Game Design and Ecosystems

The new semester finds me working with a seventh grade science teacher. We're planning a unit that combines Gamestar Mechanic with the study of ecosystems. We're just starting out, so this post isn't about us. Instead, I wanted to point out the great work Kevin Hodgson did last semester. He put it up on his Video Game Design blog.

His videos, sample worksheets and explanations of what worked and what didn't were inspiring. I strongly recommend going through the materials on each section. His sample game is very well done too. I am always impressed with teachers who do a great project and manage to document it so well for the rest of us.

I should mention too that I came across Mr. Hodgson's site from a link at the amazing Free Technology for Teachers blog.

Game Publishing for the Classroom

Going with my previous post about traditional games in the classroom, here's a resource that I recommend to teachers. It is a print on demand service that specializes in board and card games. Students could use this to turn a class project into a nice edition. Copies could be ordered for family and friends. With just a little more work, they can be made available through the site to the world at large.

The Game Crafter offers options for different sized cards, game boards and several other tokens that work for most games. I have published two of my own projects with them and I'm very happy with the results. The game pictured here consists of three different decks of cards and the accessories shown. It cost me about $20 to order my own copy. It's a little more than what I'd pay for a mass produced game with the same components, but it sure beats having to pay for a minimum run of 1,000 copies. My family worked on the project together and they loved seeing it finally arrive in print. I plan to offer it for sale, but to make a profit I will have to raise that price of $20.

So this won't likely be a direct path to a lot of financial rewards, but the site does have a Hall of Fame. There, designers who have used The Game Crafter as a bridge from idea to a successful mass production tell their stories. Certainly this print on demand service can get a good game into the hands of people who can take it further.

I can't say I've used this in the classroom yet, but I suggest it to teachers and I'm looking forward to the first time we can try it. The service is quite easy to use. The only hard part will be working with the graphics and most of that has nothing to do with The Game Crafter. It will depend on polished the students want their cards and boards to look.

I had a little trouble getting everything sized correctly for their site and the interface was a little frustrating at first. Familiarity with a program like GIMP or Paint Shop Pro will do the job nicely.

Once it's all created according to their specs (templates are available on the site) it's just a matter of uploading. You can order your own copies right away, but there are some additional requirements to enter if you want to put it for sale at the site.

If done right, a successful game project like this could involve all of these learning experiences:

• Game design, with all of the problem solving, testing and creativity that comes with it
• Graphic design
• Setting a reasonable cost through choices in the game design itself, component creation and selection of existing components from the site
• Writing the rules and informational materials
• Promotion of the final product

If it sounds promising, interested students and teachers should start here.

Making a Game - How far will an idea go?

I will probably have a few posts in the next week or so that relate more to traditional games and game creation. With so much focus on computer games everywhere else, this may feel out of place. I still find a lot of value in traditional games in the classroom and students still love making traditional games. My career in education and experience with game design and publication have been inseparable. I always used games in the classroom and my students always helped with the vital process of playtesting.

This weekend I posted a video that highlights my experience with one game that has gone far. It traces its path from initial idea to a game that has been played around the world. I often use this story as a kick-off to my game design projects in the classroom.

To keep this brief I had to leave a lot out. Nothing is said about how I used the game in the classroom or how my interactive whiteboard activities continue to spread the idea. I trust this serves its purpose, though, as possible encourage for others who have an idea and want to watch it grow.

My Mantras

Here are some things I find myself repeating when I work with students in all grade levels. It's not always with these exact words, but these quotes are the foundation of my work in the schools.

• Anyone can play with technology, but successful people use it to create something valuable.
• Technology is a magnifier. It always allows the user to do more. What more has technology allowed you to do? What more would you like to do with it?
• Technology makes many things simpler, but the best jobs still go to the people who can do the difficult things.

Explorations in Creative Technology Projects

Here are links to two course portfolios I developed over the summer as I finished up my master's program. Both focus on inspiring students through creativity.

Explorations in Game Design and Game Activities in the Classroom - Two activities in this course project focus on ways I used game design in classrooms. One used Gamestar Mechanic in the math class and the other used some variations on my party game design in a Mythology class.

Technology Course for Alternative High School - This was a very ideal project I proposed over last summer. (Why does it only take a week of summer to become extremely idealistic??) The idea was to motivate students by focusing on their passion to create within their areas of interest. As it turned out, plans changed in my own district and I didn't even get to implement the more realistic version of this course yet. Some of the concepts have carried over into other technology projects I refer too in this blog.

What I Learned about Ed-Tech in 2011

This has been an incredible year for learning for me. I want to highlight some of the most important thoughts, and I'm not talking tech tips! Also, I will end with some of the most important questions that linger in my mind as we head into 2012.

What I learned...

I finished my graduate courses in August, then in early September I started co-teaching at the middle school level. I taught a Digital Media class and a Computer Literacy class, each for about nine weeks. While finishing up those graduate courses over the summer, I became rather idealistic. But it didn’t take long for middle school to snap me back to reality! This was an amazing opportunity to work out a balance between those extremes.

Now that we’re almost done with the first semester, I can see just how much I still have to learn. I have picked up a number of skills for creating meaningful lessons that most of the students will attempt. I have a few students in my mind (some by name and some by their general characteristics) that I simply have not been able to reach, but at least I can see what it will take.

The best example I can offer that speaks to my learning is a holiday slide assignment that I gave the class just before we left for break. I based it on the popular high school game project that I referred to in my last post. For the middle school students we used PowerPoint. Many of the aspects of the project were the same, but I made one very important improvement when I started the project with them.

See, I jumped into the game project with the high school students without setting it in context. I was starting to assume that the creativity alone would be motivating. That doesn't work for students who have been in a more conventional education system for so long. While I and their teacher considered the activity a success, we were not happy with the negative attitudes of some of the students who felt they would not use the skills that they perceived (graphic design and game design, specifically).

In response, I shared these lists below with those students and I think it addressed our concerns. When I started the project with the middle school students, I used the lists right from the beginning. It made a significant difference to put the project in this light.

Important skills addressed in this project:

• Learn new software
• Present with text and graphics
• Research and cite sources
• Be creative within requirements
• Process written information
• Produce quality results

I shared with them how I look for these skills when I work with students. I also used to emphasize these skills in a high school course about success.

Important qualities of any good employee:

• Maintain a positive attitude
• Adapt to changes - Flexibility
• Do what it takes

Last of all, I encouraged them to form habits that increase their opportunities for success.

These skills, traits and habits will be a focus for me in all future projects.

Big questions that I have at the end of the year...

Are we going to get there fast enough?
Speaking of that balance that I mentioned above, small steps toward the goal are required as we work within budget constraints and conventional systems of public education. The students, at least the ones in the district where I work, are not prepared for a big jump to higher thinking skills. I have had to learn patience as I want to rush toward the ideal. But is there time for such a patient approach?

And another question has lingered in my mind since early 2011. With gaming being so popular for students and with some very promising results of using computer games in the classroom, I feel the urge to use more of it. But I can’t help but wonder, why does it always have to be fun? This actually brings several questions to mind:

• Why are so many students seemingly only motivated by play?
• Even if, through play, we can teach them the curriculum, are we doing them favors?
• Will they really step up to the challenges of adult life when the only road to success is the way of hard work with no fun?

Top Resources in 2011

I started this blog in the summer as a way to highlight some resources I posted on Promethean Planet and to organize some other projects I knew would develop in the classes I'm teaching.

Of those on Promethean Planet, here are my most popular in terms of downloads.

#1: This or That? - This is based on my party game Take Your Pick. Being a great ice-breaker, most downloads for this activity took place in the weeks before and shortly after the start of school, but it continued to be popular for months. I am thrilled that so many teachers took an interest in it.

#2: Oh, Really! Back to School Edition - Obviously based on my Oh, Really! game, this edition was a last minute thought at the end of summer. Like the previous activity, this one took off in those weeks. Due to the title, it hasn't continued in popularity quite as much, but I think it is a great introduction to the original Oh, Really! classroom activity that can be adapted easily for any point in the year.

#3: Wits & Wagers - I'm actually counting the Life Science and U.S. History editions of this activity together as the #3 spot. As such, they actually beat out the Oh, Really! edition for downloads. The simple concept drew a lot of attention and I hope to create at least one more edition of this fun game in the early months of 2012.

As for lessons in class, the Interactive Holiday Game assignment drew more attention more quickly than any other. Some projects ended up on Promethean Planet and one of them had over 400 downloads by the time Christmas break reached most schools in the U.S. It was a lot of fun for many students who created the projects and for others who had a chance to play the resulting games. It also taught me some valuable lessons that I will highlight in my next post.

The Holiday Games on Promethean Planet

They finally approved the first few games from the project I have been writing about. You can visit the author page here. I really think the students did a nice job with this first round of flipcharts. I will add more from the class in the days ahead.

I am working on a variation on this project for middle school students. We will create PowerPoint quiz games instead of ActivInspire flipcharts. Details to follow!

Holiday Interactive Game Assignment - Part 3

The final stage of this project is to create a Christmas or holiday game playable with ActivExpressions or AcdtiVotes. The directions are available here.

Two of the three sample games referred to in that document are available on Promethean Planet. I haven't finalized the third one yet.

• Wits & Wagers - U.S. History Edition
• This or That?

Most students had little trouble transitioning from the second assignment to this final project. Many of them just did a quiz game with multiple choice questions. A few went with very creative games based on random draws and personal preferences. It has been encouraging watching some of them go well above the minimum requirements of the assignment.

I worked with students most days while they finished this project. Additional tips I taught to some students who wanted to use them were:

• Using the Camera tool to take pictures of graphics created in other programs
• Adding the Another Page action to link pages
• Adding the Hidden action to make objects disappear to reveal other objects

I posted some of the best examples of the students' work here at Promethean Planet. 

Holiday Interactive Game Assignment - Part 2

For the next step in this assignment we required students to make a short, simple quiz game with three questions. Two could be multiple choice and the third had to be a number question. The directions we posted for this assignment are here.

Since students were at various points in this lesson on the day that some were ready to start part, I did nothing in the way of introduction other than tell them were to find the directions. I made myself available for questions and I helped them progress through the assignment that way.

We shared the best flipcharts from this part of the project with the elementary teachers. Since we kept them in the district, I allowed students to copy and paste from the internet as long as they cited their sources.

A half dozen good examples resulted from this, but we found students were confused about the differences between putting the questions and answers on the screen versus putting them in the Question Manager. It would have been simpler if the Question Manager worked like I think it is supposed to. As it is, we had questions and choices on the flipchart and we just set the number of options and the right answer in the Question Manager.

One thing I struggle with when making directions is that if I put an example early in the document, students will look at it and just forge ahead without reading the directions. If I don't put a detailed example there, though, they can't always get their brains around what the directions are telling them! I suspect the solution is to grade mercilessly with a clear rubric on all projects until they learn to read directions.

Holiday Interactive Game Assignment

I have been working with the computer teacher at our high school to take students through a unit on creating interactive holiday games. Here is the page at Promethean Planet where we posted some results.

We started out by showing students how to use basic shapes in ActivInspire to create holiday graphics. This document shows the first images that we used.

After they practiced that for one class period, I showed them how to set the background color, how to use the Text tool and how to copy their graphics with the Camera

Then the next stage was to have them create some holiday slides. Here are the directions that we posted in Blackboard for that part of the assignment. It requires students to create a couple more graphics and then the slides in a flipchart.

I'll post the directions to the first round of simple games and I'll provide some samples in a day or two.

Halloween Classroom Game: Halloween Haiku

I put a holiday spin on my haiku creativity games.

Update October, 2013:  Here is a paper and pencil version of the game playable by groups of 3 to 6 players.  It works best for 4 or 5.  You'd need to print the three pages of cards for each group.

The Halloween Haiku Game was originally a presentation game meant to be played as a whole class. This will introduce some fun for a class as 3 - 5 creative students compete to write the best Halloween themed haiku. The class can vote for their favorite using Expressions.

Instead of having contestants, the teacher can select the criteria for the haiku at the end of a class period and students can write them overnight. From those, the teacher can choose five to present to the class for a vote.

The flipchart activity is here on Promethean Planet.

Here are all three of my haiku games.

Video Editing Tipsheet - Using MovieMaker in Middle School Digital Media

If anyone else is still using MovieMaker with XP, here's a tipsheet I made for our 6th - 8th grade Digital Media class. It has a few references to our specific assignment, but you can cut and paste what you want if any of it is useful.

Their assignment was to create motivational video by combining a few short clips that I captured from a YouTube video. Prior to this they only created video slideshows using still images in MoveMaker.

Teach, Not Tech

I know I'm not the first person employed in ed-tech to say it's not about the technology. I have to remind myself of that a lot though. When I try to reel teachers in--those who really like their lessons they way they've taught them for a decade--I have to tell them that.

I tell the teachers in my district that it's about bringing some life into the classroom. It's about creativity, passion and potential. It's about reminding students that they can make something that didn't exist before and that when they do, they can find a sense of purpose.

Those things don't happen while trying to meet state objectives or pass standardized tests.

I have recently become a fan of Kevin Kelly's work and I love what he said in an interview in Christianity Today. This is the goal I strive for when the students are trying my patience and it seems so much is working against us. When I see a student intensely focused on his project or when one is excited to show me what she can make, I remember there's hope. We're doing something very important everyday.

"I want to increase all the things that help people discover and use their talents. Can you imagine a world where Mozart did not have access to a piano? I want to promote the invention of things that have not been invented yet, with a sense of urgency, because there are young people born today who are waiting upon us to invent their aids. There are Mozarts of this generation whose genius will be hidden until we invent their equivalent of a piano—maybe a holodeck or something. Just as you and I have benefited from the people who invented the alphabet, books, printing, and the Internet, we are obligated to materialize as many inventions as possible, to hurry, so that every person born and to-be-born will have a great chance of discovering and sharing their godly gifts."

Fun Game for U.S. History

I originally uploaded the Wits & Wagers U.S. History flipchart activity on Promethean Planet, but have since moved it to my Dropbox for easy download. It includes 10 questions with fun facts drawn from well known moments from Columbus to the Civil War. It will be easy to create your own slides with similar questions related to the day's lesson.

If you don't have ActivInspire or a classroom response system such as Expresssions, you can easily adapt the concept to the resources you do have.

If you haven't seen the other Wits & Wagers flipchart yet, it's here with 10 questions based on Life Science facts.

And the Oh, Really! Government Edition is also worth checking out if you're looking for a good activity for discussion in a Civics or Social Studies course.

The original party game Wits & Wagers (and the spin-offs...and other great games) is a highly entertaining party game from North Star Games, so be sure to check out their website.

My Favorite Video Editing Software for the Classroom

Update on 2/21/2012: I still love this software and I use it regularly, but I had a poor experience with ordering a copy directly from the company. I received email about a one-day sale for 70% off the regular price of about $100. I ordered a copy for home and I checked the price at every stage during the order process to be sure the sale price was accurate. When the email receipt came through I noticed my credit card had been billed for $50 instead. I could not reach the company after attempting to by phone and email. Eventually my credit card company paid me the difference in prices just to resolve the dispute.

A couple years ago a fellow student in a college course recommended Corel's VideoStudio software for editing videos. I downloaded the trial and fell in love with many of the features. Now that they've upgraded to x4 and I have used it with many of my own students I appreciate it even more.

With multiple movie tracks and effects, the advanced editing features can be less than intuitive. But I've seen high school students use it to quickly edit a simple video as easily as they did in MoveMaker. I'm working with a group of middle schoolers now. We're taking it slow, but I have no doubt they'll be able to edit without me in time.

I have created some videos on my own at home that used multiple video tracks, transitions and titles. I only had it freeze up once. Considering my experience with Pinnacle software over the years, only one lock-up seems almost miraculous.

On top of the excellent visual effects that can be achieved, I'm very pleased with the audio editing as well. Audio can be split from the video in a variety of formats and effects can be added.

If you edit video with students, I strongly suggest downloading the fully functional 30-day trial. I see right now they're selling the full version for $50 per license, so it could be an excellent time to buy.

Another option for programming games in the classroom -- Kodu

I don't know how I missed Kudo previously, but a student introduced me to it yesterday. It looks great and my kids at home are already in love with it. It's a very high level game programming application that even runs on the Xbox. The student who showed this to me is in 7th grade and he learned about it from his 8-year-old brother. It's simple, fun stuff.

If we get a chance to do game design this marking period I'm seriously thinking this will beat out Gamestar Mechanic as far as popularity, though I do appreciate Gamestar's attempt to teach good game design. I need to experiment with Kudo some more before I make a decision on that.

Excellent Technology Game/Activity for Science

I'm very excited to show this first flipchart based on the popular Wits & Wagers game. My friend Dominic Crapuchettes created the game and published it through his company North Star Games. I made the flipchart activity and tested it with students this week. It's a simple concept that was immediately engaging. It is also easily adapted for specific content.

Free Game Giveaway and Back to Work

There's a chance I'll move the free game giveaway to another site and extend it, but I'll still give a game to a winner as described in the original post. If you haven't entered, check it out. It is free and takes about 1 minute.

Work officially started this week, so that accounts for the lack of posts. It's been hectic, but I have remembered how much I love Jing the past few days. It is indispensable for the work I do communicating with text and images.

Beyond that, I'm working two to four technology classes this year, so I hope to have plenty to highlight in the weeks ahead.

I did put up an Oh, Really! flipchart for Christian education. I figure it will be my least popular on Promethean Planet, but I think it has value. A new, exciting project will be tested within the week and I hope to post it by next weekend. If it goes as well as I hope it should be a good series.

What Matters Most in School? -- Promotion for Oh, Really!

It is my goal to have thousands of students all over the world having fun and discussing the things that matter most this year in school. I’m doing that by giving away a free copy of my party game Oh, Really!--"The Lively Game of What Matters Most"-- and by highlighting my free classroom activities.

The free activities are available on Promethean Planet here:

• My Back to School version of Oh, Really!
• All activities based on Oh, Really! with versions for various subject areas
• All of my free games activities

Keep reading for details on how you can win a copy of the game.

To help with this promotion, I asked Bernie DeKoven to (sort of) play Oh, Really! with us and to share his thoughts on the game. In case you don’t know, Bernie wrote the book on games and fun (as well as the blog, articles and other books). He has decades of experience with games in the classroom.

And several years ago his review of my simple party game helped me take the next step in publication. As someone who has played Oh, Really! in various forms almost as long as I have, here’s what he has to say about my game and what’s most important in the classroom:

For me, a game like Oh, Really is an opportunity for people to have fun (which I personally rank the highest) talking to each other (next highest) about things they care about, listening to others about things other people care about, exercising reason, becoming aware of different, but equally valid perspectives.

All of these, from the fun part to the reasoning part to the learning to accept and understand differences, belong in the classroom as much as they belong in the courtroom and at least as much as they belong at the family dinner table.

None of these have immediate relevance to anything that is generally identified as a learning objective in anybody's curriculum. And yet the impact on the students, on the relationship between them, and between them and the teacher, and between them, the teacher, and the learning enterprise, is welcome and often profound. It sets the stage for learning and understanding and wanting to learn together.

Thanks Bernie for your support of Oh, Really! and for always sounding the call for positive classroom experiences that remind us what matters most in education!

The Giveaway
I asked Bernie to rank the five words from Oh, Really! below from most important to least important. If you want to be entered in a drawing for the game, please visit this link. There you will rank the five items that Bernie was given:

• Tradition
• Attitude
• Teachers
• Goals
• Laughter

From all entries that I receive by September 16, 2011 (whether they match Bernie’s rankings or not) I will draw a winner who will receive a copy of the game. (See below for restrictions and other information.)

Here are the cards from the game that I sent to Bernie. Rank them in order from most important to least important as you think he would:

Tradition Attitude Teachers Goals Laughter

Details on the giveaway:

• This is solely my promotion for the game, as the game’s creator. Neither Bernie DeKoven nor Find It Games (the publisher of Oh, Really!) is responsible for the selection of the winner or sending the prize.
• I will send one copy of the published party game Oh, Really! to the winner. (Depending on shipping costs we might work out a different arrangement if the winner is outside of the continental U.S., but I’ll make sure we come up with something equivalent in terms of cost.)
• I will select a random entry from all that I receive as described above shortly after September 16, 2011. The winner will be contacted and announced here on the blog after that time.