Digital Adventure

1st DA

Purposeful Gameplay Report

The game I chose for my digital adventure is Minion Rush, which is playable on mobile platforms such as iOS and Android. It is an endless runner and action-arcade game based on the Despicable Me movies. In this game, players take control of a Minion racing through various environments while collecting bananas, dodging obstacles, and completing missions. The fast pace and colorful design make the game immediately engaging, and its straightforward mechanics make it easy to pick up but challenging to master.

Because I naturally enjoy fast-paced and speed-oriented games, Minion Rush was an exciting pick for me. The game puts you in charge of a Minion who must swipe up to jump, down to slide, and sideways to change lanes while running at high speeds. What I enjoyed most is the mix of speed, timing, and reflexes, which kept me fully engaged and alert throughout my play sessions. The game provides immediate feedback: if you miss a jump or hit an obstacle, you see the result instantly, which pushes you to try again. This constant loop of trying, failing, and retrying makes the experience addictive in a fun way. The missions like “collect 200 bananas” or “jump 10 obstacles” also gave me a sense of achievement and kept me motivated to continue playing. I felt challenged but not overwhelmed, which helped me stay focused and determined to improve my performance.

Although Minion Rush is not specifically designed as an educational tool, it still supports certain forms of learning. Playing it requires sustained attention and concentration, as you must stay alert to obstacles and changing paths. It also sharpens hand–eye coordination and reaction time because you must respond quickly to visual cues. Beyond physical coordination, the game encourages strategic thinking; for example, you have to decide whether to take risks to collect bonus power-ups or play it safe to survive longer. It also nurtures perseverance and resilience because players are encouraged to learn from mistakes and try again to improve. These are not content-specific academic skills, but they are important personal learning traits such as persistence, self-regulation, and quick decision-making.

This connects closely with ideas from Wu’s (2018) article Making Sense of Digital Game-Based Learning. Wu classifies educational digital games into four genres: edutainment games, serious games, commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) games, and educational game design tools. Minion Rush fits into the COTS category. It was created for entertainment, yet it can be repurposed to promote cognitive skills like attention, timing, and strategic thinking. Wu emphasizes that COTS games can be used effectively when teachers connect the gameplay to learning objectives, and reflecting on my own play showed me how that can work. From a learning theory perspective, Minion Rush reflects elements of behaviorism through its reinforcement system missions, points, and rewards motivate repeated practice, and it also reflects cognitive constructivism because players build on their prior knowledge to develop new strategies to improve their scores.

Wu’s second article, Educational Game Design as Gateway for Operationalizing Computational Thinking Skills, argues that designing games can develop computational thinking (CT) skills, such as decomposition, pattern recognition, abstraction, algorithm design, and data analysis. While I was not designing a game, I realized that playing Minion Rushalso activated some of these same skills. I used pattern recognition as I spotted how certain obstacles and rewards appeared in predictable sequences. I used algorithmic thinking when I created step-by-step strategies to survive longer and earn more points, and I used data analysis when I reflected on my scores and considered how changes in my strategy affected my performance. This shows that even commercial games can foster the thinking processes behind CT, especially when players are encouraged to reflect on how they play.

Overall, analyzing Minion Rush through the lens of the two readings changed how I see games and learning. Before, I thought of games like this purely as entertainment. Now I see that, depending on how they are used, even commercial games can encourage valuable thinking skills and learning behaviors. Wu’s articles helped me understand that digital game-based learning is not limited to games that are designed to teach; it can also include entertainment games that promote skills like problem-solving, attention, and perseverance when they are used thoughtfully. This perspective made playing Minion Rush feel like more than just fun it became a chance to notice my own thinking processes and growth as a player.

References

Wu, M. L. (2018). Making sense of digital game-based learning: A learning theory-based typology useful for teachers. Journal of Studies in Education, 8(4), 1–25.

Wu, M. L. (2018). Educational game design as gateway for operationalizing computational thinking skills among middle school students. International Education Studies, 11(4), 15–27.

2nd DA

Click on link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmymPcg-VSY

Digital Adventure: Google Forms
Tool Name & Purpose
Google Forms is a free, web-based application within Google Workspace that allows users to create surveys, quizzes, and feedback forms. For teachers, it is an especially powerful tool because it not only helps in designing engaging assessments but also automates grading, compiles data instantly, and provides visual feedback through charts and graphs. This makes it useful not only as a quiz platform but also as a classroom management and feedback tool.

User Experience & Challenge

My experience using Google Forms was largely positive. The interface is simple and intuitive, with clearly marked icons for adding different types of questions and customizing the layout. As a new user, I found it easy to create my first form and quickly began experimenting with question formats. The main challenge I encountered was navigating the settings menu to activate “quiz mode.” Initially, I did not realize that Google Forms has a feature for assigning point values and marking correct answers, so my first attempt looked more like a basic survey rather than an educational quiz. However, after exploring the gear icon and adjusting settings, I discovered how to enable automatic grading and provide feedback for correct and incorrect responses. the platform felt user-friendly and accessible, and I gained confidence quickly after exploring its features.

2. Starting Skill Level

Before this activity, I considered myself at a beginner level. I had filled out many Google Forms before, but I had never created one from scratch. I also did not know about advanced features such as quiz mode, point allocation, or linking responses to Google Sheets. My knowledge was limited to thinking of Google Forms as a simple survey tool. This digital adventure pushed me out of that mindset. I now understand that Google Forms is not just about collecting information but can also serve as a real-time instructional tool for assessing student learning.

3. What I Learned

I learned several new skills during this activity:

Question variety: I practiced using multiple-choice, short answer, and checkbox questions, and I realized each serves different learning purposes. Multiple-choice questions are great for quick factual recall, while checkboxes allow for more complex thinking by letting students select multiple correct answers.
Quiz mode & grading: Activating quiz mode transformed Google Forms into a true assessment tool. I could assign point values, set correct answers, and even add feedback that students see immediately after submitting.
Customization features: I learned how to adjust the theme and color scheme, making the quiz more visually appealing. Embedding images or videos is especially useful in subjects like science, history, or geography, where visuals strengthen comprehension.
Data collection and analysis: Perhaps the most valuable feature is the “Responses” tab. I learned how results are instantly visualized through graphs and how to export data to Google Sheets for detailed tracking. This feature makes it easy to identify patterns, such as which questions most students struggled with.

This experience taught me that Google Forms is more than just a testing tool; it can be integrated into teaching as a way to enhance engagement, personalize feedback, and drive instructional decisions.

4. Classroom Vision

I can see Google Forms playing a central role in my classroom for several reasons:

Formative assessments: I would use Forms to design quick exit tickets at the end of lessons. These would help me gauge whether students understood the material and identify concepts that need reteaching.
Quizzes and practice tests: I could create weekly quizzes that not only test knowledge but also provide immediate feedback, helping students correct their mistakes in real time.
Student feedback: Beyond assessments, Forms can be a tool for student voice. I can design surveys to ask students how they feel about a unit, what teaching methods work best for them, or how confident they are with certain skills.
Peer collaboration: Google Forms could even be used for peer evaluations during group work, where students assess their teammates’ contributions anonymously.
Inclusive teaching: Because Forms works well on different devices (phones, tablets, computers), it ensures accessibility for students with varying resources.

In sum, I envision Google Forms not just as a quiz generator, but as a multi-purpose classroom companion that supports instruction, feedback, and data-driven teaching. It will save valuable grading time while giving me insight into how students are learning.

Digital Adventure: Nearpod

3rd DA
Link to video:https://youtu.be/j6c3qA5FKY4

Digital Adventure: Nearpod Nearpod is an interactive learning platform that allows teachers to create and deliver multimedia lessons that actively engage students in real time or asynchronously. It integrates slides, videos, quizzes, polls, open-ended questions, and virtual reality (VR) experiences into one seamless environment. Nearpod supports both synchronous learning where the teacher controls the pace during a live lesson and asynchronous learning, where students’ complete activities at their own pace. Its purpose is to transform traditional lessons into interactive, student-centered experiences that promote participation, collaboration, and real-time assessment.

My experience using Nearpod was exciting and eye-opening. The platform was straightforward to navigate once I logged in using my Google account. The dashboard immediately presented clear options: create a new lesson, explore existing templates, or upload PowerPoint or Google Slides presentations to make them interactive.

I began by uploading a simple Google Slides presentation about “Climate change.” I appreciated how quickly Nearpod allowed me to add interactive elements such as, open-ended questions, and a collaborative board where students could post ideas. The drag-and-drop design made it easy to integrate engagement tools within seconds.

I also experienced a slight learning curve when embedding videos from YouTube and linking external websites. These features required attention to ensure links worked properly across devices. Despite these small challenges, the interface was very teacher-friendly, and I quickly became comfortable with the system.

My starting skill level was beginner, as I had little experience with creating technology-enhanced lessons beyond PowerPoint or Google Slides. This digital adventure expanded my perspective on what interactive teaching looks like. I realized that technology integration isn’t just about presentation it’s about creating a space for active learning where students can participate, reflect, and respond in real time.

I learned several important skills while working with Nearpod:

Lesson Creation: I learned how to build a lesson from scratch and how to import existing slide decks. I also learned to embed multimedia content such as videos, images, and 3D objects to enhance visual engagement.
Interactive Elements: I explored how to add polls, open-ended questions activities, which allow students to write directly on the screen. These features are particularly useful for assessing understanding without formal quizzes.
Assessment Tools: I discovered that Nearpod automatically records student responses and provides reports that can be downloaded for grading or reflection. This function makes formative assessment much easier to manage.
Modes of Delivery: Understanding the two delivery modes Live vs. Student-Paced was one of my biggest takeaways. It made me realize that the same lesson can work both in a physical classroom and in an online environment, giving teachers more flexibility.
Collaboration and Feedback: The collaborative board feature stood out to me because it fosters community in virtual settings. Students can post responses that others can “like” or comment on, mimicking social-learning environments in a safe, teacher-controlled space.

I can clearly envision integrating Nearpod into my classroom in several ways:

Interactive Lessons: I would use Nearpod to deliver lessons that combine short videos, guiding questions, and quick polls. This approach would keep students actively engaged instead of passively listening.
Formative Assessment: After each concept, I could include a “Draw It” or quiz activity to immediately check for understanding. This would allow me to identify learning gaps and adjust instruction in real time.
Collaborative Learning: The collaborative board could be used for brainstorming activities, group reflections, or peer feedback. For instance, during a lesson on climate change, students could post ideas for community projects and respond to each other’s suggestions.
Accessibility and Flexibility: I appreciate that Nearpod works on multiple devices, including phones, tablets, and laptops. This ensures all students whether in the classroom or at home can participate. The “Student-Paced” mode is especially useful for remote learning or homework assignments.

Reflection

This digital adventure taught me the importance of interactivity and feedback in online instruction. Unlike traditional slide presentations, Nearpod transforms lessons into shared experiences. It requires students to engage actively, and it encourages teachers to think more deliberately about how technology supports learning outcomes.

By mastering Nearpod, I feel more confident in my ability to design and facilitate digital lessons that align with 21st-century teaching practices. I now understand how meaningful technology integration can enhance both teaching effectiveness and student engagement.

Nearpod is an interactive learning platform that allows teachers to create and deliver multimedia lessons that actively engage students in real time or asynchronously. It integrates slides, videos, quizzes, polls, open-ended questions, and virtual reality (VR) experiences into one seamless environment. Nearpod supports both synchronous learning where the teacher controls the pace during a live lesson and asynchronous learning, where students’ complete activities at their own pace. Its purpose is to transform traditional lessons into interactive, student-centered experiences that promote participation, collaboration, and real-time assessment.

I learned several important skills while working with Nearpod:

Lesson Creation: I learned how to build a lesson from scratch and how to import existing slide decks. I also learned to embed multimedia content such as videos, images, and 3D objects to enhance visual engagement.
Interactive Elements: I explored how to add polls, open-ended questions activities, which allow students to write directly on the screen. These features are particularly useful for assessing understanding without formal quizzes.
Assessment Tools: I discovered that Nearpod automatically records student responses and provides reports that can be downloaded for grading or reflection. This function makes formative assessment much easier to manage.
Modes of Delivery: Understanding the two delivery modes Live vs. Student-Paced was one of my biggest takeaways. It made me realize that the same lesson can work both in a physical classroom and in an online environment, giving teachers more flexibility.
Collaboration and Feedback: The collaborative board feature stood out to me because it fosters community in virtual settings. Students can post responses that others can “like” or comment on, mimicking social-learning environments in a safe, teacher-controlled space.

I can clearly envision integrating Nearpod into my classroom in several ways:

Interactive Lessons: I would use Nearpod to deliver lessons that combine short videos, guiding questions, and quick polls. This approach would keep students actively engaged instead of passively listening.
Formative Assessment: After each concept, I could include a “Draw It” or quiz activity to immediately check for understanding. This would allow me to identify learning gaps and adjust instruction in real time.
Collaborative Learning: The collaborative board could be used for brainstorming activities, group reflections, or peer feedback. For instance, during a lesson on climate change, students could post ideas for community projects and respond to each other’s suggestions.
Accessibility and Flexibility: I appreciate that Nearpod works on multiple devices, including phones, tablets, and laptops. This ensures all students whether in the classroom or at home can participate. The “Student-Paced” mode is especially useful for remote learning or homework assignments.

Reflection

4th DA

Link to video: https://youtu.be/R50Q9y8fJeM
Name of the Tool and What It Does
Kahoot is a learning platform that uses games to let teachers make and host quizzes, polls, and debates that are fun and interactive. It changes boring review sessions or classes into exciting, competitive activities that are meant to make learning pleasant and interesting. Students can play along in real time on their phones, tablets, or computers by entering a unique game PIN that the teacher gives them. The platform’s goal is to encourage participation, motivation, and instant feedback, turning tests into fun ways to study.

User Experience and Challenge

Using Kahoot was both fun and eye-opening for me. When I logged in with my Google account, the site showed me a clean interface with three easy choices: Create, Discover, and Reports. This ease of use made it simple to use, even for a first-time user.

It was easy and fun to make my first quiz. I started by clicking “Create,” which let me name my game “Science Quiz” and add multiple-choice questions. The UI showed me how to do everything, like change times, give points, and submit pictures or videos to make the questions more fun.

The live game was just as fun. I got a game PIN after starting my quiz in Teach mode. Anyone could use this PIN to join from any device. The ranking changing after each question gave the test a sense of energy and enthusiasm that is frequently missing from standard tests. The vibrant colors, sound effects, and fast feedback in Kahoot made learning fun and could help any classroom.

I didn’t have much experience with game-based learning tools before I used Kahoot. I was a rookie when I started my digital adventure, and I didn’t know how to make questions, run live participation, or understand the results subsequently. But Kahoot’s step-by-step design makes it easy to learn. I quickly got the hang of using the interface, making quizzes my own, and figuring out how each feature helped keep students interested. I could see myself utilizing Kahoot routinely as a formative evaluation tool by the end of this assignment.

What I Found Out

This digital journey gave me a lot of useful skills and lessons:

• Making Quizzes: I learnt how to make quizzes with different kinds of questions, like riddles, true/false questions, and multiple-choice questions. I also tried adding pictures and movies to make the text more interesting and easier to understand.

• Game Hosting: I looked at both Live Mode (teacher-paced) and Challenge Mode (student-paced) and learned how each mode works in different teaching situations. Live Mode is great for real-time, in-class sessions, and Challenge Mode is great for homework or online learning.

• Classroom Management: I learnt how to make a game PIN, keep an eye on responses in real time, and use the leaderboard to keep kids interested.

• Feedback and Data Analysis: Kahoot’s reporting mechanism is one of the best things I found about it. The platform automatically makes a full report after each session that shows which questions were missed the most, the average accuracy of the class, and the scores of each student. This lets teachers find out right away where students are having trouble learning and change future lessons to help them.

• Gamification in Education: I learnt the educational usefulness of gamification, which is combining competition, rewards, and interactive design to get more people to participate and keep them interested. Kahoot makes tests feel like games, which lowers exam anxiety and makes people more excited about learning.

I learned from this experience that tools like Kahoot fit nicely with 21st-century teaching methods that focus on active learning, working together, and teaching based on feedback.

Vision for the Classroom

I can think of a few important methods to use Kahoot in my teaching:

• Formative Assessments: After each lesson, I could make a short Kahoot quiz to see how well the kids understood the material. The quick feedback would assist me figure out which subjects I need to review before moving on.

• Review Sessions: I could set up “Kahoot Review Days” before tests, where students work in teams. This not only helps students remember what they’ve learned, but it also encourages them to work together and as a team.

• Icebreakers and Engagement: I might use Kahoot for entertaining icebreakers at the start of a new unit. For example, I could give the class questions about current events or general knowledge to get them excited and get to know each other better.

• Learning from Peers: I could have students make their own Kahoots as a project. This would help kids learn how to make things digitally while also helping them do research, come up with questions, and think critically about how to assess understanding.

Also, Kahoot can be used on any device, which makes it available to a wide range of learners, including those in classes with little resources or a mix of students. Because it is flexible, it may be used for any subject and grade level, from language arts to STEM to social studies.

Thinking back

Kahoot has changed the way I think about how tests can be done in the classroom. I used to think of quizzes as boring or stressful, but now I see them as chances to learn in a fun and interactive way. Kahoot shows that technology can connect engagement and evaluation, making assessment a fun classroom activity that encourages participation and collaboration.

This experience also helped me understand better how gamification may help people feel included and motivated. Students who might not want to engage in class typically find Kahoot less scary since it feels like a game. In this way, Kahoot helps with not only cognitive engagement, but also emotional and social inclusion.

I intend to consistently include Kahoot into my instructional design, especially as a tool for formative assessment and student involvement. It fits in well with my teaching philosophy, which says that learning should be an interactive, student-centered process where feedback, involvement, and creativity are all important.

5^th DA: Book Creator https://youtu.be/ObfU5ecU1-Y
Tool Name & Purpose
Book Creator is a digital storytelling platform that allows teachers and students to create interactive books using text, images, audio, video, drawings, and embedded media. It can be used for narrative writing, research projects, portfolios, journals, and collaborative class books. Its purpose is to promote creativity, literacy development, digital expression, and multimodal learning in a simple and engaging format.

1. User Experience & Challenge

My experience using Book Creator was enjoyable, intuitive, and creatively stimulating. Once I signed in using my Google account, the dashboard was clean and easy to navigate. I appreciated the step-by-step layout that guided me through creating a new book, choosing a layout style (portrait, square, or landscape), and customizing the cover page.

Adding content was surprisingly smooth. With just a few clicks, I was able to insert text, change fonts, add images from the built-in library, and record audio directly into the book. The drag-and-drop editing made the process feel natural, even for a beginner. The multimedia capabilities including drawing tools and video embedding enhanced the creative possibilities, making it much more dynamic than a traditional writing tool.

The main challenge I encountered was learning how to organize pages and maintain consistent formatting across the book. Because students can add many forms of media, the pages can easily become cluttered without thoughtful design. I also realized the importance of planning the storyboard or book outline in advance before inserting content. Another challenge is that collaboration features have limitations in the free version, so working together as a class would require careful planning to fit within the free account limits.

However, these challenges encouraged me to think like an instructional designer considering layout, accessibility, flow of content, and how to support students in producing quality digital work rather than just decorative pages.

2. Starting Skill Level

I began this digital adventure at a beginner level. While I have experience with digital platforms and design tools like Canva and Google Slides, Book Creator was new to me. I had seen examples of digital student storybooks shared online, but I never explored the tool behind them. My lack of prior experience with digital book creation made this exploration valuable. It pushed me to think about storytelling beyond text alone, incorporating audio narration, visuals, and interactive features to enhance meaning and accessibility. This was especially meaningful because of my interest in inclusive digital learning design.

3. What I Learned

During this exploration, I learned how to create a multimedia digital book from start to finish. Key skills I gained include:

Creating a book layout: Choosing the appropriate layout for different purposes (e.g., landscape for storybooks, portrait for reports).
Adding multimodal features: I learned how to insert text, images, audio recordings, and drawings. The ability to record voice narration directly into the book stood out as a powerful literacy and accessibility tool.
Design and organization: I explored how to format pages, structure content, add backgrounds, and maintain visual flow. This strengthened my understanding of digital storytelling principles.
Sharing and publishing options: I learned how to preview the book in “Read Mode,” publish it online, and export it as PDF or ePub for sharing with families, classmates, or teachers.

4. Classroom Vision

I can envision Book Creator being used in my classroom as a powerful tool for creativity, reflection, and student voice. Some practical applications include:

Digital storytelling projects: Students can write personal narratives, folktales, or short stories and bring them to life with illustrations, audio narration, and video.
Reflective learning journals: Students can document their weekly learning with text, voice notes, and pictures, making reflection more engaging and personal.
Cross-curricular projects: For example, in social studies, students could create digital books about Ghanaian culture, women leaders, or community development stories, incorporating local images and interviews.
Student e-Portfolios: Book Creator can serve as a portfolio platform where students compile work from throughout the term, showcasing growth and achievements.
Inclusive education: For learners who struggle with writing, audio narration and visuals can support expression; multilingual learners can narrate in their home language; and visual/auditory learners benefit from multimodal learning.

Reflection

This digital adventure deepened my appreciation for the value of creative technology tools that empower students to express their voices. Compared to quiz-based platforms like Kahoot, Book Creator offers a more reflective, personal, and student-centered approach to learning. I realized that digital storytelling helps develop both academic and social-emotional skills by encouraging identity exploration, cultural awareness, and artistic expression.

Exploring Book Creator reinforced my belief that technology should not only test knowledge but also give students meaningful ways to create, reflect, and share their lived experiences. As I continue my journey in Instructional Technology, this tool has inspired me to integrate more creative expression platforms into my teaching and future instructional designs.