on Grading with Games

1. How might a teacher apply even ONE characteristic of games and game environments (choice, progress bars, etc.)  to a typical unit or module of instruction? Teachers could easily implement the idea of a progress bar into a class area.  It would simple, cheap, and done in various ways.  You could display progression on a white board, project a spread sheet with status bars, you could even go back to the old star chart of my childhood.  The important part is to avoid the stigma of bad grades.  I do not give letter grades, I read through the assignment with a highlighter, a bright pen, and I am not afraid to circle great thoughts and underline incomplete ones.  The most common words you see on a graded paper in my handwriting are "Why..." or "Please explain."
2. What reflections or thoughts do you have about Jim Gee's notion of the paradigm shift?  How will it change your school or institution?  It's frightening to me how far behind we are, and question how in the world we will catch up.  We should have been thinking about a computer for every student ten years ago, let alone some of the fantastic technology that is out there today.  I can not fathom MidWest schools remaining the four walled classrooms as we know it.  I don't even for-see students leaving their homes for instruction in the rather near future.
3. What unique insight can you take away from this discussion? I had never really thought about how instantaneous game assessment happens and how that continual assessment is communicated to the player in such a high rate, fast paced form.  What was said about kids wanting to be creators and how many games now give you their creation engines made me reflect on how much learning took place in creating a Little Big Planet level.