We'll Be Right Back.

The Level Up Book Club is recharging and is not yet ready for use.

Use of the #LevelUpBC hashtag is encouraged for resource sharing of gaming, game-based learning, and gamification tools and news.

While not directly endorsed by it's founders, the #LevelUpBC hashtag can also be used to find super interesting, super cool, super gamey guys and gals from throughout the interwebs to meet all of your collaboration, inspiration, and swooning needs.

In Guild We Trust,

Jennifer & Matthew

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!

Resource Luminary Badge.

Level Up is going into CO-OP mode, turning over a new leaf and trying something a little different. We're taking things at a more relaxed pace so that we can concentrate on all the great things going on in our schools.

We're swapping reading novels for articles.

We're trading our leader board for badges.

We're offering new opportunities for leadership and idea swapping.

And to start, we're turning our focus onto one of the things Level Up Book Club members do best: sharing gamification and game-based learning resources.

Task 1.

REWARD: Resource Luminary Badge

These gamification badges by Jonathan Patterson
are pretty amazing!

Directions: Share helpful resources and articles with other Level Up members on Twitter via the #levelupbc hashtag. Many of us are doing this already. We'll be curating those great resources you link through our Level Up Tumblr.

Reward: We're taking down the Leader Board for the time being and will replace it with a Wall of Fame. And on that Wall of Fame? Why, YOU, of course! You earn the badge, we'll immortalize your name on our Wall of Fame.

*We would have offered to immortalize you in carbonite, but our carbonite pool is under maintenance for the time being. Maybe next time.

Deadline: 11:59pm Sunday, February 24. Share the most (or best) resources via the #levelupbc, and you could be awarded are awesome one-of-a-kind badge!

Also, we're looking for Level Up readers interested in Co-Oping for future posts and challenges. Want to play? Read more here or complete the survey below.

CO-OP mode.

Welcome to a new age of Level Up.

Since its inception in May of 2012 the Level Up Book Club has continued to reinvent itself to reflect the interests of its members and the nature of its reads. Challenges, chats, book studies, and resource curation have been at the heart of our work, but we now find ourselves in a position to try something new.

For the remainder of the school year, Level Up is launching into Co-Op mode. Co-Op (or co-operative) gameplay involves two or more players tackling a common obstacle together. Much like in good collaboration, playing co-op allows the players to experience the game in a new way and achieve goals difficult or impossible in a single player mode. Co-op allows for more strategy, better use of resources, and a more unified gaming experience. In Level Up, we see co-op as an opportunity for guild members to craft their own unique levelupbc experiences for others to enjoy.

This means that we're taking a break from reading books in order to provide relevant, engaging, and fun LevelUpBC experiences that are not as time-restrictive as our previous endeavors. It also means you can be a part of the future of Level Up!

Co-Op Mission Essential Knowledge:

By signing up for a co-op mission below, you are agreeing to work in collaboration with Matthew and/or Jennifer to create two (2) challenges for your selected month. These challenges may include:

• Asking LevelUpBC members to retrieve and share resources on a given topic.
• Creating a game or activity based on game-based learning, gamification, or other previously discussed topics of the LevelUpBC.
• Moderating an online discussion on a selected essay or article related to gaming in education.
• Doing something not previously conceived and yet totally awesome and memorable for LevelUpBC.

You'll also unlock super rare items, gain insane experience points, and will earn the respect and admiration of other Level Up guild members. Either that, or it will just be a whole lot of fun.

Sign up for a Co-Op mission using the form below. 

And welcome to a new age of Level Up.

Let's Chat: Extra Lives.

For most of us in the teaching world, February means parent-teacher conferences, quarter 2 report cards, and the halfway mark for the school year.

Exhausted yet?

We hope you've enjoyed our chillaxed approach for our final book selection of Season 2 of the Level Up Book Club. We're wrapping things up this Friday via a Twitter chat and would love for you to join.

Twitter chat this Friday, February 8th at 7-8pm EST.
#LevelUpBC

On the agenda:

• Highlights of Tom Bissell's Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter
• Unveiling of the new Level Up Book Club Co-Op Mode
• Crowdsourced feedback: What does the Level Up BC mean to you?
• Geeking out over cool, new video games on consoles and iOs/Android

Join in to learn more about Level Up, reconnect with other guild members, or just to unwind after a long week. No need to read Extra Lives to feel included.

See you soon!

2013: The Year of GAME ON!!!

Happy New Year, Level Up Book Club!

January is such an awesome month for folks who spend their days with kids in schools.  Not only do you get to celebrate the fact that you've made it through half the year BUT you also get to relish in the best part of the new year - the opportunity for a fresh start:  A reboot.  A do over. (*AHEM*) Extra Lives!

That said, as you might recall, at the end of last year, we decided to spend December chillaxing - that is to say, spending quality time with our latest read Extra Lives by Tom Bissell only when that time presented itself.  And given how CrAzY December typically is, we're guessing that time was limited.  So... we're wishing you a Happy New Year with a fresh start to this fantabulous book and a fun new challenge!

In the spirit of renewal and revisiting our goals for the school year, your first challenge of 2013 is twofold:

S2: Task 4: Set a Goal.

Jennifer is a shoe-in for this badge!

1. Set a Game Based Learning goal.  If you're participating in Level Up Book Club it is, no doubt, because you are either a) interested in game-based learning and how it can positively impact your students or b) you're already a true believer.  So, why not use the flipping of the calendar to set a goal for yourself or for your kids this year?  Maybe you'd like to introduce a console, like the Nintendo Wii, into your instruction. Or perhaps you'd like to incorporate gaming elements as a way of implementing the common core.  Or maybe you'd just like to give yourself permission to spend 2 hours a week playing Minecraft so that you can discover ways to use it as part of your teaching. Or maybe you want to pluck up the courage to ask your principal to observe a lesson laden with GBL. No matter what your goal is, part of your challenge is to share it with Level Up.  You can post your goal on Twitter - just be sure to use the #levelupbc hashtag as part of your post.  Or you can send it to us via the Level Up Tumblr.  We CAN'T WAIT to see what you're plotting and scheming for 2013!
2. Grab, renew or download a copy of Extra Lives by Tom Bissell and pick up where you left off.  If you've already finished the book, dust it off and refresh your member.  But, if you're like us, and you started but haven't quite finished yet, it's time to dust off your copy and get back to it.  We'll have a new text based challenge soon and we'll look forward to our Twitter chat tradition at the close of the month!

Told in easy-to-digest chapters
that appeal to gamers and non-gamers alike!

2012 was an amazing year for Level Up.  When we started this little book club, we had no idea how it would grow or how much it would add to our lives.   Thank YOU so much for being a part of the learning and sharing that goes on here and for keeping us moving forward in 2013!  

Cheers! 

- Jennifer & Matthew

Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter

So, Level Up Book Club, how's your super chillaxed, uber stress-free month of December, going?  That's what I thought! You're swamped! Overwhelmed!  Counting the seconds days till winter break!

Guess what?!

So are we!

Which is why this post is just a reminder that this month our gift to you is a no pressure read of Tom Bissell's Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter - just in time for the month when WE ALL wish we had a few extra lives to fall back on. (Or a least a few elves to help us get all that work done!)

No need to stress about challenges or leader boards this month, just pick up your copy of this amazing book and start reading.  Easy Peasy.

Over the next couple of weeks, we'll start posting quotes from the book and sharing our thoughts.  Then, once January hits, when we're all feeling rested and renewed, we'll hit the ground running in preparation for our next #levelupbc Twitter chat.  In the meantime, feel free to make Level Up and Bissell's book your happy place during this hectic and chaotic time.

And... if you're still waiting for your copy to come in at the public library OR you're hoping Santa will tuck one in your stocking, no worries!  Here's an interview with the author to tide you over!

Enjoy!

Edublog Awards!

 

Wait a second... did you do this?

Guild, this is AWESOME! Thank you so much for helping the Level Up Book Club get recognized for not one but three Edublog Awards! Level Up is nominated in the categories Best Group Blog, Best New Blog, and Best Edu Social Network.

And ya know what? We totally deserve it!

This book club is super fun because of the gamers, educators, and innovators that you are! We quest together. We explore together. We achieve together. What's not to love?!

Now it's time to see if the Level Up Book Club can bring home the bacon.

Voting for the Edublog Awards is open until 11:59pm EST on Sunday, December 9th. You can vote daily and from multiple devices. And, most importunely, each vote counts.

Go to the Edublog Awards voting page and let your voice be heard. Tweet the link. Promote Level Up. Coerce your colleagues to vote for us. You could even make a game out of it!

We're gonna wear these badges loud and proud!

Thanks for being part of this truly epic win!

FAUXasis WINNER!

A note from the desk of the 

FAUXasis Gaming Board

To all this may concern:

On behalf of the FAUXasis Gaming Board, I, Matthew Winner, FAUXasis lead designer and programmer, would like to congratulate user LIBRARYFANATIC as the winner of the Level Up Book Club Season 2 Side Quest. Despite competition from thousands of challengers globally, LIBRARYFANATIC has demonstrated the commitment, capacity, and merit to earn the coveted FAUXasis PRIZE. Said PRIZE will be sent via post to the undisclosed home of LIBRARYFANATIC where it will no doubt garner the attention and wordwide acclaim deserved of the competitor him- or herself.

The Board would also like to recognize those players who have endured the 10 FAUXasis modules over the recents weeks. You have each exhibited excellent sportsmanship and endurance through mental and physical challenges. 

The Board hopes you have enjoyed reading Ernest Cline's READY PLAYER ONE as well as your time spent in the company of the Level Up Book Club. All FAUXasis accounts will be terminated shortly and the modules permanently dismantled, but records of all accounts can still be accessed through the Level Up Book Club server.

Thank you again for playing. We hope you have enjoyed the experience.

Sincerely,

Matthew C. Winner

FAUXasis Lead Designer and Programmer

FAUXasis mod 10 (S2: Side Quest)

Directions: Within the following riddle are clues that will help you answer the question below. Using whatever means necessary, decode the clues and provide your answer to the question. If your name does not appear on the Leader Board within 12 hours time, you have answered incorrectly.

FAUXasis_mod_10

"Hard work is painful when life is devoid of purpose. But when you live for something greater than yourself and the gratification of your own ego, then hard work becomes a labour of love." - Steve Pavlina

Add caption

MOD DETAILS:

• Points will be awarded to the players with the highest posted scores at the conclusion of the mod. 
• All players will play Super Mario Bros. Crossover, located here.
• Please play using the following settings:
• Difficulty - NORMAL 
• Gameplay Mode - SURVIVAL
• Console to Simulate - NINTENDO
• Tutorials On - YES
• Visit the Super Mario Bros. Crossover wiki with questions or for tips.
• Post a screenshot of your high score to the Level Up Book Club tumblr no later than 11:59pm on Saturday, December 1st.
• Multiple submissions accepted. 
• Screenshots will be made public for other FAUXasis competitors to view.
• Points Awarded to Highest Score
• 1st Place - 50,000 pts
• 2nd Place - 40,000 pts
• 3rd Place - 30,000 pts
• 4th Place - 20,000 pts
• 5th Place - 10,000 pts
• 6th and Following - 1 pt

FAUXasis Leader Board : Sheet1

Sheet1 > <

Extra Lives: A Chillaxed Challenge from #levelupbc

Hope all our state-side players have recovered from their Turkey or Tofurkey comas and are ready to head back to work tomorrow.  And, if in your world the phrases "back to work" and "back to school" are one in the same, then you're probably already well aware that no matter how you slice it, there's really only about 3 weeks between this long awaited break and the next one. What's more, if you're anything like your Level Up Leaders, then getting this far has been a fun but exhausting ride.

So... here's what we're gonna do.

In order to keep the Level Up momentum moving forward, while also taking a low pressure approach to our next read, we're wrapping up a chillaxed challenge for our next read, Extra Lives by Tom Bissell, as our holiday gift to you.

Given how crazy this time of year is for everyone, but in particular for those who work and play with little (and big!) learners, we're gonna take this one slow.  Currently, we're planning our usual cumulative Twitter chat for this read as the first Level Up activity of 2013 - giving our friends, colleagues and readers (um... that's you!) permission to take a deep breath, concentrate on what's most important right now and tackle this read one delicious page at a time.

In the meantime, OF COURSE, we'll post some challenges along the way, share favorite quotes and make reading this book a meaningful learning experiences for everyone involved.  In fact, to start things off, per usual, let's get the ball rolling by sharing pics of your copy of our latest read either via the Level Up Book Club Tumblr or on Twitter - just be sure to tag your post with the #levelupbc hashtag!  And, of course, in the spirit of leading by example, here's a shot of the loot collected during my latest visit to the public library - with Extra Lives rising to the top of the heap!

So... wrap up the left overs, dust off the dreidels, take out the tinsel and grab a copy of Extra Lives so you can festivus with the rest of us.  Rest assured, Level Up ia not on hiatus, we are not taking a break - we're just making sure that Extra Lives doesn't add any extra stress to this already busy holiday season.!

FAUXasis mod 9 (S2: Side Quest)

Directions: Within the following riddle are clues that will help you answer the question below. Using whatever means necessary, decode the clues and provide your answer to the question. If your name does not appear on the Leader Board within 12 hours time, you have answered incorrectly.

FAUXasis_mod_9

NAME-or-GAME is what we'll play.

NAME or GAME, you must display.

Will there be a price to pay

if one or two is wrong?

Who can say?

Image 1

Image 2

Image 3

Image 4

Image 5

Image 6

Games4Good + Knowledge Quest = Week of EPIC WINS for #levelupbc

Ok. Somebody cue Kool and the Gang because Level Up has LOTS to celebrate this week.  Thanks to YOU and the donations of over 40 sponsors, #levelupbc's Games4Good campaign raised $1040 for the American Red Cross and other charities aiding victims of hurricane Sandy!!!  We are so proud of this achievement and as a token of our esteem, love and overwhelming gratitude, we created this video thank you card to acknowledge our generous sponsors!! Please pass it on to the folks who sponsored you and know that every thank you is meant from the heart!   Also, if you missed this campaign and would still like to donate, it's not too late!  The Red Cross's website offers several ways for you to give a little bit or a lot.  Every dollar shared makes a difference. 

But wait! That's not all!  Matthew and I are also giddy with gratitude this week because Level Up  was featured in this month's Knowledge Quest which is centered all around powering up your PLN.  We were thrilled to be asked to contribute a piece about this great group of gaming educators who are exploring new and innovative pedagogy through our little club.  What a thrill! If you're a member of AASL, you can view the issue on line, if not (join!) you can probably ask another school librarian if you can borrow theirs!  Again, Level Up would not EXIST or be nearly as much fun without you, so THANK YOU so much for continuing to support our efforts to get our game on!  We love Level Up so much! Which is why... 

We are excited to announce our next Twitter Chat for our latest read:  Karl Kapp's amazing book The Gamification of Learning and Instruction. Join us on MONDAY 11/19 at 8pm EST for a GREAT Twitter convo where we'll explore the concepts in the book AND announce our next read!

And one more time, for the record... THANK YOU for making this a week of EPIC WINS! 

FAUXasis mod 8 (S2: Side Quest)

Directions: Within the following riddle are clues that will help you answer the question below. Using whatever means necessary, decode the clues and provide your answer to the question. If your name does not appear on the Leader Board within 12 hours time, you have answered incorrectly.

FAUXasis_mod_8

That time you first hear an album and you know that it's going to change your life. 
That song you carry with you no matter where you go. 

Identify the album. Visit the location.
Return with photo evidence. 

MOD LIMITATIONS:

1. The FAUXasis only supports travel via Google Earth.

2. A screenshot matching the photo below (sans text) must be provided as proof.

3. All images must be submitted via Level Up Book Club Tumblr. Provide FAUXasis name on submission for credit.

4. Points will be awarded as follows: 

1st to Submit Photo = 50,000 pts

2nd to Submit Photo = 25,000 pts

3rd to Submit Photo = 10,000 pts

4th to Submit Photo = 5,000 pts

5th to Submit Photo = 2,500 pts

6th and following = 50 pts

Image 5 of 5.

Image 4 of 5.

Image 3 of 5.

Image 2 of 5.

Image 1 of 5.

 New photos will be added periodically, thereby providing new opportunities to earn points. FAUXasis users will be alerted to photo updates via Twitter using #FAUXasis.

Games 4 Good Wrap Up!

Did you play some Games4Good this weekend?  If so, we wanna know about it!  Please take a few minutes to let us know about your experience with this game-a-thon experiment!  We can't wait to hear how you used games to change the world!

Note:  we're asking for a list of the names of folks who sponsored you so that we can publicly thank them.  Please do not include contact info or the amounts each person gave, just let us know who they were so that we can give them a well deserved high five!

FAUXasis mod 7 (S2: Side Quest)

Directions: Within the following riddle are clues that will help you answer the question below. Using whatever means necessary, decode the clues and provide your answer to the question. If your name does not appear on the Leader Board within 12 hours time, you have answered incorrectly.

FAUXasis_mod_7 

Seated opposite a man in atramentous garb. 

Two intoxicants within your grasp, but which to select?

The venom will mean certain death.

Will you be saved with reason and the right words? 

You'd like to think that, wouldn't you? You've (quote omitted), which means you're exceptionally strong. So, you could have (quote omitted) in your own goblet, trusting on your strength to save you. So I can clearly not (quote omitted) in front of you. But, you have also (quote omitted) which means you must have studied. And in studying, you must have learned that man is mortal so you would have (quote omitted) as far from yourself as possible, so I can clearly not (quote omitted) in front of me.

FAUXasis mod 6 (S2: Side Quest)

Directions: Within the following riddle are clues that will help you answer the question below. Using whatever means necessary, decode the clues and provide your answer to the question. If your name does not appear on the Leader Board within 12 hours time, you have answered incorrectly.

FAUXasis_mod_6 

Home.

FAUXasis mod A (S2: Side Quest)

Directions: Within the following riddle are clues that will help you answer the question below. Using whatever means necessary, decode the clues and provide your answer to the question. If your name does not appear on the Leader Board within 12 hours time, you have answered incorrectly.

FAUXasis_mod_A 

There's an alt-FAUXasis where others play,
Where daring librarians live steam-punked days.
A top hat awaits you with little strife,
But to get there you'll need a second life.

ARTIFACT: LevelUpBC Top Hat

ABILITY: unknown

CLUES DROPPED: 
(1) Property SLURL: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Winterfell%20Absinthe/153/108/33
(2) Images of Property:

Zoom 1

Zoom 2

Zoom 3

DIRECTIONS: You may need to create an account for this one. 

A secret word is located within this property. The first to respond with said word will be awarded 15,000 points and will win a virtual tour of SL care of The Daring Librarian. Post a screenshot to Tumblr of your avatar wearing the artifact and earn an additional 50,000 points.