For educators: 6 books on gamification in education

Why do we have to make life and learning such a chore? Effectively applying gaming elements to learning can help make it more fun and lead to better results. Gamification is the application of gaming elements to an otherwise mundane task. This collection of books can help you get on the right path.

What I learned at the #SUNYCIT conference

I just got back from the 2015 SUNY Conference for Instruction and Technology. It was a great opportunity to learn new things and discover ways to improve upon the SUNY JCC way. I also had an opportunity to connect with peers across SUNY. Here are the sessions I attended:

Wednesday, 27 May, 2015

• Using Social Media Creatively in Education
• MOOC Development in Coursera
• SUNY CIT Keynotes: Chancellor Nancy Zimpher and Vice Chancellor Alexander Cartwright
• FACT2 Mobile Technology in Teaching and Learning Task Group Report
• The OSCQR Rubric from the Ground Up
• The Open SUNY Center for Online Teaching Excellence
• A Complete Guide to the OSCQR Process
• Meeting: DOODLE

Thursday, 28 May, 2015

• The Writing is on the Walls! Creating an Engaging Learning Environment
• SUNY CIT Keynote: Dr. Mark Milliron
• Lights, Camera, Teach: Producing Video for MOOCs and Other Education Uses
• Ecology and Earth Science Virtual Field Experiences OERs: Expanding Access to Field Based Research Techniques for Students at a Distance
• Gamified Digital Forensics Course Modules for Entry-level Students
• Meeting: Open SUNY Campus Coordinators

Friday, 29 May, 2015

• Scholarly Communication in the 21st Century
• Demystifying the Number One Selling Classroom Technology

This a highly informative conference. I can’t wait to share what I have learned. If you have questions about any of these topics, please contact me.

With a smartphone, traveling can be all fun and games

One of the things I like about my smartphone is that I can make life a little more fun by integrating games into my daily routine. Using my mobile device, I am often playing one of four games while I’m out and about. My favorite mobile games are Ingress, Foursquare, Geocaching, and NikePlus. All of these games rely on the the GPS capabilities of my phone, and I can play most of them without disturbing the rest of the world. These are the the four programs that keep me entertained when I’m traveling, and they just make life a little more fun.

What is on the Horizon Report for 2014?

2014 NMC Horizon Report for Higher Education

It is that time of the year when the New Media Consortium comes out with its Horizon Report. Each year, I look forward to reading this report because it lets me know if I am keeping pace with ever-changing instructional technologies. The 2013 report radically differed from the 2012 report in terms of trends being reported. In the 2014 report, only three of six important developments were repeated from the 2013 report. 

3D GameLab is making skill development fun

This term I have had the pleasure of teaching a graduate level course, Intro to Online Teaching. As part of the course, learners have to create an online course within Moodle, an learning management system (LMS) that I am using for the course.