Playing with Kahn Academy has really brought home the power of ‘gamification’. It’s amazing how much more addictive it is learning with constant feedback and reminders of progress.
Gamification is quite a common thing these days. Many apps and websites include some amount of rewards for regular use, or feedback on progress often adorned with badges and sound effects. Kahn Academy has a particularly smart way of incrementing through the exercises while making sure you are progressing at a pace which is working for you, whilst also mixing it up enough to keep it interesting. It’s made more interesting for me in that I am returning to mathematic exercises which I have been through before (about 10 years ago whilst doing my A-Levels). So I have the added reward of it coming back to be as I work, but I think there is a combination of quick feedback, detailed progress reports, short videos and the right amount of variation which is keeping me engaged.
Josh