The Gamification Process Continues

In order to create functional leaderboards, I needed to do some research into Google Sheets. I had used spreadsheets before, but the most complex thing I ever did with them was to sort them A to Z. I needed a spreadsheet where I could keep up with experience points, gold, badges, levels, etc. I also wanted to allow students to see their progress without showing everyone else's. And I needed to be able to have team leaderboards.

First, I learned how to insert images into Google Sheets. This allowed me to insert student avatars and badges into a sheet. Then, I created sheets for each student. I learned how to pull only that student's information from my master sheet to populate the cells of their individual sheet. This way, each student can see his / her progress.

While searching for websites to tell me how to do these things, I ran across the Google for Education Training Center. I looked through the lessons, and realized that I already knew how to do the things for the Level 1 Certification. I went ahead and registered for the exam, and spent 2-1/2 hours doing it Sunday evening (you have three hours to complete it). A few minutes later, I found out that I passed! Now I get to display the following:

That's what I get for consistently using Google Apps for Education in my classes! They do make things easier. I would like to take a look at the requirements for the Level 2 exam and the Trainer exam, but that will have to wait until I'm a little less busy (probably after I submit my National Board stuff).