I saw this Wednesday on Wonderland, Thursday on MetaFilter, and was reminded of it again on BoingBoing late Friday night. You get others to sign up and assign experience points (XP) for completing chores. I finally asked the “How would this fit in a classroom?” question the third time I saw it, and I came up with two ideas.
1. Use it as a creative homework incentive program. Students get XP for completion of work. “Prizes” are awarded for the best performance. You know, the usual, but within a “gaming” framework.
2. Use it to map out a group project. Teams get to map out the tasks necessary for completing the assignment. Tasks are giving point values based on difficulty or time commitment. Once a student completes a task, they give themselves credit. The XP becomes a gauge for individual participation levels.
Clearly, there would be issues with this site, as there are fight scenes that you would find in any role playing game which might not appeal to all students/parents. But the idea of integrating gaming, organization, and accountability in a classroom has appeal.