Gamification: Easy vs. Right

I've been pursuing the idea of gamifying my room and program for almost a year now. After viewing several ready-made programs and websites, I had selected one to utilize and implement, even though I wasn't terribly happy with its user interface or theme. I chose it because I knew that if I were to custom build my own system using websites and/or Google Docs/Sheets there would be a very great deal of work to do.

After travelling to ITEC this week and listening to Mike Matera speaking about gamification, I've come to the realization that I have to create my own system. The reasons are many, but they all essentially boil down to the fact that when I create my own system, it's exactly what I want it to be. That is to say, I will have complete control over every aspect of my own system; anything I'm unhappy with I can change!

I also came to the realization that I was breaking one of the rules or ideas I communicate to my students on a daily basis: oftentimes the right thing to do is not the easy thing to do; instead it usually involves a deal of work, and trying to avoid that work because it's hard or there is a lot of it, is an almost certain way to fail at the endeavor. Luckily, my eyes have been opened before I rolled out a program I would've been displeased with, which would've led to disappointment and a lack of ownership on my part, and thus on my students' part as well.