EDPB530 FINISHED ON DEC 10TH. HAVE A GREAT HOLIDAY!
Bytedeck is a non-profit, Canadian service. Avi recently joined the board and is volunteering his time. He created this short video to introduce potential users to the platform.
CLICK HERE TO EXPAND
Bytedeck is a gamification learning platform created by Tylere Couture, a British Columbia, Canada educator.
What is my rationale for working with ByteDeck rather than a more well-known, international platform like ClassCraft?
BC educators are very limited in the services they can utilize with their students online. If the service is not on Canadian servers, we are required to research and write a Privacy Impact Assessment and have students or guardians complete a fairly robust Freedom of Information and Privacy Protection (FIPPA) consent form (Like the one you completed for our VIU Google Workspace for Education Instance). These requirements have resulted in many school districts in BC moving away from some highly user-friendly, robust, useful, and very privacy and security conscious services, such as Google Workspace for Education; the challenges of having all parents or students complete the consent forms can be daunting and frustrating, and so it tends to be avoided.
This is just one of the nice things about ByteDeck, as it is housed on Canadian servers and this means educators can breathe easier with regard to FIPPA.
Bytedeck is a non-profit society, so we don't have to worry our students being utilized as part of a profit-based business. There are no ads, and there are no ads. Did I mention that there are no ads.
ByteDeck is a quest-based gamified platform that allows educators to quickly develop personalized quest-based learning experiences, to provide feedback, and to track student progress.
I have a gamification system of my own built upon Google Workspace. It works really well. Most of my students like it. I like it.
So, why am I going to try ByteDeck this semester with you?
One reason is that I experimented utilizing Bytedeck with my graduate students and it was such a hit that most of them are wanting to now use Bytedeck with their own students. This is the highest praise.
Also, I am often asked by students to use my systems to gamify their classrooms. This works very well if the teacher’s school district uses Google Workspace for Education, but it takes some background knowledge to set it up. We have had some students develop the same system in their MS 365 and Teams instances… but, again, this is complex to set up. So, although I really like my Workspace system, I am moving to a Web App that my students can then easily utilize in their own classrooms if they choose to do so… and without the worry of FIPPA consent forms.
Bytedeck works on all devices. My systems sort of did.
And, ok, I will say it... Tylere's platform is a lot more slick than my system. Using his platform will allow me to simplify the gamification experience for my students while still maintaining the agency and dynamism I hoped for in a robust and flexible manner.
Tylere has done such a good job with ByteDeck, with almost instant support when needed, that it feels like a “no brainer” to use it with you.
Let’s see how it goes.
Please follow instructions from the above video carefully.
OUR COURSE IS HERE: https://edpb530.bytedeck.com/ (Access code was emailed to you)
Create your account and join the appropriate course.
Please follow instructions from the above video carefully.
DO NOT SUBMIT YET, as you have not yet completed the quest.
This video for a different course and the quests are different... but the information is basically the same.
Have a look around your Course ByteDeck.
Some quests are approved once you submit them.
These quests allow you to move through the content without needing to wait for instructor approval.
Examples from this course:
Welcome to ByteDeck!
Core Quests Intro Quest
Course Outline Quest...
Some Quests require instructor approval before XP is awarded.
These quests are usually those requiring demonstration of specific competencies or are self-directed.
Examples from this course:
Self-Directed Repeating Quest
Digital Privacy Quest...
These quests re-appear after submission for additional student work and submissions.
Examples from this course:
Self-Directed Repeating Quest
Social Learning (Repeating)
Secret Lair (Repeating)...
Occasionally, the instructor will post a Quest which blocks all other quest work. This means that the student needs to complete the blocking quest before anything else is available. This can be annoying to the student, but is only done with very important and timely quests.
WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW for more on this.
Example from this course:
The Announcement and Class Self-Assessment Quest
Some quests will have fixed XP amounts which are awarded to the student for completion, but there are also several quests which allow the student to claim XP for focussed time on task.
WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW for more on this.
Various XP Quests Examples:
Self-Directed Repeating Quest
Digital Privacy Quest
Social Learning (Repeating)
Varied XP and Blocking
