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Consolarium

Rich Tasks with Guitar Hero in Aberdeenshire

Derek RobertsonSeptember 20th, 2007

Forget the Rolling Stones, who needs Radiohead and as for Metallica…get out of here, because you’ve got to get ready for the new rock gods of the 21st Century: Full Moon. They are just about to release their new CD called Pure Black Magic and a European Tour is about to begin! Get your tickets as soon as you can because this outfit are the real deal…

…well really they’re not. Full Moon are a virtual band created by the children of P.7 in Oldmeldrum PS in Aberdeenshire. The band members are Tasha Hooch, Charlie Andrews, Lavender Dorset, Scrambled Egg Sam and Carmen Jackal. These characters came to life through a fantastic projeAnna Rossvollct that happened in a P.7 class in Oldmeldrum PS.

This project arose as a result of Aberdeenshire Council’s engagement with the Consolarium. It involved the use of a game for the Sony PS2 (and Xbox 360) called Guitar Hero II. This game allows you to engage with the world of rock and roll by using a plastic guitar that lets you pretend to be a rock star performing on stage! You’ve got to see, and play, this in order to appreciate what a tremendous game it is.

However, the fact that this is a great game is neither here nor there if it can’t be applied in teaching and learning contexts. Well, Kim Applin (the P.7 teacher), saw potential in this as a cross-curricular tool and she came up with an array of rich tasks that really exemplify how a Curriculum for Excellence can occur in the classroom. A detailed case study of the project can be found via this link so have a look to find out more about what happened.

The reason for this post is to commend the presentation about this project at the Scottish Learning Festival ‘07. Anna Rossvoll (or should that be Anna ‘Rocks’voll by the look of this picture) delivered an inspiring and innovative presentation that beautifully captured the essence of what the teacher called an unbelievably high quality learning experience for the children. This is a presentation that needs to be shared with a wider and larger audience.

She actually brought the PS2 and the Guitar Hero game so that two willing players could have a go in the session. Now, I love this game and have become quite good at rattling up the combos and hitting the high scores but I have an understudy who is fast becoming my main rival for the crown of best guitar hero player in Scottish Education…Margaret Cassidy from Stirling Council.

Guitar Hero at SLFWe had a go at the game and lo and behold, when we paused it , in order not to take up too much of Anna’s time, it just so happened that I was in the lead. better luck next time Margaret! The delegates were on their feet as they were so enthralled in the musical masterclass that they were witnessing but sadly, we had to call it a day. However, we are available for birthdays, retirements and bar mitzvahs.;-)

To finish, what a session this was! Bursting with life, energy, innovation and fun. It goes to show what can be done when teachers are given the opportunity to develop and lead learning contexts that they believe will work with their class. Very well done to pupils, teachers and ICT staff involved in making this happen.

Categories: Scotlearnfest07, Sony PS2, cross-curricular, rich tasks

8 Responses to “Rich Tasks with Guitar Hero in Aberdeenshire”

  1. Mr O. September 20th, 2007 at 6:04 pm
    This seminar was fantastic, awesome, inspiring… but also really challenging, as there is no reason why we couldn’t be doing that!

    So much really good stuff to take away and chew over…

    and, Derek, you would have lost if you kept playing longer…

    Rock On.
    Rich

  2. Derek September 20th, 2007 at 8:19 pm
    Thank you. Couldn’t agree more, except with your view of the guitar hero battle! ;-)

  3. Anna September 21st, 2007 at 1:58 pm
    ‘Rocksvoll’ here! Thank you Derek – not:) I’m looking forward to hearing about how this concept develops across Scotland. Kim and I are working on a bank of ideas which colleagues could dip into. Presentation and documentation in the post for you. Why is the Consolarium found inside ICT in Education? I think this is giving the wrong message. My understanding was that this initiative was about enabling rich learning experiences which are underpinned by new technologies. We need to embed ICT, where appropriate, to enrich, support and motivate learning. HIGIOS3. I feel this is the wrong place because this is not an ICT initiative, this is all about quality learning and teaching. The evidence is clear.

  4. Margaret September 21st, 2007 at 8:36 pm
    I feel I have to add a comment. I totally agree with Mr O – Derek would have lost the challenge had it continued further. I also partly agree with Anna. We have used Crazy Talk within the context of a rich task, Nintendos to develop mental ability and are currently using play stations and Wiis in an enterprise project in a school. The Consolarium should stand on its own with links to the ICT in Education site.
    We should look at this and be pleased that it could fit into many areas.

  5. Peter Eavers September 24th, 2007 at 3:47 pm
    I just wanted to add my own words of praise for the seminar at the Scottish Learning Festival. It was inspiring and a perfect example of a rich task – well planned yet flexible, extensive yet manageable, structured yet with a whole variety of opportunites for personalisation and choice.
    Above all, it was an excellent example of using games technology to motivate and inspire pupils, making learning FUN.
    The best learning often takes place when we don’t even realise it’s happening and some of the comments from the pupils about their learning are priceless.
    Very well done to everyone involved and thanks for sharing your work with us.

  6. Tim Rylands' Blog - to baldly go....... » Aberdeenshire ICT Conference April 19th, 2008 at 3:53 pm
    [...] you to the remarkably energetic and irrepressible Anna Rossvoll, and her colleagues, for a superb [...]

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  8. Sarah + Loren October 8th, 2008 at 11:16 pm
    Heyah =] I was surfin the net when i came across this :D I remember doing this at school it was really fun… Me and my friend Chesca made up Tasha Hooch lol, Remember i took in my flying V You complained at how much it was cracked heehee im kinda carless somtimes :D 2 years ago it was lol
    Speak soonish Love Loren + Sarah x

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