I was told several years ago, “If you don’t tell your story, someone else will.”  This has resonated with me since then.  If there is nothing else you get from this post, remember that one thing.  It is so important for us to tell the real story about what’s going on in education, specifically public education.  In North Carolina (and around the country), public education is under attack, and it is our job to fight back with positive stories about all of the awesome that happens in our buildings every single day.

Book 11 in the Dave Burgess Consulting, Inc line up tells you exactly how to go about telling that story!  Your School Rocks by Ryan McLane and Eric Lowe shares stories of two principals in Ohio and how they use social media to tell their school story, thus building culture within the building and rapport with the community.

This book was released at a time when schools were just beginning to tap into the power of social media.  My district office had just required Facebook pages of each school in our system about 6 months before this book was published.  I remember going to my principal when I started my first position in a media center and begging to start a Facebook page for our school.  At the time, there was so much red tape around it that we ultimately decided to wait.  By the time summer rolled around (about 6 months after I began that position), it was deemed a requirement.  And kudos to our central office, Superintendent, and Board of Education for seeing that this would positively impact our school system.  When school started back, I became the Facebook & Twitter administrator for our school, as well as the Public Information Officer (PIO) in which I wrote articles for our local newspaper and invited the press to big events in our school.

Here’s a few somethings I found out while doing those three roles:

1. I needed to relax. I was so worried that a negative post would come up and I wouldn’t be able to respond before the firestorm happened that I checked our Facebook and Twitter pages every 30 minutes or so.  It was the last thing I checked before bed and the first thing I checked in the morning.  However, no negative posts ever came. Ever.  As Ryan & Eric say, “Since we kept our posts positive, parents tend to be positive as well.”  This was 100% truth in my experience.
2. Know your DNR students.  As you know, a DNR typically refers to “Do Not Resuscitate” which gets people’s attention really fast!  However, for us, it meant “Do Not Release”.  Like Ryan and Eric, we respected the wishes of any parent/guardian who did not want their child’s photo or name released on social media.  It was incredibly important that the child’s teacher, special area teachers, principal, assistant principal, and myself knew to keep that student out of the frame when taking pictures!  So, our version of a DNR got our attention really quickly, too! If you are the one posting photos to the school’s social media accounts, you must be DILIGENT about checking, double checking, and triple checking that these students are not posted.  We only had 6 when I was at that school, so it was easy to remember their faces and names.
3. Parents REALLY respond to social media.  I was constantly blown away by the responses we would get on social media and how immediate those responses would be!  For example, I would record short videos of students practicing for their Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) performance and parents would oooh and aaah over the videos, liking, sharing, and commenting within minutes of the post being published!  More families typically attended those PTA performances where I would post those short videos of them practicing because they could see the hard work their child put in to perfecting the songs. Parents would ask questions about schedule changes and awards information on Facebook as well, and we would post a weekly update in a visual format every Sunday with key information for the week.
4. Notice that I refer to Facebook and not Twitter.  Our parents were not really on Twitter at the time.  The space they frequented was Facebook, so that’s where I spent the majority of my time sharing school information.  To make sure that our Twitter was not inactive, I linked the Twitter account to the Facebook account.  Every time I would post on Facebook, Twitter would automatically generate a post for me and update on Twitter with a link to the Facebook post.  It wasn’t perfect, but it worked and saved me a ton of time!  I would suggest linking accounts when possible.  Instagram has taken off in popularity so much that, like Ryan and Eric mention, I would ask students where they (and their parents) hang out on social media.  I would imagine more students are on Instagram now than Facebook, to be honest; parents are likely still using Facebook!
5. Once I started using the school’s social media outlets, there was no longer a need to write newspaper articles or beg the press to come to an event.  Parents would get more information from social media than they would have from the newspaper anyway.  If I was sharing information about an exciting event coming up, the press would contact us, and be more likely to show up on their own and write the article themselves (win-win).

In my current position, I am not in charge of our school’s social media, but I still post pictures on my personal Twitter account frequently!  I make sure to take into consideration students that cannot be photographed and respect the wishes of that family.  I tag our school’s Twitter account and use the district hashtag to promote the images beyond our school.  It also makes the Twitter administrator’s job a bit easier because they only have to retweet from the school’s official Twitter account!

Ryan and Eric reference several times using social media on an eighth grade Washington, DC trip and how a hashtag allowed parents to follow along with their children while they were on the trip.  I used my personal account, and encouraged the other chaperones to use theirs, to tweet pictures about our eighth grade trip to Williamsburg, VA.  Students jumped on board and we had the BEST time tweeting!  I had students let their parents know to follow the hashtag and it really eased many of the parental concerns about sending their child off for their first overnight school trip.  You can still see the posts by searching for #mmms8thgradetrip on Twitter.  I love the idea of pulling together all of the images for a Flipboard or another aggregation tool as suggested in the book!

Currently in my district, we are not allowed to “friend” or “follow” students on social media.  This can make using a hashtag a “gray” area, as this puts interactions in a public forum outside of school and searchable by anyone, but is not sanctioned by the school.  (Note: I have seen many elementary schools create Twitter walls in their classroom where students can write on a sentence strip what they would tweet on social media.  I thought that was a clever way to still encourage connection and collaboration, as well as cyber safety and digital footprint, while still maintaining social media rules for students under the age of 13.)  I need to further investigate the policies for my district in relation to hashtags and interactions outside of friend/follow requests.  In fact, our policy likely needs to be updated to be more clear about social media as the prominence and proliferation of social media has become more and more evident.  My favorite quote from the book stems from this idea, and I am sharing with our new Director of Communications in the coming weeks.

Many educators…are hesitant abut implementing the use of social media because of the potentially negative “what ifs?”  Again, we encourage you also to consider all of the potentially positive “what ifs?” ~Ryan McLane and Eric Lowe

I am taking away multiple ideas from this book, like creating a video newsletter for the media center, encouraging positive character through the use of a daily quote, and having students and other educators write blog posts!

However, I think the one big idea I want to prioritize implementing this school year is working with my administrators to create a hashtag for our school that markets our mission and vision for all of our stakeholders.  This way students can share their thoughts on any platform using the hashtag and they can own the positive promotion of our school.  We are the Mustangs and we are a STEM magnet middle school, so if you can help us think of a creative, short hashtag, please share with me in the comments or on Twitter!

I really enjoyed reading Your School Rocks, and highly suggest purchasing the book, especially if you are not already employing the benefits of using social media and videos in your school or classroom.  I want to stress again, check your district policy!!!  Use the book to reference as you fight the battle, if need be.  However, this is NOT one of those things I would suggest asking for forgiveness later.  In this case, it’s best to ask permission, even if you’re just “test driving” social media tools!

Andrea Paulakovich (who I must give all credit for this incredibly genius idea) and I would love for you to share your thoughts of Your School Rocks on our Flipgrid!  It is our goal that this space will become a global book study of ALL Dave Burgess Consulting books!  So feel free to add your voice.  If no one has posted yet, be a trendsetter!  You may use the prompts for ideas if you’d like, but don’t feel obligated!  Just share your thoughts!  The password is always DBCSummer!

For more information, check out the website at YourSchoolRocks.com – several of the videos referenced in the book are housed there, as well as links to Ryan and Eric’s Google+ streams.  You may also follow along with the community on Twitter using the hashtag #YourSchoolRocks!

Lastly, another exciting takeaway I had while reading was Teach Like A Pirate Day!  Read more about this in the book, but just imagine this for a minute… kids come to school, report to their homeroom for attendance, and then get to CHOOSE which classes they attend for the entire day!  Their choices are outlined in course description guide the day before – would students come to your class?  As a teacher, I would LOVE this day because I would get to teach that lesson I’ve always wanted to teach but felt like I couldn’t because it may not be “on the test” and I know students are excited to come to my class because they CHOSE to be there.  I immediately tweeted a #BookSnap and asked my principal if we could work this out as an enrichment day (days that are already built into our schedule).

Video trailers to create buzz & anticipation. #TLAP Day – allowing Ss to go to any class they want (Ts provide descriptions of activities). Ss excited about school! Easy to replicate! @goinssh – this is awesome! Enrichment Days? #BookSnaps #YourSchoolRocks #DBC50Summer pic.twitter.com/NDt8Pm1OdS

— Alicia Ray (@iluveducating) July 7, 2018

The 12th book is another shorter book, with only 85 pages! How Much Water Do We Have? appears to be unlike any other DBC book.  Maybe it’s a risk that DBC took?  I’m not sure!  I’m very much looking forward to “diving in” (see what I did there; it’s been a while since I got to do a SWIDT moment).  I was completely unaware of this book, so it should be exciting to see what happens in book 12!  Stay Tuned!

 

So I did a thing.  In less than 4 weeks, I have read the first 10 books from Dave Burgess Consulting, Inc.  I started this little journey in the middle of June when the 50th book was released.  There was a big Twitter hype using #DBC50.  There was a bit of what Dave calls Creative Alchemy going on.  I had a massive amount of the DBC books on a shelf, many of which I had never read due to time constraints.  Something else always came up and those books stayed on the shelf.  I knew I wanted to start blogging again.  I enjoy writing, but hadn’t been inspired to write anything in a long time.  I also wanted to be more involved on Twitter.  I take so many amazing ideas from Twitter and wasn’t giving a lot back, especially with school dismissed for the summer.  I wanted to give back and strengthen my Professional/Personal Learning Network (PLN).  Upon seeing #DBC50, I thought to myself, “Self, do it now. Read them all.”  So before I could chicken out, I mentioned it to Dave, found out the book release order, and blogged it. Boom – accountability.

What I never expected was the huge response I’ve gotten from the Twitter community, Dave & Shelley Burgess, Wendy & Tara of DBC, Inc, and the authors of DBC, Inc!  I have felt so much support and encouragement on this wild little ride I’m on this summer.

A cynic could say, “Of course they are being supportive, Alicia – they’re getting advertisement.”  (I’ve actually had people say that, or something similar, as I share the kindness each of the authors has shown thus far.)  I’ve definitely been picked on for doing this – told that I need to dial it back a notch. UGH – naysayers.  Here’s the thing though… they DESERVE the “free advertisement” and my students deserve a teacher wiling to do something “radical” like read 50 books with cohesion throughout all fifty, then think of ways to implement what I’ve learned to make their experience amazing!  These authors worked their tails off writing each book, poured their heart and soul into it; Dave and Shelley took the time to vet them and put the Pirate seal of approval on them, painstakingly made sure that there was no contradiction and that the message flows throughout the books.  DBC is amplifying the impact of INCREDIBLE educators beyond their own students and districts… so yeah, I’m happy as can be to share their books with my small part of the world!  I can assure that I have gotten much, much more out of this experience than they will by my sharing my ramblings on #DBC50Summer. Sure, DBC is getting advertising for every. single. book. Sure, the authors are getting shout-outs on Twitter – some of them with books that were published 3-4 years ago.  It’s not like I’m bashing their books – however I have been, and will continue to be, VERY honest.  Some of the books, I’ve not really wanted to read.  This is part of why I wanted to be methodical in how I went about reading the #DBC50.  If I read the ones I enjoyed first, I would likely quit before I finished all 50.  As it stands now, number 49’s author and I met several years ago and he’s a local guy.  I adore him and cannot wait to read his book!  I’ve been focused for the past year on taking care of my health and have lost 40 pounds; I am beyond excited to read number 50, which is about building a stronger mind and body.  I had already read number 45 and 46 before #DBC50Summer even started, but won’t publish those blogs until I get to them in the #DBC50 – those authors haven’t seen the blogs I’ve written either.

Several people have joined me in the quest to read and blog about DBC books!  You’re more than welcome to join, too!  For me, it’s a 50 book challenge.  For you, it doesn’t have to be!  It can be just ONE book – because that ONE book is ONE more book of inspiration and ideas that you can implement next year! When you read and blog about DBC books, share with me by using the hashtag #DBC50Summer!  I’d love to read YOUR reflections and how you plan to implement what you learned!  Also – if you aren’t the blogging type (or even if you are), join the Flipgrid discussions on each of the books!  There is a link to Flipgrid in each blog post!  The password for each of them is DBCSummer (case sensitive).  The idea is that while many of us are doing book studies in pockets, which is fantastic, why not ALSO come together as one HUGE global book study of ANY DBC book out there! Imagine the think tank this space could become!  Don’t be shy – share your reflections, your takeaways!  The questions prompts are just suggestions – we just want to hear your voice and share in the learning with you!  If you don’t see your favorite DBC book yet, hold your horses.  It’ll be here soon enough!  The Flipgrid was the brainchild of my new #tlapsister friend, Andrea Paulakovich!  She is an incredible educator from Kansas who approached me about joining the fun when I first blogged about #DBC50Summer!  This girl has a heart of gold and a story that needs to be told! I adore her and am so thankful that #DBC50Summer brought us together, although I feel like we would’ve found one another anyway eventually! We were just meant to be friends!  Be sure to follow along on her journey as well!  Her blog is stunningly beautiful!

Finally, there will be sketch notes added to the blogs from my dear friend, Holly King!  The beautiful artwork in sketch notes takes time, so they will be added as updates and posted as they come in!  If anyone else would like to add their sketch notes, let me know!  I can create a Google Drive folder, with you having full credit for your sketchnote of course, and add the link to the blogs as well! OR you can share your sketch note and use the hashtag #DBC50Summer – woo hoo!!!  I love the collaboration and BOY has my PLN grown in the past month.

So let’s take just a second and recap what we’ve had so far.

1 – Teach Like A Pirate by Dave Burgess: inspiration, inspiration, inspiration. I couldn’t tell you how many times I’ve read it and it still makes my heart race.  Even more so now that I’ve met Dave twice and been able to actually hear the passion, energy, and enthusiasm behind his written word.

2 – Pure Genius by Don Wettrick: how he put Genius Hour/20 Time on steroids and created an Innovation class in which students are actually running their own businesses in some cases

3 – P is for Pirate by Dave & Shelley Burgess: a picture book for educators to inspire them with every letter of the alphabet

4 – Learn Like A Pirate by Paul Solarz: student empowerment through a truly student-led classroom

5 – DITCH That Textbook by Matt Miller: how will you get messy and “punch fear in the face” to make your lessons Different Innovative Tech-laden Creative and Hands-On

6 – 50 Things You Can Do With Google Classroom by Alice Keeler & Libbi Miller: a handbook of sorts that takes you from beginner to pretty dang advanced in the use of Google Classroom (Bonus that the lessons learned go hand in hand with DITCH That Textbook!)

7 – Master the Media by Julie Smith: a guide for educators *and parents* sharing how media literacy can, quite literally, save the world – this is needed more and more with the digitally rich environment and constant stream of media that our world now takes in every single day without batting an eye

8 – The Zen Teacher by Dan Tricarico: I was such a naysayer and this book has proven to be insanely valuable to me! It made me stop and re-evaluate if I was really taking care of myself.  I can’t do right by any students if I’m not taking care of myself!

9 – The Innovator’s Mindset by George Couros: The most viewed post to date with over 300 views in 24 hours. This blog barely had 300 total views in 3 years. A cry to eradicate the buzzword pandemic that “innovation” has become.  How can we truly be innovative? Make it new and better!

10 – Explore Like A Pirate by Michael Matera: This book brings the element of fun back into classrooms through gamification.  I want to be a student in his class – it sounds like he makes learning come alive through allowing students to discover the learning rather than spoon-feeding!

Going “way back” in the YouTube archives (the end of 2015), Dave Burgess shares these 10 books with us in 8 minutes.

The most frequently asked question I’ve had since beginning this journey… what will you do with #DBC51, #DBC52, etc?

I will continue. I can’t stop at 50. Number 51 and 52 are already waiting on the shelf for their turn, and 53 is already on preorder.  I have learned so much from just the first ten that I can’t imagine missing out on the learning that future DBC books will bring! As long as DBC publishes, and I am physically able, I will be continuing.

I do have one problem though, and I need your help!  What do I call this adventure when I’m on book 51 and Summer is over?  It can’t continue to be #DBC50Summer… post your ideas in the comments or share with me on Twitter – I’m @iluveducating and follow the #DBC50Summer.

Now… on to the next ten. Having so much fun, and even if no one in the world reads another word, I’ve taken away ideas that will forever change my teaching practice.  To see a simplified spreadsheet of what I plan to implement, titles/authors, as well as the blog link and flipgrid link, click here.

Storytime! (If you’re not into stories, feel free to skip ahead a bit – I’ll let you know when to stop; otherwise, read on.)

When my youngest daughter was born, we were thrilled – as second-time parents usually are. I emphasize second-time because we knew what we were getting ourselves into.  The anxiety and life-altering commitment of BECOMING PARENTS is eased with the second child.  Naturally there are several other fears, but much like the Luvs commercials… “You live and learn, then get Luvs.”  Although, for the record, we were Pampers Swaddlers kind of people.  I know you are wondering how in the world this has anything to do with #DBC50Summer, but give me a minute. Surely by the blog on Book 10 you have a little more faith in me.

So our youngest daughter, Sophie, is the spitting image of my husband. Dark complexion, brown hair, round face, his eye shape… but she has my bright blue eyes. We knew she was completing our family, and we were done having kids, especially with my medical history.  No questions asked, the shop was closed.  Let me just tell you… if we didn’t know before, we knew the second we brought that little girl home.  She screamed for (I swear I’m not exaggerating here) 8 MONTHS! The only time she wasn’t crying was when she was sleeping, and sometimes she cried in her sleep.  She is now five years old, and still has a delicate temperament.  Some things just set her off… and there is no stopping the tantrum once it starts; you just let it run its course & pray nightly that she will grow out of this by the time she finds her life partner (bless their heart)!

Today, I had the privilege of babysitting my sweet nephew and niece (ages 16 months and 5 months).  Yes, you read that right… 11 months apart.  Their mom, my sister-in-law, is superwoman!  This is only the second time I’ve been available to babysit my niece, so we’re still getting to know one another.  Well, today she apparently had a horrible tummy ache.  (Gina, I love her so much & will be happy to keep her again anytime… just know that before you go further, if you read this.) Reminiscent of my picnicking at an 8 month camp out with Hades and Sophie, my niece screamed for the majority of our 12-hour day together – unless she was eating or sleeping, she was screaming. Today, I’ve been pooped on (THREE times), spit up on, straight-up vomited on, then gave her a bath only for her to do it again 5 minutes later, while screaming (her, not me)… and still managed to take care of my nephew and my two girls. Needless to say, it was a LONG day. All I wanted was a long STEAMING HOT shower with the fruitiest smelling body wash they make, my king-sized bed, and my 1200 thread count sheets. (Yes, I splurge on bedsheets. It’s a thing. Some folks drink quad venti cappuccinos from Starbucks every morning; I sleep on ridiculously expensive bedsheets – po-tay-to, po-tah-to. Don’t judge.)

I have been totally honest with anyone actually reading these blogs, and will continue to do so.  Today was the first time I have NOT wanted to touch #DBC50Summer. However, during my pity party earlier this evening, I found a graphic with a pretty hot air balloon floating in front of a sunrise (or sunset, I can never tell – they should have a compass on those things) that read “Find your passion and you’ll find your purpose.” My passion is being the best educator I can be; not the best scores or the best summative evaluation, but the teacher that the kids remember, the teacher that works to build the relationships. The teacher that truly cares for them and shows up every day ready to bust my tail to make school amazing for them. So… I knew with that quote and that idyllic scene in the background, I had to crack open the dang book and at least attempt to read some of it before bed.

(If you skipped ahead, you can continue reading here!)

I did not regret the decision for a minute! It got me excited and put me in a great mood! Earlier in the summer, I mentioned that Learn Like A Pirate made me want to go back into the classroom… well, so did Explore Like A Pirate.  The difference?  Now, I want to go into Mr. Matera’s classroom!  As a student!  I’ve got to figure out a way to visit his class for a day!  Explore Like A Pirate by Michael Matera showcases everything that’s right with gamification in the classroom!  Michael breaks it down and helps you think through exactly how to bring those game-like elements into your classroom! Not only that, but the book starts out with how to convince your naysayers!  Right from the beginning!  Loved that!

Coming into this book, I was no stranger to the world of gamification.  I am so fortunate to have Lucas Gillispie as a director in my district and one of my greatest mentors and friends.  I have blogged previously about EPIC Academy, our district’s gamified online professional development for digital learning. (Go check that out when you’ve got a minute, EPIC Academy is fabulous!) I have worked with Lucas on quest design and participated in the pilot program when it was first released.  Now I am a community mentor for all middle school educators within the program and have created multiple quest chains leading to badges. All quest chains can be found online under a Creative Commons license; feel free to use with attribution!

Because of this prior knowledge, I started out a bit skeptical.  Not because I didn’t believe in Michael or his “realness” because I was given the opportunity to attend #BadgeSummit in Chicago where I met Michael and was able to chat with him and hear him speak on a panel. It was an amazing experience.  I knew he was the “real deal” then! No, I was skeptical because I kept reading “gamification” and “game-based learning” like they were interchangeable.  In my (admittedly biased) mind, these two cannot and should not be used interchangeably.  Then, I read a sentence that changed my tone when Michael said, “I will never argue with the positives of a solid board game, but it isn’t what gamification is about.”  I needed to see that clarification before I could really buy into reading about his gamified approach in his middle school classroom.  I needed to know that Michael and I saw eye-to-eye about the difference between these two seemingly similar concepts.

Gamification is applying basic game theory and game-like mechanics to a non-game environment.  Game-Based Learning is using store-bought games and applying them to the classroom to pull out curricular connections.  These games can be classified as educational, or just choice games (games that we CHOOSE to play, like Life, Monopoly, or for those who like really GOOD games, Betrayal at House on the Hill, Splendor, deck-building games, 7 Wonders, Tsuro, and the like).  These games are also not limited to tabletop games, but also Dungeons & Dragons (Role Playing Games – RPGs) and computer/video games (Minecraft, World of Warcraft, League of Legends, etc). Michael uses gamification in his class, which is what the book primarily focuses on, but the game-based learning (or game-inspired as he puts it) is found toward the back of the book where he shares amazing mini-games that have been used in classrooms, some in his class and some in other classrooms.  Purchasing the book is worth it just for those pages, even if you have no intention of gamifying!

So honestly, I’m not going to talk a lot about what Michael wrote in his book – you just need to go order it now and while you wait for it to come in, you can read about what I’m going to do with his infinite wisdom.  If I were to try to explain bits and pieces of his process, it would be incoherent without reading the entirety of the book, anyway.  Just know that he starts out with how to dispel the myths and be prepared with an answer for those who question the gamification process.  He talks about how it prepares our students for life, and not for a test.  He discusses that not only do his students cover the curriculum, but they EXCEED the curriculum content and do so enthusiastically.  He shares ways to keep students motivated and engaged in the game as the game master, even the “non-gamers” through discovering the gamer-type of each student. Then he takes you through a step-by-step process in which he asks you questions about your game theme, setting, characters, and action/conflict.  He writes so conversationally and is able to break down the concepts in ways that I won’t even attempt. I love that I feel as though we’re having an informal meeting and he’s talking me through my ideas – poking holes at things that might not work, asking those really good questions that make you think! They probably could have titled this book, “Explore Like A Pirate: Folks Who Know Nothing about Gaming Can Gamify Their Classroom, Too” – this is why they leave the book titles to people who aren’t me.  Here are the #BookSnaps from my reading for some insider info.

.@mrmatera bringing truth in #XPlap! Confident Ss won’t be made through spoon-feeding! Allow them to make mistakes & own their learning! #DBC50Summer #BookSnaps #tlap #LeadLAP pic.twitter.com/GOfstOoF0f

— Alicia Ray (@iluveducating) July 6, 2018

 

Totally an Achiever – do ALL the things! #DBC50Summer #owningit @mrmatera #xplap pic.twitter.com/hljqRf0H9k

— Alicia Ray (@iluveducating) July 6, 2018

 

Anyhow, here’s the deal.  I have been gamifying my Battle of the Books for years. (Don’t get me started on the philosophy behind Battle of the Books – it’s a soapbox thing for me and I don’t have the time; neither do you.)  My district is looking for innovative ways to encourage a love of reading and I am desperately trying to steer the ship as far from Accelerated Reader (or anything like it) as I can.  Instead, I want to use the Pirate methodology and make the books come to life for the students.  I want my students CREATING things when they’ve read a book, not just taking a test.  My district is supportive of taking calculated risks and said, “Lead the way.”  Challenge. Accepted.

After a discussion with an ELA (English Language Arts = Reading & Writing) teacher last month, we decided to create a gamified approach to our literacy plan that is similar to the way we run Battle of the Books, but more inclusive of all genres of literature (fictions, nonfiction, articles in magazines, etc).  Upon sharing this idea with our principal, she also gave the green light, then turned my world upside down in an amazing way… She said…

I wonder if we could include other things in this gamification approach, as well. Like, maybe our PBIS (Positive Behavior Intervention Support), extracurriculars, mastery of makerspace materials, etc. What do you think?

~my principal during brainstorming

So wait a minute… you want to basically gamify the entire school?  You want to know if we can gamify the “game” of school?!…. WE CAN ABSOLUTELY DO THAT!  An hour long brainstorming session and a sketch of a quest tree with the end in mind, and I now have a MASSIVE project that I’d love to see to fruition.  This will be the biggest risk I take on this school year.  We will gamify everything from our literacy plan to use of learning spaces throughout the school to PBIS to community outreach to attendance to goal setting and growth on benchmarks.  Don’t ask me how we’re going to do it… I have no idea.  Just know that if it works, it will be INCREDIBLE!  If it doesn’t, then what an awesome risk to even be willing to take on!  We can’t lose here, as long as we stay true to the basic foundations of gamification.  Using Michael Matera’s book, we will be able to do that.  As long as the game designers have his “playbook” in mind, we won’t fail, even if it doesn’t work!

Our mascot is the Mustang.  We immediately realized we wanted to do something centered around horses and what better place to pull from than a Derby.  There was all this hype this year about Justify winning the Triple Crown, so we’re going to build on that.  Our theme is The Derby and the setting will vary depending on which section of the race they are on – it may be the training grounds, or the race, or the stables, etc. Our characters will consist of everything from the horses themselves to the jockeys, trainers, veterinarians, groomers, stable boys, gamblers, horse owners, etc.  The action… have your team of horses win the Triple Crown.  Teams will be split by grade level and by homeroom.  XP will be given for each badge, but the amount for some will not be disclosed until the end of the race season, which will be quarterly.  We will start each race over again, with the opportunity to level up on badges.  Badges will also include soft skills as we want our students to be prepared for the real world through P21 skills.  Past these details, we are still thinking.  We have the perfect guide in Michael Matera and his book Explore Like A Pirate.  Stay tuned because I will be blogging like a mad woman about how this unfolds throughout the school year!

It’s getting real!!!! @MMSMustangs14 @goinssh @knlilly778 #xplap #DBC50Summer #BookSnaps #tlap #LeadLAP #BadgeSummit pic.twitter.com/PMWPEOI4z4

— Alicia Ray (@iluveducating) July 7, 2018

For now, if you didn’t take me seriously before… here are your directions:

1 – Go buy Michael’s book

2 – Check out this picture from #BadgeSummit in June when I met Michael. YAY!

3 – Join the community on Twitter using the hashtag #xplap (Chats are Tuesdays at 10 pm EST)

4 – Check out the #xplap website!

5 – Share your thoughts, gamification experiences, favorite mini-games (I will record one when it isn’t 1:30 AM), and other takeaways from #xplap on Flipgrid! Andrea Paulakovich inspired the addition of Flipgrid for each #DBC50Summer book – follow her and her #DBC50Summer journey here!  She’s incredible!

Whew!  Explore Like A Pirate rounds out the first 10 of the Dave Burgess Consulting, Inc books!  I can’t imagine how Dave & Shelley must have felt when they reached their 10th book from this publishing business they built from the ground up, when others told them it couldn’t be done.  Maybe that’s why I gravitate to their story so much.  As discussed in an earlier post, I also like to do what others say is not possible, so perhaps I feel a connection there.  Either way, their books have touched me – both professionally and personally.  I just wonder if they ever thought that less than 3 years later they would be staring the release of book #53 in the face.  What an incredible growth!  I’m equally impressed because I’ve read many of the more recent books and know that the caliber of content has not wavered from these earliest ten books.

Keep in mind that I’m literally building this ship as I sail it.  I had no idea what these #DBC50Summer blog posts were going to look like when I started, or if anyone would ever read them.  With that, I believe I will do a short blog after every 10 books as a recap, so expect that next.  Probably within a day because I’m on a roll – HA!

The 11th and 12th books are two that I purchased just a week ago and I cannot wait to read them!  Both are shorter books and should be read and blogged pretty quickly.  I’m looking forward to seeing what they are all about (I love reading these in order because I get to these spans of books that – embarrassingly – I don’t know much about; I took a hiatus from Twitter around the time these were released, so I missed the initial hype). You may want to go ahead and grab book 11 – Your School Rocks by Ryan McLane and Eric Lowe and book 12 – How Much Water Do We Have? by Pete Nunweiler with Kris Nunweiler.