Pre-Season: Video 1: She, Jane.

Welcome (and welcome back) to the Level Up Book Club. We're glad you found us (or didn't forget about us).

Most of us are entering the final big push of the school year: Quarter 4. It can be stressful, but it's also a time for looking ahead to break, to time off, and for time to get to those things you've put off for so long.

Things are equally busy around Level Up headquarters, so we're changing things up over the next couple of weeks to keep your brain stimulated, your interest motivated, and your time respected.

That said, on to our first video task challenge!

PSv1:

VIDEO RESPONSE CHALLENGE: "She, Jane."

Directions: Watch the following video and the consider what your students look like when they are engaged and motivated. (directions continue below)

Side note: This is a TED Talk given by Jane McGonigal, author of Reality is Broken, in 2010. It's pretty amazing and inspiring. Watch out for her images of motivated and engaged gamers.

Got a picture in your mind? Good! Now, go out and prove it! Share a picture of your engaged and motivated student(s) in action or recount a memory narratively by sharing via Twitter using #levelupbc or on our Tumblr.

Reward:  The winner of this challenge will receive a custom video heralding his or her ability to engage and motivate students. It will be awesome!

Deadline: 11:59pm Sunday, April 7th. Winner will be selected by random drawing from participants. Participate as often as you'd like. One chance of winning per submission.

Can't wait to see what you submit! Welcome back to Level Up!

Pre-Season Line-Up.

We hope your school year, state assessments, midyear stretch, and otherwise good times are all going well. Jennifer and I had a chance to meet for the first time at the NCTIES conference in Raleigh, NC and boy were the wonder twin powers at full power! As a result, we've got a couple of really cool upcoming events with Level Up that we're excited to share with you including the kick-off to our next season. Stay tuned. This summer is going to be better than ever!

Jennifer and Matthew meet for the first time at NCTIES 2013.

Check Out Our Pre-Season Line-Up:

MOVIES, CAMEOS, AND CO-OPS GALORE!

Less Book, More TALK: We're taking a break from the game-based learning literature and devouring data in more bite-sized portions. Watch for upcoming video posts and accompanying chats and challenges. Our aim is to share some great game-centered talks from leading experts and support each with opportunities to discuss and geek out with fellow Level Up members and the like.

Leveling Up with Heavy Hitters: With just a few short months of the school year remaining, we're committing time to connecting Level Up BC with the heavy hitters in the gamification and game-based learning world. Surrounding ourselves with experts will give us a ton of resources to pull from and a wealth of great knowledge to learn through. We'll track the individuals leading the way and look for how their work can improve our efforts in the classroom and school at large.

Co-Op Mode is Go!: Two Level Up members have stepped up for CO-OP mode, which means we'll have new creative talent influencing our challenges, discussions, and awesomeness.

Return to Reality is Broken in May: Headed to ISTE 2013 in San Antonio? You won't want to miss our Season 3 kick-off of the Level Up Book Club with ISTE opening keynote Jane McGonigal's Reality is Broken. It's the book that started Level Up, and it's one we're looking forward to returning to. Read it again or, better yet, invite a friend to read it for the first time. We're planning all new challenges, all new interactions, and all new EPIC wins. The good times return in May!

Until then, here's a little bite of awesomeness to whet your appetite. Please enjoy Reggie Watts with a TEDtalk that's both disorienting and intriguing.

Resource Luminary WINNER!

Sometimes it's important to reward someone just so that they know their work isn't going unnoticed.

A couple weeks ago we posted a new kind of challenge aimed at resource sharing and offered a prize never before awarded in the Level Up Book Club: a badge. Awarded to the LevelUpBC member who most actively shared resources over the past three weeks via Twitter using the #levelupbc hashtag, the RESOURCE LUMINARY badge is proudly bestowed to its first recipient: Ms. Jennifer LaGarde!

Jennifer, we commend you for sharing so many great online resources with Level Up and thank you for keeping the #levelupbc hashtag hopping!