Gamification stuff we love: Answerables
We came across Answerables from Nexed in our research for EdTech tools. The software allows children to explore a 3-D world as themselves or even a cyborg. Teachers set the online content provided or they can even hold some of the classroom sessions inside this virtual world. Children are encouraged to take quests which suit their age and interest levels. Some could be pre-set by teachers, but others could be web-based resources such as for example Khan Academy. It has a very friendly look and feel to it and presents itself similar to some of the games aimed at the primary school age groups. It provides learning management system capability together with game controls in a virtual world. Here is a flavour of what is possible:
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The single player options is always free to play, but the multi-player version where collaboration is possible as well as group tasks, comes at a cost.
From a gamification perspective you will find avatars, a world to explore, quests, social collaboration, points and badges. The team is also working on leaderboards and competitions, which to be honest for learning may not be essential, maybe collectibles and un-lockables would be much more powerful. As a child there is always something amazing about going higher in level than you were supposed to or to find something special that nobody else has found.
What gamified EdTech have you come across recently, that’s worth exploring?
