Abstract:

Cyber constructivist theories have set a new standard: the gamification use as a practice that can significantly improve the learning process for students. To reach this objective, the typical elements of role playing games are used because they allow creating a dynamic learning environment where students can easily learn specific concepts. From that context and added to the Curricular Redesign of the Master of Educational Technology studies, the new transversal course of basic didactic and self-management had integrated the practice of gamification in their curricula for all master's degrees in teacher professionalization: the Communication and Educational Technology.
Master in Educational Technology responds to the challenges of the professional teacher to take part in the innovative design of Information Technology and Communication, the Applied Knowledge Technologies and Technical Outreach and Participation in a multidisciplinary team and around different educational settings.
The subject of Communication and Educational Technology, uses gamification as a learning methodology to develop skills such as: argumentation of points of views about different issues of micro and macro structural, literacy; analysis the criteria and strategies for critical and creative thinking across different texts, survey of different sources of printing an online information, apply critical thinking processes and assessment of the structures of written, visual, oral and audiovisual in their speech and writing expression.
The online course is edited on a LMS (Learning Management System) template, which methodology presents an instructional design characterized by a pedagogical and didactical plan -showed a plan of the course-. The methodology refers the plans of modules with the sequence of the activities, interactive resources based on web 2.0 tools. The content of the course considers 4 modules: 1) Critical Thinking Introduction, 2) Critical Reading Process, 3) Writing Process, 4) Creative and Critical Thinking Application, where the teacher-advisor will follow up the work of the participants, monitoring the implementation and delivery of the activities proposed in a timely way, and also invites the students through a reflection about their own processes of self-assessment and metacognition, all this in assistance and virtual activities. From this methodology are developed competences which allude to the understanding and analysis of academic texts in a professional curriculum.
Gamification is used through the activities instructions, the selection of them and also is reflected in the score (special manner to evaluate with points but reflected in the generic competences that will be increasing in each module of the course. That could be consulted each session in an Excel Drive document, which changes with each ending activity). Methodological experience in the “Communication and Educational Technology course” shows significant evidence of the development of thinking and language through a course that takes advantage of the contributions of technology in education field.

Keywords:

gamification, educative technology, literacy, critical thinking