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: 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.!

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! 

Rock Star Treatment.

Shelving Wars.

The Quest4Hope.

BUSter.

The Overdue Avengers.

These are just a handful of the games #LevelUpBC members created in our "Design a Game" Challenge. Level Up readers were asked to apply what we're reading in Kapp's The Gamification of Learning and Instruction in order to create a game out of commonplace work we usually consider mundane.

Descriptions of the games were submitted to our Level Up wiki and others are welcome to add ideas at any time. But for the time being it's time to select a new winner of a Week of the Rock Star Treatment on Twitter. We had a blast offering up fanfare for @SSedro all last week.

And the winner is...

Share praise, fanfare, and otherwise ridiculous acts of affection for @LibraryFanatic all this week. She deserves it! And thanks to everyone who contributed! We can't wait to put these games into action at our schools!

Two Paths.

Two paths lie before you. Which will you choose?

The first continues on familiar ground, completing The Gamification of Learning and Instruction by Karl M. Kapp and participating in the task listed below (extended from last week).

The second leads into unfamiliar territory, enticing you deeper into 80's nostalgia and perplexing trivia on a side quest inspired by Ernest Cline's Ready Player One. Follow the clues and perhaps you'll win the PRIZE.

Of course, you could always do both. In Level Up you are certainly permitted to have your cake and eat it, too.

But the choice is yours. Feel free to continue posting Kapp quotes to Twitter and taking part in our discussion therein.

We will determine a date and time for our Twitter Chat about The Gamification of Learning and Instruction shortly. Until then, happy gaming!

Task 3:

WIKI CHALLENGE: "Design a Game"

Directions: As with any profession, working in education comes with its own arsenal of mundane and avoid-if-at-all-possible tasks. Review Kapp's response to the questions What is a game? (pg. 6), What is gamification? (pg. 9), and What gamification is not (pg. 12), then choose from one of the common school to-do's below and attempt to make a game of it.

a. Grading a stack of papers
b. One morning on bus duty
c. Increasing collaboration with classroom teachers
d. Decreasing overdue book statistics
e. FREE CHOICE - identify an otherwise mundane task in your workplace and create a game to accomplish the task in a more engaging, motivating way

Post the description of your game to our Level Up wiki for others to read and consider.

Reward: We're going to carry over the reward from last week because it is awesome and because it may be the kind of feel-good wonderfulness that you need amid this already stressful school year.

Since Twitter is our primary discussion space for #levelupbc, and since we'll be drawing an awful lot of attention to Kapp's excellent resource, the reward for this challenge will be One Week of Rock Star Treatment. That's right! For one whole week Jennifer and Matthew will tweet boastful, flattering, enthusiastic, mostly-true tweets about YOU which will inevitably cause the Twitterverse to swell with jealousy, your followers to shoot through the roof, and your social media cred to reach limitless heights. ...Or, at the very least, it could just make you feel really really good about yourself.

Deadline: 11:59pm Sunday, October 28th. Post a description of your game to our Level Up wikispace no later than Sunday by midnight.

S2: Task 3: Design a Game.

Still reading. Still being inspired. Still thinking about how all of this will inform your future instruction.

We're slowing down the pace a little this week, giving #LevelUpBC members a chance to finish reading The Gamification of Learning and Instruction and some much needed time to wrap our brains around it all. Continue posting Kapp quotes to Twitter and taking part in our discussion therein.

But while you finish up our first read of Season 2 we've got another challenge for you!

Admit it... you've been there.

Task 3:

WIKI CHALLENGE: "Design a Game"

Directions: As with any profession, working in education comes with its own arsenal of mundane and avoid-if-at-all-possible tasks. Review Kapp's response to the questions What is a game? (pg. 6), What is gamification? (pg. 9), and What gamification is not (pg. 12), then choose from one of the common school to-do's below and attempt to make a game of it.

a. Grading a stack of papers
b. One morning on bus duty
c. Increasing collaboration with classroom teachers
d. Decreasing overdue book statistics
e. FREE CHOICE - identify an otherwise mundane task in your workplace and create a game to accomplish the task in a more engaging, motivating way

Post the description of your game to our Level Up wiki for others to read and consider.

Reward: We're going to carry over the reward from last week because it is awesome and because it may be the kind of feel-good wonderfulness that you need amid this already stressful school year.

Since Twitter is our primary discussion space for #levelupbc, and since we'll be drawing an awful lot of attention to Kapp's excellent resource, the reward for this challenge will be One Week of Rock Star Treatment. That's right! For one whole week Jennifer and Matthew will tweet boastful, flattering, enthusiastic, mostly-true tweets about YOU which will inevitably cause the Twitterverse to swell with jealousy, your followers to shoot through the roof, and your social media cred to reach limitless heights. ...Or, at the very least, it could just make you feel really really good about yourself.

Deadline: 11:59pm Sunday, October 21st. We have big plans for these games (in future challenges, that is), so make sure set time aside to post before midnight on Sunday.

S2: Task 2: Kapp Quotes

You've introduced yourself to your fellow #LevelUpBC members. You've had a chance to pick up a copy of Karl M. Kapp's The Gamification of Learning and Instruction. You've probably even had a chance to crack the cover (or the eSpine?). Let's dig into the text.

Task 2:

TEXT CHALLENGE:  “Kapp Quotes”

Matthew's future gamer rock star.

Directions: Share quotes that interested, intrigued, or otherwise spoke to you via this post's comment thread or on Twitter using #levelupbc. The more you share, the more we connect. The more we connect, the more we WIN.                                                                                                              

Reward:  Since Twitter is our primary discussion space for #levelupbc, and since we'll be drawing an awful lot of attention to Kapp's excellent resource, the reward for this challenge will be One Week of Rock Star Treatment. That's right! For one whole week Jennifer and Matthew will tweet boastful, flattering, enthusiastic, mostly-true tweets about YOU which will inevitably cause the Twitterverse to swell with jealousy, your followers to shoot through the roof, and your social media cred to reach limitless heights. ...Or, at the very least, it could just make you feel really really good about yourself. 

Deadline: 11:59pm Friday, October 12th. Your name will be added to a drawing for each quote you share via the comment thread and/or Twitter. PLUS, we'll award one level up for each quote you share! Lots of chances to win, but you'll have to be an active member of the game and, therefore the discussion. As always, there will be plenty of other opportunities to share later and tons more challenges and opportunities to level up, so if you miss this deadline, don't despair! Find your highlighted, penned, and dog-eared quotes and share away!

Happy reading, sharing, and winning!

S2: Task 1: Meet Your Bookclub

Welcome (and welcome back) to the Level Up Book Club, the book club gamified! Last season was full of crazy challenges, interesting reads, and dozens of opportunities to network and let loose. This season we're upping the ante and challenging our readers in ways once thought diabolical. But for now, we'll start with something easy.

Task 1:

PHOTO CHALLENGE:  “Meet Your Bookclub”

Directions: Grab a copy of The Gamification of Learning and Instruction by Karl M. Kapp, our Level Up Book Club September selection, and share a picture of you with book/device in hand. Go to our Tumblr and click "submit" or post your pic to #LevelUpBC via Twitter. Be sure to tell us a little about yourself.

Reward:  Not only do you get the chance to meet everyone else who is going on this epic quest with you BUT one lucky #levelupbc member will win one of these smashing Level Up Book Club Badges AND an Amazon gift card to help with the purchase of our September read.

Deadline:  11:59pm Sunday, September 29th.  Don't worry, there will be tons more challenges and opportunities to level up, so if you miss this deadline, don't despair!  Snap a photo anyway and submit it to our  Tumblr  so we can bask in the glory of your awesomeness! 

I know!  Sweet! 

So... what are you waiting for??  Grab your book and your camera and get ready to level up! 

Season 2.

Welcome (back) to the Level Up Book Club, a home turf for open discussions on the gamification of schools and school-based instruction.

The Level Up Book Club is an open-invitation community of gaming and non-gaming educators alike who take part in weekly challenges, explore best instructional best practices through gaming, and level up through some friendly competition.

Jennifer and I will be your hosts, your cheering squad, and your competition for the next three months and we look forward to providing authentic learning experiences that are both fun and rewarding. Our reading list will include:

September/October - The Gamification of Learning and Instruction by Karl M. Kapp

October - Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

November - Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter by Tom Bissel

To become a member of the Level Up Book Club, simply reply to this post with your name and Twitter handle, or tweet to #LevelUpBC with a message saying "I'm game for Season 2!"

Then pick up a copy of The Gamification of Learning and Instruction and prepare for some awesome challenges and inspiring reading.

And to all of our Level Up Book Club members from Season 1... Thanks for leveling up with us! We hope you'll return for another memorable season of gaming and learning together. If you're moving on to new things, then allow us to please say thanks for all of the great things you brought to the table over the past 3 months. You helped Level Up off to a very strong start!

Gamefully yours,

- Matthew & Jennifer

And The Oscar Goes To...

Last week we challenged you to watch the videos created during the first ever #levelupbc Twitter Chat Film Festival!  The film maker whose on the fly production received the most votes was promised a most epic prize:  a 53' Inflatable Oscar!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Obviously, the competition was fierce, but the votes have been tallied and the Oscar goes to...

I demand a recount! :)

What can I say?  Thanks to everyone who voted for my video!  It was fun to make and I hope everyone enjoyed having the opportunity to think about how they would convince their "brotherhood" that game based learning equals effective pedagogy!

So... what happens next?  Stay tuned!  The next step in the Level Up Book Club journey is going to be AMAZING!  So grab your books and get ready to take your teaching to the next level! 

Task 12: You Like Me. You REALLY Like ME!

Holy super cinematic masterpieces, Batman!  If you missed last night's #levelupbc twitter chat, YOU MISSED OUT!  Instead of discussing our latest read in the traditional way, we spent the hour creating online movies in which we faced our own personal "brotherhood."

Yeah.  It was epic.

But that was only the beginning.

This week, as you get your hands on our next read, we're asking that you take a minute to watch what your colleagues created and cast your ballot for best picture.

It's simple.  Pop some popcorn, grab the beverage of your choice and then head over to our tumblr. OR you can view all of the videos below by scrolling past the survey. Once you've done your best impression of Roger Ebert, just cast your ballot in the form below.

But wait!  There's more!

The winner of this week's challenge - the director of the film that gets the most votes - gets....... THIS!

NO!! YOUR EYES ARE NOT DECEIVING YOU!

Someone is going home with a 53" inflatable Oscar y'all!

So... grab a copy of  Karl Kapp's book and settle in for the best independent film making this side of Sundance.   Voting ends Friday at 11:59pm EST.  We'll announce the winner on Saturday.

Good luck!

 

@michaelrosario :

@matthewwinner :

@premediawine :

@jenniferlagarde :

@SEMSlibrarylady :


@CarliSpina :
My #LevelUpBC Entry by carli.spina on GoAnimate

Video Maker - Powered by GoAnimate. http://animoto.com/play/aRXPnCszsSYMri6g2PfuOw

@harbeckc :
http://animoto.com/play/aRXPnCszsSYMri6g2PfuOw

Task 11: Lights! Camera! Action!

During tonight's Twitter chat, we're going to do something a little different.  Instead of spending the hour chatting about our AWESOME August read, we're going to make movies. Yes, you heard me right!  Get ready, #levelupbc, this is gonna be EPIC.

Everything that happens in Darren Steele and Christine Chung's novella I'll Eat This Cricket for a Cricket Badge leads up to one crucial and potentially life altering event for Lara (our heroine):  a once in a life time, prove your worth meeting with "the brotherhood" - the really scary, all powerful, malevolent dictators of her company - where she must PROVE that gamification is research-based, that it motivates people AND that it can help save her company from disaster!

We all know what happens in the book, but what would happen if YOU had to deliver the same kind of knock 'em dead presentation to YOUR "brotherhood"?  Well, tonight, you get to find out!  

That's right, #levelupbc, tonight during our twitter chat, you've got ONE HOUR to create an online video that reenacts this epic scene from I'll Eat This Cricket for a Cricket Badge if it were to take place in YOUR school - where YOU are Lara and ________ (your principal, teacher leaders, parents, etc) are "the brotherhood."

Here are the rules:

1.  You can use the web2.0 tool of your choice, but here are some options:

• Go Animate
• Xtranormal
• Jelly Cam
• Animoto
• Voki - okay, this isn't really a movie, but if you're a little timid, this might be the option for you.

2.  Use the Twitter Chat to talk trash, support one another, ask for help or share ideas, but just remember...

3.  A link to your video must be submitted to our tumblr or #LevelUpBC Twitter feedby 8:59pm EST in order to move forward in the competition.  (Yes, there WILL be a part TWO to this challenge!)  

4.  Be creative AND convincing!!  Remember, your educational life is on the line! How are you going to convince your own personal "brotherhood" that gamification is legitimate pedagogy, that is WORKS and that it can help you impact student learning???

So... what are you waiting for??  Time is running out!  Action!  

August Twitter Chat.

#LevelUpBC Twitter Chat

Thursday, Sept. 6th (8pm EST)

I'll Eat This Cricket for a Cricket Badge

Meet us on Twitter from 8-9pm EST this Thursday, September 4th for a chat you won't soon forget.

We'll talk about I'll Eat This Cricket for a Cricket Badge, our August read for Level Up Book Club. We'll exchange ideas for making meaningful change in your school and bringing games into your practice. We'll talk about plans for Level Up in the upcoming school year. And there's a super secret activity Jennifer has in store for all of us that will be epic.

"See you" this Thursday!

Task #10: Just What The Doctor Ordered!

Well, Level Up Book Club, it looks like it's THAT time of year again. After 8-10 weeks spent ignoring the alarm and basking in the glow of daytime TV, it's time to cast aside the joys of summer and head back to school!  Whether you've only got a few precious days of vacation left OR you're lucky enough to have a couple of weeks still burning a hole in your back pocket, you've no doubt already started thinking about a new year, new students AND, hopefully, new opportunities to ramp up your instruction with some of what you've learned this summer about game based learning AND gamification.

Which brings us to our next challenge.

While we certainly plan to continue Level Up Book Club into the school year, we feel like NOW is the time for all of us to start doing more than just reading about gamification and how it can empower, engage and impact students.

So... your task for the next couple of weeks is to do the following:

1. Get ready for an AWESOME school year - complete with new game based instruction that offers you and your students opportunities to level up! And as you do that...
2. Use the #levelupbc Wiki Work Space to share ideas, offer feedback and tease us with your shiny new instructional schemes.  There's already so many great ideas listed there.  Besides, as we get ready to head back to school armed with our new found GBL knowledge, who better to plan our attack with than our very own guild?!?!
3. Along the way, keep posting photos to our Tumblr - be they self portraits featuring our latest read or photographic eye candy of the things you're building and plotting at school.  Either way, let's share the story of how our summer of love learning is now being translated into action!
4. And finally, mark your calendar for our next Twitter Chat:  Thursday, Sept. 6th. 8:00pm EST.  We'll be discussing our latest read, I'll Eat This Cricket for a Cricket Badge: A Gamification Novella by Darren Steele and Christine Chung, in a way we've never done before. I promise you, IT'S GONNA BE EPIC!

In short - go get ready for the school year!  We look forward to hearing about how you'll apply gamification and game based learning to your instruction for a truly EPIC WIN!

Task #9: The Discussion Continues

Thursday's #levelupbc Twitter Chat was another great celebration of all the amazing knowledge each of you bring to the table. Thanks for transferring those relevant ideas picked up from reading James Paul Gee's What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy and applying them to your current instructional practice. We know lots of you were not able to join us for the Twitter Chat, so...

Task 9:

WIKI CHALLENGE: "Let's Talk Gee on our Wiki"

Directions: Join the new Level Up Book Club wiki (http://levelupbc.wikispaces.com), visit the Discuss Gee page, and respond to a couple of questions. You can add to our Twitter Chat discussion questions or respond to other questions submitted last week by #levelupbc members care of Task #8. Make sure you leave your name if you want Reward credit.

Reward: Let's level up together! Earn +1 level for joining the wiki plus an additional +1 level for every question you respond to (Remember to leave your name so we can reward you!).

Deadline: Respond to questions via the wiki no later than 11:59pm Monday, August 13th to claim your level ups.

Task #8: We Will Now Be Taking Questions

Our Twitter Chat for James Paul Gee's What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy will take place on Thursday, August 2nd at 8pm EST. Jennifer and I decided to up and ante by crowdsourcing the  discussion questions.

Task 8:

GOOGLE DOC CHALLENGE: "Take Down the Leader"

Directions: Think of a question we could discuss at our upcoming #levelupbc Twitter Chat for James Paul Gee's book, then complete the form below with the question you'd like us to consider. You may submit as many questions as you'd like. Please complete a new form for each question.

Reward: We will select 4-5 questions for our discussion. We will award +10 levels up for each question accepted, regardless of the author. But look out! Jennifer and I are competing in this one, too... and we each want that top leader spot back!

Deadline: All questions must be submitted no later than 11:59pm Wednesday, August 1st.

Task #7: Powerful Words

Now that most of us have our copies of James Paul Gee's What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy, why don't we open things up for discussion.

Task 7:

TEXT CHALLENGE:  “Agree or Disagree with Gee”

Mr. James Paul Gee himself.

Directions: Share a quote that interested, intrigued, or otherwise spoke to you via this post's comment thread or on Twitter using #levelupbc.

The more you share, the more we connect. The more we connect, the more we WIN.                                                                                                                

Reward: It's the middle of the summer and Jennifer and I find ourselves away from our computers during the same week (Eeek!). Thankfully, two Level Up members jumped on board to help us out in the 11th hour. So we hope you don't mind that we're front-loading our prize for this week's challenge. 

Katy Vance (@katyvance) and Aimee Bartis (@aimeegbartis) have stepped up to keep score on our leaderboard, so we're thanking them with +20 levels up each for taking initiative (and being the first to respond).

As for the rest of you, same rules go. Tweet a quote that spoke to you from Gee's book, earn a level up on our board. The more you share, the more you win. (AND the more we all win!)

Deadline:  11:59pm Friday, July 20th. Find your highlighted, penned, and dog-eared quotes and share away!

Happy reading, sharing, and winning!

And the Task 6 Avatar Winner is...

Wow! Your avatars are great! We can't wait to hear how you use them in your classes and libraries (there's already been a bit of buzz on the #levelupbc Twitter feed and blog comments). Last week we challenged you to name some websites for creating avatars and to share a couple of your own. You responded with veracity and enthusiasm, and we applaud you for it!

But there can be only one highlander... I mean, winner of this week's avatar challenge.

Anyone who shared an avatar website link or posted an avatar of their own earned a level up on our leader board (plus bonus levels for each additional link or avatar posted). Each participant name was put into my hand PikMe app and this week's winner is none other than Trish Cloud!

Way to go, Trish! You win a t-shirt with a print of your avatar! You'll be contacted directly with the details.

Check out one of Trish's avatars below:

Stay tuned for next week's challenge!

Video Thank You

Last week's crowdsourced gamification resource challenge pushed Level Up members to share those great game-based learning and gamification resources that we will all want to reference later. It also produced a Diigo group (Thanks, Katy Vance!) and a LiveBinder (Thanks, Jennifer LaGarde!). Our guild's curating strengths can rival that of any on WoW!

The #levelupbc reader with the most contributions was none other than Carli Spina! Carli's prize was a video thank you for all her hard work. I decided to go the gamer-route and customize a popular video game theme song to pay tribute to our dear pal, Carli.

No apologies here. The things we do for love of Level Up. Enjoy!

- Matthew

LYRICS: 

Carli won for Level Up

She had an epic win for our book club

Resources on game-based learn-

-ing… and of course on gamification

Jennifer put her links in our LiveBinder and

Everybody said, “hip, hooray”

Level Up is lucky to have you, Carli

…that’s no joke.

You shared 50 crowd-sourced resources and

Climbed your way up the leaderboard

Others gave some fierce competition, Carli

…and you won

By the end of the week we amassed

One hundred eighty-three

Game-based resources others can share

Way to go Level Up!

Task #6: Virtual You

As we start reading James Paul Gee's What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Literacy and Learning, we'd like to challenge Level Up members to think of themselves outside of their typical role as an educator or professional. Specifically, how do you see yourself in a game?

Does your avatar resemble you or does your avatar take on characteristics you may not otherwise adapt in "real life"? What does it say about your personality and how you approach challenges? As a guild, we've already taken on a number of epic challenges consider how gamification will look in our own workplaces, classrooms, and libraries. Now it's time to see the avatar behind the gamification magic!

Task 6:

GAME CHALLENGE:  “It's All About the Avatar”

Matthew (@MatthewWinner)
via 8-Bit Yourself

Directions: Create an avatar of yourself and share a screen capture through Twitter (#levelupbc) or Tumblr. Use any of the following sites to create an avatar, or share a site of your own. Bonus points included!

• 8-Bit Yourself
• 8-Bit Me
• DoppleMe
• Create My Avatar
• Avatar Face Maker Manga (just like Manga cartoons)
• Mii Search (Nintendo Wii Mii-syle avatar)
• South Park Avatar Creator

There are tons and tons of other avatar creation sites. Share your favorite in the comments below or via Twitter or Tumblr and we'll award bonus level ups!

Reward:  This week's reward may be out epic-est ever! Create and share your avatar and, if selected in our random drawing, we'll print it to a t-shirt for you to rock around town! How cool is that?!

Deadline: 11:59pm Friday, July 13th. Winner will be selected by random drawing. Remember: Earn one level up for sharing your avatar plus additional level ups for every new avatar creation website you share!

Happy reading, sharing, and winning!