session slides/resources available at bit.ly/epicfsd
How can you help your students Level Up and give them new opportunities for epic learning? Come experience how the Fullerton School District personalizes learning for over 4,000 students in grades 4-8 across Writing, Math, ELA, History, and Science/STEM. Combining an epic storyline with engaging, content rich activities, students become “Agents of Change” by using quests to progress through learning cycles so they can drive their own instructional needs and goals forward.
iPersonalize is a personalized blended learning platform with integrated gamified elements. Students are drawn into the program with its many cutting edge features. The program is gamified with experience points (XP), digital and physical badges, “leveling up” on leaderboards, and an engaging storyline. Elements of The Art and Science of Teaching by Dr. Robert Marzano and Visible Learning by Dr. John Hattie are the foundation to the learning and instructional components of iPersonalize. iPersonalize is rooted in Jane McGonigal’s book, Reality is Broken , as students experience flow and fiero in their own personalized learning journey. Many of Marzano’s strategies are interwoven in various aspects of the quests through learning cycles and rank above the 0.40 effect size of Hattie’s research. iPersonalize is endorsed by the Marzano Research Laboratory and is recognized as a program that uses an Instructional Design rooted in pedagogy and learning that is grounded in Marzano’s research on highly effective instruction.
Additionally, units of study are blended with learning experiences in the classroom, outside of the classroom, in teams, and on digital devices, such as iPads. Trends in the 2015 Horizon reports show an increase in blended learning and a “shift from students as consumers to creators.” iPersonalize give students the opportunity to apply their new knowledge to become problem-solvers of real-world situations and creators of passion projects. This personalized learning environment has Response to Intervention cycles integrated into the quests to ensure that students reach proficiency and/or mastery of skills.
Lastly, iPersonalize is a competency-based program that challenges students of all ability levels and provides teacher support while allowing students to move forward at their own pace. iPersonalize is a composite of all of the best strategies and methodologies used today to individualize students’ educational goals and passions.
This session will provide participants with the history of iPersonalize and gamification components to engage students. All participants will have a visual overview highlighting authentic student voice and showcasing work to an authentic audience through the use of learner profiles, epic storylines, learning cycles, learning scales, secret missions, and celebrating success. Participants will walk away with insight into how they could integrate elements of iPersonalize into their own content instruction.
