Consolarium

January 30th, 2008

Maths Training for the DS

Derek Robertson

Comments: 5 Comments » Tags: Tags: Consolarium, Maths Training
 : Categories Nintendo, Numeracy

Move over Dr Kawashima there is a new Professor in town! Yes, Professor Kageyama is about to hit your DS screen with his Maths Training programme. Due out next week this ‘game’ is similar to Dr Kawashima in the sense that it is meant to be played for a short time each day. As the player develops their profile the game adjusts to their level and opens new games to challenge them. Have a look:

This game will most definitley merit exploration to see how if, and how best, it can be applied in the class setting. It remains to be seen if Professor Kageyama is as engaging as Dr Kawashima and whether the game play facilitates the same kind of desire to self-improve in the learner. Just a few more days until it’s released and then we can talk about how numerate we all are!!! Let us know how you get on with it if you do buy a copy. Your thoughts about its application in class are also most welcome.

January 30th, 2008

Thinking Worlds: FREE to schools

Derek Robertson

Comments: 1 Comment Tags:  : Categories games design

Caspian Learning’s 3D games design package Thinking Worlds is now FREE for schools to access and use. This is one of the applications that we introduced last year as part of our games design project. Teachers initial perceptions and a description of what the game is about can be accessed via this link.

January 30th, 2008

Exploring exergaming with Heriot Watt University

Derek Robertson

Comments: 2 Comments » Tags: Tags: exergaming
 : Categories exergaming, exertainment

Some time ago I had the pleasure of welcoming Dr Sam Fawkner and Dr Ailsa Niven to the Consolarium. They are both lecturers/researchers from Heriot Watt University and they were keen to find out more about ‘exergaming‘ software. We spent an afternoon working out on the DDR dance mat attached to the PS2 and engaging with he PS2 Eye-Toy and playing Wii Sports. As a result of our discussions it transpired that we both shared an interest in using wireless dance mats as a motivational tool and appropriate context for adolescent girls, who may be tuned off by ‘traditional PE’. Our intention to embark on a joint project was somewhat inhibited due to the cost of the resource that we aimed to use. This resource enables up to 32 class sets of industry standard dance mats to wirelessly connect to a Linux PC that logs, in real time, each player/dancer’s performance … but the cost was always out of our reach.

Today I attended a meeting at Heriot Watt University where a working group met to support and offer advice at an early stage to a PhD student Called Joan Henretty. Joan intends to explore the range of exergaming applications that are currently available (and what will be coming) in order to see how appropriate and relevant exergaming resources can impact in a positive fashion the attitudes of adolescent girls’ towards exercise. Representatives from Sportscotland, Scottish Health Promoting Schools Unit and East Lothian Active Schools were also in attendance.

The Consolarium’s remit was always to encourage, nurture and promote games based learning in Scottish schools but it also aims to forge links with industry and academic partners to explore and make sense of the practice that happens in schools. Today’s meeting proved to be very fruitful and the work that will develop through this group and via Joan’s work will no doubt help us identify how schools can resource and manage exergaming in classrooms but with an underpinning evidence base that will help inform our practice….