Jan 11- Games in Learning and Literacy

1. WHO

39  participants with expertise in

Educational Technology (8)

Language Arts Classroom (9)

Other Classroom Expertise (Art, Special Education, Video Production) (2)

Literacy/Librarians (3)

Games (3) + Students

Educational Leadership (5)

Students (9)

2. WHY 

Participants are looking for ways to use game play and game design as a way to teach literacy skills to students. What type of tools are available that might promote creativity and innovation in our students while developing literacy skills and how can these tools be integrated in a classroom teacher's learning/teaching environment.

Participants want to come up the elements of viable instructional activities that could become of challenges that will be developed and delivered to students.

3. WHEN 

Jan 11, 2011   8:00 - 3:30 

4. WHERE 

Swanton Elementary School Library,  24 Fourth Street, Swanton, Vermont 

5. WHAT (Content)

Tools to create games or interactive fiction

Language arts concepts, skills

Game theory (design/play, game narrative, etc)

National Educational Technology Standards 

21st C skills

SAMR/TPACK model to using technology to support learning

6. WHAT FOR- achievement based objectives

By the end of this hour,  participants will 

Experience game play (especially interactive fiction and games with strong game narrative components)

Define Interactive Fiction and Game Narrative

Examine examples of different types of interactive fiction and game narrative and name the elements present in each.

Brainstorm Language Arts curricular contents that have potential connections to game playing and game creation.

Name what do we want our students to be able to KNOW, UNDERSTAND, and DO that could be served by working with interactive fiction and game narrative.

Listen to educators and students discuss what kids are reading. What are the themes.  Is there a connection to games and learning?

Identify what TPACK  (technology, pedagogical, and content knowledge) we need to integrate games into language arts in a way that will make it successful and worthwhile for teachers AND students.

Examine the role assessment plays in the development and implementation of challenges.

Create a framework for building games based challenges that will be made available to classroom teachers as lesson plans to be used with whole group instruction or stand-alone online activities to be integrated in the language arts classroom.

7. HOW  (The Learning Tasks)

Learning Task # 1:  Playing Around

(8:00 - 8:30)

A  Fill in the "Who are we? / Learning climate  " survey

B  Play Interactive Fiction Game using Ipod Touch or Ipad (using Cheat sheats)

     (Inform?  9:05)

C  Play 2 SCRATCH Games/Interactive Story

       Frog vs. Cat    Bee Story      Night at Dreary Castle      Wisdom Quest

D  Play Game Star Mechanic Game 

E  Play Spider at Bryce Manor

F  Watch Trailer - Spider at Bryce Manor - htttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2MaK-shoqU

G. Read Interview with Randy Smith

    http://www.bestiphoneappmatic.com/category/spider-the-secret-of-bryce-manor

Learning Task # 2:  Introduction

A.  Introduce yourself

B.  Listen to "Why are we here" 

C. Watch Mitch Resnick talk about the importance of Creativity 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pyvpz2aRH4o

Learning Task # 3: Understanding Game Play: Maps for Educators (Ruben)

8:30 - 9:30  

A. Mapping the Domain: From Play to Sandbox to Game

B. Mapping the Genres: Notes for a Basic Taxonomy

C. Mapping the Potential: Games and Learning

Learning Task # 4: Tours of Digital Playdoh 

9:30 - 10:55  

A. Creating Interactive Stories with  SCRATCH

9:30 - 9:55

B. Introduction to Interactive Fiction

10:00 - 10:25

C. Game Star Mechanic

10:30- 10:55

Learning Tasks # 5  Making Connections

11:00 - 11:45 

A. Interview to Guest Speaker - Randy Smith (Local game designer) 

B. Share connections between the ideas, tools, examples you saw this morning and what we want students to be able to know, understand and do

    Consider Literacy/Language Art Skills  &  "21st century skills" (orange)

C. Brainstorm ideas on integrating some of these connections into Literacy/Language Arts curriculum

Learning Tasks #6  Learning Climates

11:45 - 12:00 

A. View the Results from Learning Climate Survey

Learning Climate Survey Results

B. Listen to Mitch Resnick speak to the topic of Assessment (3 minutes)

Learning Tasks # 7 Dine and Discuss with Ruben (Topic:  Assessment) 

12:00 - 12:45

A. Dine 

B. Discuss ideas about the role of assessment 

    1. Games and formative assessment: games and learning, revisited

    2. Games and summative assessment: ideas from a definition

    3. Games and new structures for assessment: experience, levels, and achievements

Learning Tasks #8  Challenge Building

12:45 - 3:00

A. Imagine   our future; our children; their future  while watching The Imagine IT  Video (5 min)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5mnj18-lo4

B. Review the Afternoon Challenge

C. Share what knowledge, skill, resources you bring to the table and re-arrange in groups

D. Listen to Ruben describe  the role of SAMR/TPCK in the challenge design process

    1. An integrated SAMR/TPCK Workflow, applied to games in education:

        - The game development flow

        - The "off-the-shelf" game flow

    2. Examples

    3. Traps to avoid, advantages to leverage

    4. Making it to M/R: some key tips

E. Create a draft framework using the TPACK model of a CSI Challenge that addresses (in a group)

                        1) Creativity and Innovation standard

                        2) Literacy / Language Arts standards

                        3) Content Knowledge of Literacy

                        4) New Pedagogy Knowledge of gaming and game design

                        5) New Technology Knowledge of game venues - Scratch, Inform7 and Game Star Mechanic

F. Share your group challenge with Ruben and others (on CSI website (Google Docs)

G. Reflect on the SAMR model 

H. Imagine more ways to transform learning

Learning Tasks #9 - Reflect

3:00 - 3:30

A. Listen to instruction on how to share further reflections

B. Discuss Next Steps

     - CSI Challenge Development Roles

     - Challenge Creators / Advisors & Mentors / Field Test & Participate

C. Take Exit Survey 

D. Receive Certificates of Attendance