Classcraft

Review by Gia Carroll and Yolanda Brock-Wisniewski, 2016 Basic information: What does the method or tool "do" ­ in other words, what skills, practices, and/or means of collaboration are supported by this method or tool? Classcraft is an online tool that allows teachers to collaborate with students to convert the classroom into a role-playing educational atmosphere. Classcraft is free to play and teachers are given the freedom to design the rewards and consequences for players (students). To play the game, students pick a character from one of the available choices. Distinctive avatars and outlines are assigned to characters and students use them to earn points that translate into real-life ‘powers’. Usage: How is the method or tool being (or might it be) used in your current project management and design, your teaching, and/or your graduate coursework? Classcraft might be used for teaching in a classroom to design a game around current curriculum where students can level up, work in teams, and earn powers that have real-world consequences. Classcraft can be used to engage students in learning and reward them for job well done. Students are assigned teams in Classcraft and this will also help them to develop collaboration skills.  Classcraft is a free tool and students, teachers, and parents can create accounts and practice their crafts.   What type of example activity might be developed for utilization by someone unfamiliar with the tool? Creating a mock account to demonstrate character building and game play for someone unfamiliar with Classcraft, is an example of an activity that might be particularly useful just before inviting the class to utilize the tool. Design: What are the affordances and constraints of this particular method or tool in relation to current/future collaboration, team or group work, and project management? One of the benefits of Classcraft in relations to teamwork in classroom is it allows students to develop collaboration skills. Another benefit is students learn to take role in a group serious by making their success dependent on one another. One of the constraints of Classcraft in relations to teamwork in classroom is it may be less effective for students who do not have access to computers or mobile apps outside of the classroom. Relation: How is this method or tool similar/dissimilar to other methods or tools you have previously used? Classcraft is similar to ClassDojo because both are accessible for mobile devices. Both Classcraft and ClassDojo allow parents to collaborate with teachers to monitor students learning. Classcraft is different from ClassDojo because Classcraft allows teachers to determine the real-world consequences and rewards while ClassDojo has these features built into the game. Classcraft and ClassDojo are different because ClassDojo allows you to instantly track student’s behaviors and store data. How is it similar/dissimilar to those methods or tools your peers in this course have already reviewed? Classcraft is similar to tools used by my classmates such as Glogster because both are accessible by mobile app and both tools allow students to create and customize their own accounts. Classcraft is different from tools such as Glogster because, while Classcraft is a role-playing game, Glogster is more about creating multi-media posters from ideas. Media: Incorporate multiple forms of digital media to illustrate the functionality/purpose of this method or tool. In this video a teacher reveals how technology and Classcraft has altered his classroom for the better. The teacher explains that  “engagement has skyrocketed”  and students were eager to learn since incorporating the Classcraft tool in his classroom. www. Classcraft.com Reflection:  How does this method or tool relate to course themes and/or professional practices? This tool relates to course themes because it is a collaboration tool and a method applicable to project management, technology design, and professional development. Classcraft relates to the classroom because it allows educators to turn simple learning tasks into a real-world role-playing quest. The real world rewards and consequences in Classcraft give students a learning experience that is unlike no other.