Consolarium

July 4th, 2011

P7-S1 A Glowing Transition with Scratch

Brian Clark

Comments: none Tags: Tags: Consolarium, Glow, Scratch, slf11, transition
 : Categories Consolarium, Glow, cross-curricular, games design

p7-S1 Transition

On the last Tuesday of the term, I was able to talk with pupils from Loriston and Kirkhill primary schools over Glow Meet about their P7-S1 transition project. Along with Charleston and Abbotswell primary schools, all primary 7 pupils studied Healthy Living as the basis of a transition project to Kincorth Academy.  This is a little taster of what went on during the project.  You will be able to find out more at SLF 2011 on Thursday 22 September, 1.15pm at this seminar.

Creating ….

Using a dedicated glow group, pupils from all schools were asked to design and upload a flyer to promote healthy living to a document store.  All pupils had access to these stores and were encouraged to look at others work and leave comments. However, flyers were not the only media that the pupils created and shared.

Learn more about this project

Using Glow

My ex Consolarium colleague, Charlie Love, spent time with all 4 primary schools, giving them all an overview and a few lessons on using Scratch to create games.  They also used the tutorials available in the Consolarium Glow Group, as well as looked at remixing projects from the Scratch website.

The pupils were incredibly motivated and challenged by the this activity and they told me in the meeting that while it was hard to do the programming, they worked through the problems as groups.  If they couldn’t find a solution, they used a forum within Glow to ask for help / get feedback from their classmates / peers in another school / a teacher.

These games were also uploaded to the Glow group for feedback from other schools.  One of the boys in Kirkhill primary school told me that the feedback he got back via glow helped him make his game more playable.  This was echoed by pupils at Loriston primary school.

All pupils found the the online community a valuable source of help and feedback, but would of liked to have Mr Love there in person more often to help out with any problems they had.  However, by not having he expert on hand, meant the the pupils did have to seek alternative help.  As well as the online Glow community, in many cases, some pupils who really got into the game design / scratch projects,  became the in-class expert that many pupils turned to for help.

You can play some of the games online at the Scratch website here, or, if you have a Glow account, visit the glow group and see all games and flyers here.

Within the group, pupils from P7 and the secondary schools were encouraged to use a forum to discuss any questions / fears they may have about coming up to the Academy as well as seek help with their Scratch Projects.

You can find out more about this transition project, its links to CfE, use of Glow and their first experience of Game Design at SLF 2011 – sign up here.

June 9th, 2011

Scratch Game Design LIVE on GlowTV

Brian Clark

Comments: none Tags: Tags: cfe, Consolarium, cpd, curriculum for excellence, gamedesign, gaming, Glow, glowtv, Scratch
 : Categories Consolarium, Curriculum for Excellence, Glow, games design

Many of the CPD opportunities Charlie Love and myself have offered over the last 18 months have been based on using Scratch to engage learners and teachers with some hands on game design activities.  Particularly in primary schools.  However, is difficult to work with ALL the schools we are invited to. Enter GlowTV….

GlowTV

At 11am on Wednesday 22nd June, we will be running an online workshop on game design with Scratch via GlowTV.  This session is an introduction to Scratch for creating games and will take you through the Scratch interface and simple programming. During the broadcast we will make a fully working game.  You will be amazed at what you can do in so little time! Ideally suited for CfE levels 2 and 3 for both staff and pupils. You can watch the broadcast and build the game along with it if you want.

Support materials for the game we will make on the day will be available via the Consolarium glow group for use during and after.  More details on this early next week.

You will also be able to ask questions during the session and we will try and answer them for you.

Get Involved!

1. Sign up for GlowTV

2. Register for the session – make sure to use the hashtag #glowtv3

3. If you want to build the game along with the broadcast, you will need Scratch installed on your computer.  Download Scratch here for free from http://scratch.mit.edu

We are looking forward to seeing you on the 22nd!  Why not check out the other forthcoming GlowTV events and even think about getting involved yourself!

November 24th, 2010

GLOWing Social

Brian Clark

Comments: 2 Comments » Tags: Tags: facebook. twitter, Glow, social media
 : Categories Glow

It’s fair to say that the vast majority of our learners are facebook-ing, twitter-ing and youtube-ing in their own time.  Many choose to share their life, thoughts, interests, likes and dislikes in this way.  Wouldn’t it be great if our learners were sharing the Glow groups with each other in their own time – because they wanted to and because they could?  Would it generate more interest in Glow groups and resources through the learners own social networks?

The Consolarium Operating Systems Competition Group have added the option for users of the group to ‘Share With Any’ social network.  So, users of the group can post a link to the competition to their facebook / twitter accounts, bookmark them with delicious or email a link to one of their peers.

Actually, they can share the link with a huge variety of social media services.  Of course, only registered Glow users can access the content.

Important Note: Ouor script at the bottom of the post includes the 2 lines

var a2a_config = a2a_config || {};
a2a_config.no_3p = 1;

These lines disable any tracking cookies.

In order to set this up, we used the Add To Any share button service.  Very easy to set up, and customizable via their online tool.  The API is also available for you to delve further into customising.

To add this option to your Glow pages(s)…

1. copy the code from the Add To Any site
2. create an XML web part on your Glow page
3. add the code to the XML part
4. insert the 2 lines of code above, before the line src=”http://static.addtoany.com/menu/page.js”
5. done!

Or, you can copy the code below and paste into an XML part for the standard share service button.

<!-- AddToAny BEGIN -->
<div>
<a href="http://www.addtoany.com/share_save">Share</a> <span></span> <a></a> <a></a> <a></a>
</div>
<script type="text/javascript"
var a2a_config = a2a_config || {};
a2a_config.no_3p = 1;
src="http://static.addtoany.com/menu/page.js"></script>
<!-- AddToAny END -->

November 16th, 2010

Happy Birthday Windows – COMPETITION!

Brian Clark

Comments: 4 Comments » Tags: Tags: Competitions, computing, Consolarium, Glow, infographic, LTS, operating systems
 : Categories Consolarium, Glow, Literacy, rich tasks, writing

On 20^th November 1985, Microsoft released Windows 1.0.

This year is the 25^th anniversary of Windows 1.0.  In the 25 years that have followed, Operating Systems have evolved. A lot.  Windows 7 mobile, Mac OS X, iOS, Android and Linux are all commonly used Operating Systems today.  And there are many more!

To celebrate this event, we are running a competition for you to create an InfoGraphic about operating systems.  The winning InfoGraphic will turned into a poster and sent to all schools who take part.

Competition Details

Can you create an Infographic to chart the development of Operating Systems over the last 25 years? Here are some ideas….

• You could look at the features that have evolved over this time for a particular operating system
  
• Look at the range of operating systems currently available
• Compare features of 3 common operating systems
• The difference between operating systems for desktop computers and portable devices
• Show how the user interface operating systems have evolved over time, from text based to touch
• Perhaps you are studying computing and want to illustrate your knowledge of Operating Systems
• Or something else that you feel is appropriate
• All entries should be done through the Glow Group

Hold on, what’s an InfoGraphic?

An InfoGraphic is representations of information, data or knowledge. These graphics are used where complex information needs to be explained quickly and clearly.  Information is conveyed by graphic elements, including charts, graphs, text, dates and images.

Some examples of infographics are shown here …

Reasons To Get Involved

• Creative commons image searching
• Image file format
• Investigate graphics applications
• Presentation style – contrasting colours, use of font etc
• Curricular links to SG, Int 2 and Higher Computing in timely context
• Opportunity for collaboration

Important Information!

Closing Date has been extended to 17th January 2011

• Winners will be announced early in the new year
• Teachers must register their school on the Glow Page
• Pupils are responsible for uploading their finished InfoGraphic to the entries page in an appropriate format
• Glow Group Short Link – http://glo.li/oscomp

November 6th, 2010

Consolarium Toolbars and Glow URL Shortening Service

charlielove

Comments: 1 Comment Tags: Tags: Firefox, Glo.li, Glow, Internet Explorer, Toolbars
 : Categories Consolarium, Glow

At the Consolarium, we often consider how to use new technologies to help learners and teachers.  We had an innovative idea to create toolbars to help users access content in Glow and elsewhere on the web such as the Consolarium YouTube Channel, LTScotland Online service etc.  The idea expanded, as you can see from the list below, and we’ve created the first release of the toolbars, which you can download  for Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox web browsers.  Our toolbar provides you with the following options:

• Search Glow from the toolbar
• Shorten long web links using the integrated Glo.li service
• Access Consolarium, Glow and LTScotland online content
• Remember your Glow username and password for quick login (Internet Explorer Only)

The Mozilla Firefox version can be installed from the web installer at http://www.glo.li/consolarium/toolbar/firefox/install.html

The Internet Explorer version can also be installed from the web at http://www.glo.li/Consolarium_webinstall/install.html.

If you would like to download an installer program, an optional dual installer for both toolbars is available at http://www.glo.li/consolarium/toolbar/ie/Consolarium.zip for Windows operating systems (XP and above).

The Consolarium Team has also created a URL shortening service, similar to bit.ly, tinyurl and others, to shorten all those long urls for Glow services.  Using Glo.li you can shorten a long url such as https://portal.glowscotland.org.uk/establishments/nationalsite/Consolarium/default.aspx to http://glo.li/baErCw.

The Glo.li service is available as an integrated part of the Consolarium Toolbar, just click on the glo.li button and a short url for the current web page will appear in the toolbar.  You can then highlight and copy it.  You don’t have to install the toolbar to use glo.li, you can shorten long urls online at http://www.glo.li and you can also download this Web part for Glow which will automatically generate a short url for any Glow page it is imported into.

And if that wasn’t enough, if you have your own WordPress blog you can add the glo.li service to your blog to generate short urls to your posts.  Download glo.li for WordPress here.

October 20th, 2010

Unity 3 Game Development

charlielove

Comments: none Tags: Tags: Android, cfe, cross-curricular, game design, games design, Glow, iOS, Unity
 : Categories Consolarium, Glow, Nintendo, cross-curricular, games design

Unity 3 is a cross platform development environment (PC or Mac) which provides users with a set of tools to create games for PC, Mac, Wii, iOS devices (such as iPodTouch, iPhone and iPad) and Google’s Android Mobile operating system.  It’s a jack of all trades system and the core software is free for all to download and use.  This video shows just a few of the games that have already been created with Unity.

We’ve been spending some time at the Consolarium looking at Unity 3 and we’ve been very impressed with what is possible with the software.  The level of support available online from the Unity site and from the developer community (including the great game tutorial videos at 3DBuzz) is excellent and this wealth of quality resources can really support learners as they take their first steps with this software.

Our plans to support game design in the senior phase require quality tools which provide learners with opportunities to produce games similar to the ones they play.  Also, game design in the senior phase must build on the CfE experiences and outcomes and our work on game design at level 2/3 with Scratch and Kodu. Given the recent developments in game design qualifications, it is important that we look for and develop resources which support learners undertaking these new courses.  Unity provides a versatile platform which can help us achieve all of these things.

With practicalities in mind, Unity will run on a variety of computer systems including those which are getting a bit old.  It requires Windows XP Service Pack 2 OR Mac OS “Leopard” 10.5 as a minimum spec and a graphics card with a minimum of 64MBs (which should cover any graphics card made in the last  6/7 years).  Other demands on your computer system just depend on how complex your game project becomes.

One of the really great features that we hope to make use of is Unity 3′s ability to create browser based games which play from the web.  Have a look at blurst.com to see some of the great web based games created with Unity.  Jetpack Brontosaurus is my personal favourite.

Moving forward our plan is to make the best of these resources available in the Consolarium Game Design Glow Group and to develop further resources and support for schools which adopt Unity as a development platform.  Already in our Glow group are resources for Scratch, Kodu, Blender and Microsoft XNA Game Development.  There are also a number of background resources which deal with the game development process and were filmed at the Denki Studio in Dundee.

February 24th, 2010

Consolarium Podcast 5: Samba de Amigo inspired learning

Derek Robertson

Comments: 9 Comments » Tags: Tags: Aberdeenshire, Consolarium, crazy talk, game based learning, games based learning, GBL, Glow, Nintendo
 : Categories Aberdeenshire, Added Value, Glow, Literacy, Nintendo, game based learning, podcast, writing

The latest edition of the Consolarium podcast is now available. You can subscribe to the podcast from itunes via this link or listen to it via the embedded player.

Super samba inspired learning in schools!

This edition of the Consolarium podcast is solely dedicated to a project that came to an end just before Christmas 2009. Meldrum PS and Slains PS in Aberdeesnhire had been working with the game Samba de Amigo for the Nintendo Wii. When this game first came out the team at the Consolarium thought that this would have great potential in schools and so it was duly purchased. Here’s what it looks like:

OK, I think that after that clip you may be asking, “How on earth can a game that requires the player to shake out samba rhythms help children learn?” Well it most certainly has. What has been going on?

Samba de Amigo inspires ‘relevant and engaging learning’

The methodology that the Consolarium invariably employs in our approach to game based learning involves the computer game being used as the central ‘contextual hub’ about which learning can be situated. We have used this approach with many of our previous projects and it has proved to be a successful methodology. The teachers involved in this project worked together to create a collaborative story that focused on a rags to riches tale about a favela dwelling samba musician who made it to the big time. Accompanying this came the story of a plane, that was carrying the newly created Samba music superstar, crashing in the Amazon jungle and the associated learning about that. Here is some of the children’s work. Here is a news report of that event:

Some people may still be of the opinion that the idea of game based learning is something that does not sit with what school should be about but we would argue that game based learning, if used appropriately, can excite, challenge and create relevant and appealing contexts for learners. Just look at how writing has been developed here”

• The children created their own samba stars and wrote a biographies about them. Have a read of one these: The life of Angelo de Rimosto (biography)
• The children were inspired to carry out research about the Amazon Rainforest as a result of the “plane crash’ scenario and other ways in which the teachers had created the settings in which intrinsic motivation to explore the topic. Have a read of this piece of writing: The Amazon Rainforest
• The children from both schools used Glow to begin to explore how they could work together on story start project. Here is the beginnings of their efforts: Trible Troubles Chapters 1, 2 and 3 If you would like to find out more about how Glow was used then join their Samba de Amigo Glow group.
• The children also used Crazy Talk to great effect to bring their writing to life. Here we see how writing about an imaginary Amazonian rainforest creature can be enhanced by this simple piece of technology:

If you take the time to listen to the podcast about the Samba de Amigo project then you’ll here us talking to a pupil about his experience. If we could have written a script for a pupil to read out about the benefits of game based learning then what he said (without coaching or prompting we may add) would have been what we would have said. He talks about his learning connecting up, about it being exciting and active and how he will rmember this project. Great stuff from him. Here is a brief clip of some boys  actively involved in the project and warming up for their Samba music creation lesson.

Hopefully the podcast and this brief blogpost will give you a flavour of just how good this GBL project was. A fuller account of what was done and how this GBL context impacted on learning will be released in the near future. In the meantime can we just say thanks to all at Meldrum PS and Slains PS for working with us on this project.

February 17th, 2010

Onwards and upwards

bmclaren

Comments: none Tags: Tags: glasgow, Glow, Highland, mangahigh
 : Categories Consolarium, Consolarium visits, Dundee City, Glow

Quite a lot of big projects going on at the moment, so a lot to juggle and loads of very interesting, positive findings coming out of the work being undertaken.  Our MangaHigh pilot will be coming to end within the next few weeks. We will then have some data to examine and measure the impact of it’s use across a number of secondary schools in Glasgow and Edinburgh.  Should be really interesting.  Great to see Cleveden, Lochend, Knightswood and Jordanhill in the top ten scorers for this round and well done to Jordanhill, Lourdes and Cleveden who are also in the all time top ten league.

I am heading back up to Highland to visit schools in Castletown, Dornoch and Alvie who along with Dingwall Primary have been undertaking GBL topics using a range of games as part of the Highland Literacy Project.  Initial reports are very positive and I am very much looking forward to getting reacquainted with the children and schools over the next week or two.  Hear some of the initial thoughts from Dingwall and Alvie below

Dingwall Nintendogs

Alvie Primary African Safari

This week will also see me delivering to a range of Dundee City teachers at a CPD event run by Louise Henderson and the team from Dundee City (check the Glow Group for links to the work they have been undertaking) and then Brian Clark and Myself are heading to Dundee University to show a range of students the kinds of experiences GBL can offer.

As an aside I have also undertaken my Glow mentor training so hopefully the Consolarium Glow Group will continue to improve.  Why don’t you check it out and get yourself involved in some of the conversations or start one of your own.

January 19th, 2010

Get Involved!

bmclaren

Comments: 1 Comment Tags: Tags: community, Glow, involvement
 : Categories Added Value, Clackmannanshire, Consolarium, Glow, South Lanarkshire

A  busy time over the last week or so since my last post.  As Ollie mentioned in a previous post I have been toiling away updating our Consolarium Glow Group.  In the past this group hasn’t been as successful as we had hoped and it was beginning to get a bit tired looking.  I have tried to restructure the way the group works so that you can more easily navigate your way around and find interesting and useful resources.  It is still very much a work in progress and you should see it develop over the coming weeks and months particularly with the addition of the Games Design section which will be forming a large part of the work of the Consolarium in 2010.  (I am sure that you are going to hear some very interesting things from Brian Clark in the not too distant future about this…)

In order for the Glow Group to be as successful as possible though we really need community involvement.  There is so much good practice going on in schools all over Scotland that should be shared and celebrated and Glow will provide an ideal vehicle for this.  Join in the discussions, add your own paperwork and weblinks and encourage others to do the same.  Let us know what you think about the group, about GBL in general and perhaps some topics you would like to see covered in a Glowmeet.

Other things on the go this week include a visit to Lourdes Secondary to see them using MangaHigh and hearing what staff and pupils think of it and if you follow me on Twitter (@BrianMcL) you will know that I was in Park Primary in Alloa watching some wonderful children drum their African rhythms with an energy and enthusiasm that would have made a Masai warrior proud.  I’ll be heading off to Fairview school in Perth and Loch and Calderwood Primaries in South Lanarkshire to discuss the use of GBL as well as a million other things including the next humiliation of the Wii fit weight loss challenge (I am away now to start looking out my lightest clothes to wear for the next weigh in!)

December 8th, 2009

Living on an Island.

bmclaren

Comments: 3 Comments » Tags: Tags: Burravoe, Consolarium, games based learning, Glow, Shetland, Wii, Wild Earth African Safari
 : Categories Added Value, Consolarium visits, Games we have, Glow, Literacy, Nintendo, game based learning, writing

“No man is an island”

John Donne espoused that we are all connected and I think that we are all the better for it.  Having connections whether familial, social or professional enriches all that we do and extends, supports and challenges us.

I have been thinking recently about the way my learning has changed now that I am no longer in a school setting and how much I relied on the people in my school staff to bounce ideas off, to rant to, to use the experience of and to laugh with.  Now that I no longer have a physical staffroom to use I have found myself using the skills and knowledge of a different set of people in a very different way.  I have a virtual staffroom, open 24hrs a day containing a set of people from all over the world, with a huge array of skills and experience which I can tap into, and who generously share their learning.  I use Twitter.  There, I’ve said it and it doesn’t make me a bad person!

One of the first people I was in contact with in my very early days of twitter was Caroline Breyley, the headteacher of Burravoe Primary School on the Island of Yell, the second largest of the Shetland Isles. 

 She and her class were considering the use of Wild Earth: African Safari for the Wii and wondered if it would be a worthwhile context for learning.  Through the work they have shared with me it is clear that they have been involved in a very engaging, motivating and successful piece of learning.   I had the great privilege of meeting the children online at the tail end of last week.  We set up a Glowmeet and through the use of this technology children over 400 miles away, including at least one flight and a ferry, could share the fantastic work they had done with me in real time and get immediate feedback.  Go and visit the Burravoe Primary School blog, read about life in their school and read the “Brilliant Story” by Charlotte in  p3.

Through the use of technology available to those in Scottish Education our children have access to an immediate national audience for their work, Glow groups, glow meet, CANVAS and a host of blogs allow our children the opportunity to share their work and receive feedback .  We should all be sharing our practice and seeking feedback on the work we do and providing constructive feedback on the work of others. We cannot afford to be islands.