What does it look like to gamify teacher professional development? In this session, which is also a game itself, participants will learn more about Lucas' latest project, EPIC Academy, a game-inspired, playable professional development program for district educators.

1. epicAcademy
Surry County Schools

2. THIS SESSION IS
ALSO A GA ME!

3. READY TO
PLAY?

4. Go To:
http://tinyurl.com/scsepic

5. Your Play Board

6. Communicate!
https://todaysmeet.com/scsepic
Today’s Meet:
Twitter:
#EPICAcademy AND
#NCTIES15
17

7. Lucas Gillispie
Director of Academic and
Digital Learning
Surry County Schools
On Twitter:
@lucasgillispie
1
3

8. 19
@alicekeeler
alicekeeler.com
Shout Out!

9. An Icebreaker?
18
A Windbreaker

10. What is
Gamification?
14

11. The Application of Game-
like Mechanics to
Non-Game Situations
14

12. Games For Learning -
using actual games
to teach
15

13. What makes a game
“good?”
20

14. epicAcademy
Surry County Schools

15. Professional Development for District
Teachers:
Online, blended, and face-to-face
PD for educators.
Choice-Driven
Mastery/Evidence-Based
Granular, Expandable, Portable
Engaging
Social

16. Why?

17. Feedback on typical PD from classroom
teachers:
“The PD is dictated to me...”
“It’s boring...”
“I don’t have time...”
“I can read PowerPoint slides, myself...”
“I’m too tired at the end of a day of teaching
for a workshop...”
“It doesn’t address my needs...”
“There’s no
follow-up...”
“When will I use this again?”
10

18. 10

19. What teachers really want in their PD:
Opportunities for
networking and
collaboration...
Differentiation!
CHOICE!!
Variety in format.
Motivation and inspiration.
Connectedness - relational and technological.
True accountability.
Fun.
10

20. 10

21. Play/Fun
Game Elements, Online Platform
Professional Development:
Ideas, Needs, and Issues
11

22. “Fun is the emotional
response to learning.”
-Chris Crawford
3029

23. e
p
i
c
ngaging
layful
nnovative
onnected

24. How Does It Work?

26. Customizable
Avatar
Ranks Indicating
Your Overall
Progress
Bars That Fill to
Show Progress
toYour Goal
31

28. Everyone Starts Here
Choices!
22

29. Increasing
Investment
in An Idea
Badge/
Recognition
for
Completing A
Quest Chain
A Sample
Quest Chain

30. Big Ideas (Super
Quests)
Super-Badge

32. 23

33. Haiku Integration 24

34. Haiku Integration
All evidences are housed in the
community page in Haiku
Social elements such as discussion
boards grow community and
connectedness.
24

35. Badges and Achievements
16

36. But, What About CEUs?
100XP = 0.1 CEUs
1000XP = 1.0 CEUs
100XP = 1 hour’s worth of PD
50XP = 30 min.
25XP = 15 min.
“Cash them in at regular intervals (1000XP?)”

37. Embedded Alignment to ISTE

38. Embedded evaluation
YouTube-like ratings
More Detailed Metrics
on Individual Quests

39. Detailed Data On Participating
Teachers

40. in less than one month…
43
Players
382Quests Completed
138Achievements Earned
7
Official SCS
Badges Earned
14,495
XP Earned
14.495
CEU’s Acquired1Ninja
Discovered
32

41. Other Goals/Extensions
Foster community among users.
Add elements of novelty and failure.
Build an embedded puzzle game within with the
system, with elements hidden within quests.
Host synchronous events.
Create blended experiences.
Model, model, model...

42. Questions?