Hidden Cottage

I have heard of Foursquare before but never really looked into it at all.  The only thing I knew about it was that it involved where you were going and you had to "check-in".  Then I learned that it notified those with the app where you were.  This seems very helpful  to organize getting together.  I know with my friends it can be the most annoying thing to get everyone together.  This seems like it takes out a few steps to help out.

Another fun feature is that it give you challenges and rewards.  Nothing motivates like competition and I have seen this so many times within the classroom.  Their biggest competitive feature is on called the "Mayor".  If you have visited a place the most in your group then you become the mayor, or from what I can tell an expert of this place.  I can see using this in a classroom that if someone does well in a subject they become the expert and they get more to do with that.

Foursquare is also a personal achievement record as pointed out by McGonigal.  This app encourages you to go outside of your normal places and experience new places. I know for me this is more difficult than it should be due to my introverted nature but with the right incentive I will travel.  Not to mention this app could show you places your friends are that you may not have know about and decide that you want to go. This is great because experience is the best teacher in life and if they can learn on their own in a fun way then this is a wonderful app to use.

One of McGonigal's favorite topics is the social aspect of this type of technology.  Not only does this app get you into different places but those places will most likely have people you don't know.  Using this app allows you to meet people you normally wouldn't which is great because those types of interactions really help people develop themselves.  This is sort of one of the techniques I have seen in a classroom where you get to know the other students in your class that you normally wouldn't talk to.  Forcing this kind of interaction honestly allows students to feel more comfortable in the class and with their learning.

Foursquare is a great conversation starter.  If you are near someone and the see that you have been somewhere you have been that they either have as well or want to then a conversation starts.  Also I am a big proponent of journaling and this is kind of a form of digital journaling.  It keeps track of the places you have been and with that comes the memories that you have as well as different topics to talk about with other people.  This is a great idea that I will most likely start using in my personal life.