Training seems so simple. You have information, you have an audience, and you have a medium of delivery. You should be able to plug the information into the medium of delivery and present it to the audience who absorbs the information through the chosen medium and—ta-da!—completes their training. If only life were so simple.
As readers of this blog are well aware, a lot of thought and effort goes into optimizing training programs, which means there are many opportunities for things to go wrong. Continue reading →
Games can increase customer loyalty, incentivize employees, and help achieve personal improvement. It’s been said that globally we spend 3 billion hours a week playing video games. For many it’s hard to imagine a world before video and digital games, especially now that smartphones have become so ubiquitous. The link between education and gaming is strengthening. Let’s move beyond the idea of bringing “fun” into the classroom; gaming can stimulate the brain’s reward system. So how can we harness the power of games to truly impact the way we learn?
Gamification is the integration of game mechanics in non-game contexts, such as employee training and development or standardized test preparation. The concept is gaining traction as an innovative way to engage students in education and participation in learning beyond traditional teaching methods.
Badgeville, a behavior platform company, has found success using gamification to incentivize learning for Deloitte and Beat the GMAT, a social network for MBA applicants. Deloitte’s Leadership Academy, a digital education program with 10,000 senior executives at more than 150 companies around the globe, tracks and rewards behaviors. The program includes completing lessons, watching full educational videos, answering quizzes, and all the way up to earning an optional diploma. Beat the GMAT empowers members to learn, share, teach, and support each other. Those studying for the GMAT are motivated to compete against their peers, driving the competition towards getting a better score on the exam.
Still not convinced?
- Many students have at least one subject they struggle with or find boring; gamification can add an element of fun into an otherwise not-so-fun subject.
- Gamification encourages performance, displays progress and shows individual strengths giving students confidence and motivating them to achieve at the same time.
- Gamification platforms can be used to track student progress, rewarding students with certificates for completing levels, being in the top ranking an can be viewed when applying for different colleges and future opportunities.
- Gamification rewards those who do well, which can be a motivator for others. Those who are falling behind in a class see successful peers and feel compelled to keep up.
What do you think? Is gamification just another buzzword?
For more on the topic of gamification, here are some related articles:
In response to TrainingMag.com’s recent industry report, Lauby sees the probable increase in training expenditures as an indication that training will continue to be a major focus for organizations. More importantly, organization will have to actively engage participants and create learning retention. She discusses in detail three trends:
1. Social Learning
2. Social Networking Techniques
3. Gamification
eLearn Magazine’s Jane Bozarth and Karl Kapp both offer their insights.
“Social media tools help to amplify the social and informal learning already going on in organizations all the time, every day, and make the learning available on a much larger scale. They provide ways to connect talent pools and expertise in an organization or within a practice area, and can offer just-in-time solutions to problems and performance issues.”
Read the entire article at Mashable
Vimeo recently announced its plan to overhaul the video-sharing site. For users and creators looking for an alternative to the glut of YouTube, Vimeo offers a more elegant solution to sharing video content online. The company plans to incorporate new functionalities to improve the Vimeo experience.
Expect to find:
- New video page
- Improved search
- Better video browser
- Streaming feed
- Follow
- Multiple file uploading
- Better privacy control
- Recently viewed videos
- Related videos
Read more at PCMag.com
Vimeo Plans Full Site Overhaul
Social media has changed how educators engage with each other and their students online. Recently, BestCollegesOnline.com compiled a list of the “50 Teachers Who Are Social Media Stars.” You may already be familiar with some of these names:
More importantly social media is being used to eliminate barriers to learning–from preschoolers using iPad apps, to professionals climbing the corporate ladder. Recently the New York Times reported on how the Kahn Academy is using YouTube to teach math and science to high schoolers, while global organizations like Deloitte are using Yammer to create an internal social network enabling employees to share and connect.
In the past year eLearn Magazine has published a range of articles that tackle the issue of utilizing and managing social media in the online learning space:
What about you? How are you utilizing Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, Google , Tumblr, and Slideshare? Are you blogging?
If you’ve answered yes, then keep it up! You may be on next year’s list. If not, there’s no better time than the present.
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