Evaluation
Adapting the SAMR Model for Gamification
When I first started really thinking about gamification and game based learning one of the issues that I wanted to explore was whether it was possible to evaluate a use of gamification.
How can we measure whether an activity, lesson plan or unit of work is gamified and is gamified well?
Maybe SAMR?
The SAMR model created by Dr Ruben Puentedura seemed like it could be a useful model to adapt. I ended up having a long Twitter discussion on this topic with @KeeganSLW, @Mr-Van_W, @steven_kolber and @Capitan_Typo, as well as some others who dropped in and out, about how this could be done and whether or not it would be useful. One result of this discussion was this blog post by Keegan. Another product was the graphic below.
The problems with SAMR
In my mind the biggest problem with using the SAMR model is that it was designed to be used as a linear scale where substitution is not great and redefinition is the best possible outcome. This is not a view I hold, and I have met many teachers who share my idea that use of technology in education should be broad and fit for purpose. That is, that sometimes substitution of a non-digital tool for a digital tool is the right choice for a given learning activity. A great way of thinking about how to use the SAMR model is explained by the swimming pool version. (This model is also contentious and not embraced by all educators!)
The gamification problem
Even though I shared the infographic I created that adapted SAMR for gamification instead of digital technologies on Twitter I was not satisfied. For a start the image conflates gamification and game based learning. I could fix that issue by making a different SAMR scale for each.
Ultimately though, the real issue for me is that I didn't feel it really gave a teacher a way to think about adding gamified activities to their classrooms or judging whether an activity created by someone else was worth using or would meet their needs. That is where @steven_kolber came in. Like me he was really interested in finding a way to think about and evaluate gamification but he wanted to use a scale and look at the elements of game that I had shared as part of my thinking.
It is still a work in progress but we are now developing the Kolber Seldon Evaluation Tool for measuring how gamified an activity is and evaluating it's potential as a learning resource.