My Pixel Academy
A new, all-content gamification platform for the online classroom.
A new, all-content gamification platform for the online classroom.
My Pixel Academy is a content-agnostic gamification platform that increases student engagement while teachers keep doing what you do best. It provides a quick-start structure to gamify your classroom, while the content and curriculum remain yours. It's also my pet project: I use it with my own students every day, and I'm looking to make it better before making it bigger, so that one day soon, students everywhere can reap the proven benefits of gamification, visualizing their academic and behavioral progress in a rewards-driven environment.
Q: How can I use the styles of interaction students already know from their digital lives to increase engagement in my classroom?
Progress Points reward students in the moment for core expectations and routines. Mastery Badges mark achievement of key skills and course objectives. The Unlock Shop gives students one more reason to bring their best to class and independent practice. And Home Zones invite students to take ownership of their own space as take on new challenges in class.
With My Pixel Academy's first prototype, students focus in class and drive in independent work increased, right alongside their excitement and joy.
Q: Can I use gamification to form community in my classes?
Transitions can be tough, and everyone enters a new classroom with a little uncertainty. Debuting the Summer Clubhouse series for four-week summer enrichment classes helped form community through shared environments and storytelling.
Students completed writing project steps each week to unlock new areas of the Clubhouse. Secret rooms and mysterious missions launched independent reading, vocabulary, and research routines, capping off the unit - and the class - with a special final unlock.
Q: Will deep narrative and student choice encourage independent practice outside of class?
Last semester, My Pixel Academy took things to the next level, using a web platform, narrative cutscenes, and AI-powered independent practice activities in a whole new environment. Pressing "pause" on the shop-based rewards system, we investigated discovery as a prime motivation for learning in a gamified environment.
Alternating sequences of full-class learning and student-choice assignments, incentivized by story and exploration, drove students to work harder than ever at independent practice, often completing double or even triple the required homework to unlock the next challenge task.
This version also challenged me as a storyteller and a designer. In the world of the Academy, students have been invited to a mysterious school to learn the ancient art of Shaping, using language and creativity to shape reality. For each task and learning objective, I asked myself, "How does this tie into the world we're building together?" The more narratively connected the assignments were, the more students connected the concepts and skills they were learning.
Click through the image carousel or check out two of last semester's activity-launching cutscenes, one for independent vocabulary practice and one for our collaborative group midterm!
Family testimonials
from My Pixel Academy student testers
"Mr. Grant's teaching style keeps things interesting and fun, so my child really enjoys going to class. Since starting classes, Eliana has become a more confident writer and reader. She writes with more detail and reads longer books on her own now." - Parent of Eliana (2nd grade)
"Mr. Grant is amazing for my kid. He makes reading very attractive for my son and makes the learning feel different. Elden has improved significantly. In the beginning, he was only able to fill in blanks for writing. Now he can mostly just write on his own with a 5-paragrah essay." - Parent of Elden (2nd grade)
"My favorite part of class this year was writing the stories and the Home Zone stuff. Every time I come to class, I feel excited for a lot of things." - Student (4th-grade)
"DON'T, WHATEVER YOU DO, DO NOT FORGET TO DO YOUR HOMEWORK PROPERLY!!!!!!!!!! " - Student (5th-grade), after midterm Library Battle event
"If you work as a team instead alone than you will be successful: teamwork makes the dream work!" - Student (5th-grade), after midterm Library Battle event
A dedicated web platform where teachers can quick-start their own gamified classrooms, adding their assignments, using preset or customized point and reward options, and integrating narrative with AI-powered help options - each step allowing them to use their own curriculum and even their own in-person rewards systems.
A platform where students can claim their personal space, track their class progress, and work independently with the benefits of in-the-moment feedback that takes their learning to the "+1" every time.
A platform shaped by the hands-on feedback of innovative teachers who know exactly how learning should look.
That's the vision for 2026. My Pixel Academy is currently looking for a technical cofounder with a passion for education and games and a background in web app development. We're also inviting mentorship and collaboration of all kinds as we try to make something truly special for students everywhere.
If this sounds like your speed, get in touch at one of the contact links below.
Fill out the form below or contact me at the email link at the bottom of the page for more information.