GameMOOC, final(isg) thoughts & distinctions

So, gamemooc is over!  Well, almost! It's on Hiatus!  We've completed 5 weeks (of the 6 in total) with Week 6 coming back on September 10th to wrap up.  I've noted it in my calendar, and hope to be able to come back and wrap up.

Coming into this MOOC I wasn't sure what to expect.  It was using a site meant for guild communications, which seemed apropos for the topic, but at the same time it was something new to me (schematically though, quite similar to google groups and ning so it wasn't too much of a shocker). The weekly themes that we tackled were quite interesting, ranging from why gaming to specifics of gamification, alternative credentialing, types of games, sharing of games in educational contexts, and when the rubber meets the road: hurdles toward implementing games in the classroom.

There were a lot of interesting participants in this MOOC, and quite a few interesting guests in the hangouts (that were recorded and posted later on to youtube).  In week 5 there were two interesting interviews; one a presentation on creating narrative, and a second one with two educators that used WoW and Minecraft in school.  I found the anecdote of the student who named his character "Mage theMage" pretty funny.  I don't see how this is problematic.  I think it's rather meta :-)  In any case, it's worthwhile catching those two presentations/interviews on the YouTube channel.  Each one is about an hour, so grab some popcorn ;-)

Finally, there were some badges (or rather medals of valor?) that I earned in this MOOC:

Bard: You watch, listen and write! You capture the actions of heroes! You shape history! You create the Legends! Singing is Optional! You are the Bard! A weekly award for submissions to the Journals area http://gamesmooc.shivtr.com/journals  (Awarded August 12)

Cataclysmic: Your performance during the MOOC was great! You melted the minds of the facilitators! You are pure Awesome Sauce! You are Cataclysmic! (Awarded August 12)

DPS: You apply your social network knowledge construction with deadly accuracy! Everyone is envious your your encyclopedic knowledge! You did not start it, but you will finish it! You are DPS! (Awarded August 1)

Herald: You announce the imminent arrival of greatness! You alert the masses! You stir passion and reverence! You talk really loud! You are the Herald! A weekly award for the Best Blog written outside the guild site. The link must be posted in the Games MOOC Forum. (Awarded for period of July 18 - July 25)

Also, congrats to  my fellow gameMOOCers grasshopper98, neemana, grannie_tech, christopher, lotus, grieve_physics, scott nicholson, murcha, hawkeye, amber, anciana, and mind erasure on their distinctions as well! :-)

Looking forward to seeing you in the gamification xMOOC which starts in 10 days :-)

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