students to access
a host of free gamification, serious games, simulations and game-based learning sites and apps
including Kahoot, DIY Nano, Algodoo, The Radix Endeavor, Class Dojo, Quizizz and PhET
Simulations. Student learning will be routinely assessed using the district approved standardsaligned assessments. An evaluation system employing formative and summative assessments to
evaluate gamification of the phsyics classroom will be routinely administered upon
implementation of the Chromebooks for Physics Gamification project.
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Chromebooks for Physics Gamification Proposal
Project Rationale:
For most people, high school physics class brings back memories of boring assignments and
boring classroom labs using springs and weights, or a ball and string. Gamification is a way to
improve learning environments by incorporating game elements to enhance student engagement
and motivation. (Cheong, 2014)(Bruder, 2015) Gamification is defined as the use of games and
game-type activities in a non-game environment (Hughes, 2016). Gamification in the classroom
encourages students to produce and engage in activities through incentives such as awards and
points. Fisher (2014) asserts “Game mechanics include compelling, appealing, social activities
that gamers problem solve to advance and gain points, badges, trophies, etc”. These provide the
gamer with a sense of achievement and the encouragement to continue playing and learning.
Peer-reviewed empirical studies on the effectiveness of gamification in education consistently
show a positive impact of gamification on a broad range of student behaviors and outcomes.
Fisher (2014) states “By gamifying experiences within the classroom setting, educators may see
increased social contact, mastery, acceptance, curiosity, cooperation and healthy competition
between students”. Squires (2016) points out the primary benefits of implementing gamification
in the classroom are positive peer support and encouragement, and students’ excitement of
engaging in game activities related to the academic material. The following sections will cite
Jackson’s (2016) literature review on gamification in education, which draws upon several peer
reviewed publications to define gamification, identify the effectiveness of gamification, and
guide the integration of gamification in the classroom.
Gamification Defined:
Jackson (2016) draws upon publications by Van Grove (2011), Wiggins (2016) and Kiryakova
(2014) to define major concepts in gamification. Game-based learning, serious games, and
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Chromebooks for Physics Gamification Proposal
simulations are commonly found terms in literature about gamification in education. (Jackson,
2016) Gamification is defined as the use of games in a non-game environment. (Van Grove,
2011) Gamification involves the use of incentives such as rewards and trophies to encourage
participants’ continued active engagement. (Wiggins, 2016) Game-based learning involves the
application of games in educational settings to support lessons and create an exciting and
competitive classroom experience. (Wiggins, 2016) Serious games are created to achieve a
desired outcome in education. They have all the elements of games, but they are used to
accomplish a specified task. (Kiryakova, 2014) Simulations simulate real world scenarios for the
purpose of learning in an environment that resembles real life. (Kiryakova, 2014) Although
gamification, game-based learning, serious games and simulations are not interchangeable terms,
they are all concepts that one might encounter in a gamified classroom.
Effectiveness of Gamification:
Brull (2016) examines extrinsic motivation, as experienced by students in traditional teach-stoptest teaching styles, verses intrinsic motivation, which is derived from meeting the learner’s
needs to encourage participation. They argue that the effectiveness of gamification is due to the
intrinsic motivation provided by focusing on the learner’s needs and allowing students to be in
control of their learning. Jackson (2016) draws upon publications by Kiryakova (2014), Pim van
de Pavoordt (2016), Hamari (2014) and Dicheva (2015) to summarize the effectiveness of
gamification. Gamification seeks to enhance student motivation and engagement in learning
through activities that students are already familiar with. (Kiryakova, 2014) Pim van de Pavoordt
(2016) finds that, if given a choice, students who have been immersed in technology for most of
their lives would rather engage in online games than interact with their classmates and teacher.
They suggest three likely reasons that today’s students are interested in, and engaged by, e-
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Chromebooks for Physics Gamification Proposal
learning; 1) connection to their peers, 2) entertainment through games and media, and 3) a desire
to showcase themselves and their work. (Pim van de Pavoordt, 2016).
Hamari (2014) sought to answer the question “Does gamification work?” by reviewing and
analyzing 24 peer-reviewed empirical studies on the impact of gamification in education. Their
research findings show that gamification in education generates positive outcomes. Similarly,
Dicheva (2015) analyzed a group of case studies on the impact of gamification in education. The
majority of papers they reviewed found higher student engagement, improved attendance,
increased number of answers from students, increased number of passing students, and a smaller
gap between the lowest and highest grades in a gamified classroom. (Dicheva, 2015)
Integrating Gamification into the Physics Classroom:
Gamification is not simply about handing out awards and trophies to students. It is about finding
the right way to motivate students to engage, produce and reach target outcomes. (Cornetti,
2016) Cheong (2014) identifies three important elements in properly implementing gamification
in the classroom; 1) understand students’ learning styles and needs, 2) create appropriate
objectives and target outcomes, 3) employ suitable game elements that motivate students to
produce and reach desired goals. Jackson (2016) distills Huang’s (2013) and Kiryakova’s (2014)
procedural guidelines for implementing gamification in the classroom:

The first step is for teachers to analyze their students in order to assess how they learn.
Kiryakova (2014) refers to this step as “Determination of learner’s characteristics”.

Second, we define the learning objectives because Kiryakova (2014) argues that without
learning objectives all learning activities would be pointless.
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Chromebooks for Physics Gamification Proposal

The third step involves designing the educational content that will achieve the learning
objectives. Kiryakova (2014) indentifies four characteristics of interactive and engaging
activities as:
o Repeatable – students should be able to repeat the learning activities if they fail
o Feasible – students should be able to achieve the learning objectives
o Increasingly difficult and complex
o Multiple paths – students should be able to reach their objectives via various paths
by applying individual strategies

Finally, we incorporate gamification techniques. (Jackson, 2016) Huang (2013) and
Kiryakova (2014) suggest that when designing student activities, the emphasis should be
on individual achievement and social elements. Huang (2013) describes the individual
achievement component of gamification activities as students’ competition with
themselves and the students’ recognition of their own accomplishments. They identify the
social elements of gamification activities as putting students together with other students
and making their performance outcomes known to their peers. (Huang, 2013)
Evaluating the Effectiveness of Gamification:
Student motivation is among the primary indicators of success of a classroom gamification
program. Turner (2011) identifies the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ)
(see Appendix A), developed by Pintrich (1991), as a highly effective tool that has been used for
over 20 years to evaluate the impact of instruction on student motivation and cognition. We will
apply Pintrich’s (1991) guidelines for effectively utilizing MSLQ to administer and analyze the
results for student motivation resulting from our gamification strategies. In addition, formative
and summative assessments will be used to evaluate the effectiveness of gamification in the
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Chromebooks for Physics Gamification Proposal
physics classroom. Formative assessments will provide feedback and data on the process,
rationale and quality of the goals and objectives. Summative assessments will provide feedback
and data on the overall outcomes. The evaluation system will provide data to answer the
following questions.

Is gamification technology valuable in meeting learning objectives?

Is gamification technology important to instruction?

Is gamification technology important to teacher effectiveness?

Has gamification increased the quantity and quality of student work?

Has gamification improved student behavioral outcomes?

Has gamification impacted classroom management?

Does the gamification technology have a strong connection to the course content?

Does the gamification technology offer complete flexibility to alter content and setting to
meet student needs?

Does the gamification technology provide relevant and timely feedback?

Does the gamification technology encourage the use of higher order thinking skills?

Can students launch and operate the gamification technology independently?

What is the level of student engagement with the gamification technology?

Can student performance data be saved and exported to the teacher?
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Chromebooks for Physics Gamification Proposal
References:
Bruder, P. (2015). GAME ON: Gamification in the classroom. The Education Digest,80(7), 5660. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1659974883?accountid=12793
Brull, S., & Finlayson, S. (2016). Importance of gamification in increasing learning.The Journal
of Continuing Education in Nursing, 47(8), 372-375.
Cheong, C., Filippou, J., & Cheong, F. (2014). Towards the gamification of learning:
Investigating student perceptions of game elements. Journal of Information Systems
Education, 25(3), 233-244. Retrieved from
http://search.proquest.com/docview/1686798312?accountid=12793
Cornetti, M. (2016). The 3 mistakes every first-timer makes with gamification design.
Training, 53(4), 60. Retrieved from
http://search.proquest.com/docview/1806414021?accountid=12793
Dicheva, D. (2015, July). Gamification in education: a systematic mapping study. Journal of
Educational Technology & Society, 18(3), 75-88.
Fisher, D. (2014, January). Gamification: a study of business teacher educators’ knowledge of,
attitudes toward, and experiences with the gamification of activities in the classroom. The
Journal of Research in Business Education, 56(1), 1-17.
Hamari, J. (2014). Does gamification work? – a literature review of empirical studies on
gamification. Paper presented at the 2014 47th Hawaii International Conference on System
Science, Retrieved from http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?arnumber=6758978
Huang,W. (2013). A practitioner’s guide to gamification of education. Research Report Series in
Behavioural Economics in Action. Rotman School of Management University of Toronto,
Canada. Retrieved from:
http://inside.rotman.utoronto.ca/behaviouraleconomicsinaction/files/2013/09/GuideGamification
Educ ationDec2013.pdf
Hughes, M., & Lacy, C. J. (2016). "The sugar'd game before thee": Gamification
revisited. Portal : Libraries and the Academy, 16(2), 311-326. Retrieved from
http://search.proquest.com/docview/1784465185?accountid=12793
Jackson, M. (2016). Gamification in education: a literature review. Retrieved from
http://www.usma.edu/cfe/Literature/MJackson_16.pdf
Kim, B. (2015). Designing gamification in the right way. Library Technology Reports,51(2), 2936.
Kiryakova, G. (2014). Gamification in education. Retrieved from http://dspace.unisz.bg/bitstream/123456789/12/1/293-Kiryakova.pdf
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Chromebooks for Physics Gamification Proposal
Pavoordt, P. (2012). Gamification of education. Retrieved from
http://www.few.vu.nl/~eliens/sg/local/essay/12/17.pdf
Pintrich, P. (1991). A manual for use of the motivated strategies for learning questionnaire
(MSLQ). National Center for Research to Improve Post Secondary Teaching and Learning.
Retrieved from http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED338122.pdf
Squires, T. (2016). Engaging students through gamification. American Libraries,47(3), 20.
Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1770510306?accountid=12793
Turner, E. T. (2011). Evaluating student motivation to learn following the introduction of
technology-enhanced project-based learning (Order No. 3472659). Available from ProQuest
Central; ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (892235878). Retrieved from
http://search.proquest.com/docview/892235878?accountid=12793
Van Grove, J. (2011, July 28). Gamification: How competition is reinventing business,
marketing & everyday life. Mashable.com. Retrieved from
http://mashable.com/2011/07/28/gamification/
Wiggins, B. (2016, March). An Overview and Study on the Use of Games, Simulations, and
Gamification in Higher Education. International Journal of Game-Based Learning, 6(1), 18-29.
Zichermann, G. (2011, November). The six rules of gamification. Gamification.
co. Retrieved from http://www.gamification.co/2011/11/29/the-six-rules-of-gamification/
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Appendix A: Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ)
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