October 19th, 2010

EA Create: New Game, New Opportunities?

Brian Clark

Comments: none Tags: Tags: cfe, Consolarium, cross platform, ea, ea create, educational games, game based learning, game design, mac, pc, pic, ps3, Wii, xbox
 : Categories Added Value, Consolarium, Multi-player games, cross-curricular, game based learning, games design, writing

At the Consolarium, we are always eager to look for new games to add to our Game Based Learning projects. In mid November 2010, Electronic Arts will release EA Create.

Create Game Info

In Create, use your creativity and imagination to unlock a world of play!

Create tracks your creativity and rewards you for it. The more you create, the more you unlock rewards and exciting challenges to play, opening a world of fun as you go.

Let your imagination run wild, as you create cool environments with easy-to-use tools, including animating objects, textures, and designs that bring your scene to life!

It’s a limitless experience of creative expression paired with exciting and even wacky challenges that have you thinking on your feet to come up with creative solutions.

EA Create seems to have more than a couple of similarities to Little Big Planet for the PS3, but with one big difference - Create will be available for Wii, Xbox, PS3, Mac and PC. With an internet connection, users on any platform will be able to upload their creations and download any other creation and remix it - regardless of what platform they are using, with the exception of the Wii.

This particular game seems to offer a number of opportunities for Game Based Learning projects and indeed may be a great tool to close the gap between game players, game based learners and game creators. A few reasons we are hopeful for this particular game include:

1. The terminolgy used in the game is the same terminolgy used in a number of game design tools - eg brushes, textures etc.
2. The cross platform sharing option.
3. A tool to create environments to stimulate writing.
4. Use to inspire creativity and invention, particularly within science and design and technology. Like Little Big Planet, you can pretty much make anything you want and it wil act like real life objects do. Let me expand on this a little….

I was thinking that schools could use this game to engage with probelm solving and creativity. Then, set groups of pupils a challange to build a crazy contrapation like a Rube Goldberg machine, just like they can do in create - solve a simple problem by creating a complex solution. Have a look at OK Go’s video for their song ‘This To Shall Pass’ to see such a machine in operation.

A project like this could be a great way to build teamwork, cooperation, environment/recycling, not to mention inter disciplinary links. Look out for an update in the new year once we’ve had a chance to get creating ourselves!

May 27th, 2010

EyePet as CfE

bmclaren

Comments: 2 Comments » Tags: Tags: andrea reid, cathkin, cfe, eyepet, hmie, liz mercer, nursery, South Lanarkshire
 : Categories Added Value, Consolarium, Consolarium visits, Games we have, Literacy, Multi-player games, Numeracy, Parents, South Lanarkshire, cross-curricular, game based learning, rich tasks

For a number of months I have been doing some work in and around South Lanarkshire authority, first of all with Aubrey Taylor from the Advisory Service running staff development and latterly with the support of Andrea Reid QIO in a number of primary and nursery schools. It’s really great seeing so many forward thinking folks in education in such close proximity to each other. A good number of schools are running their own GBL topics with and really staring to get great results from their work.

Cathkin Community Nursery

In particular I enjoyed visiting Cathkin Community Nursery which , with the support of Andrea Reid, has been undertaking a topic on pets which has included input from a special pet called “Eyepet” which comes as software on the PS3. Check the video below for a wee flavour of the kinds of things he can do..

The steps shown in the video are only a small part of how the nursery went about planning and implementing a project with Eyepet, but a case study exemplification will be produced and shared over the next couple of months.

I had never seen a GBL topic wholly undertaken in the nursery setting so I was intrigued to find out how they had gone about it. Liz Mercer the Head of Nursery was delighted with the way the project worked and how well it involved the children and their families.

“We are thoroughly enjoying our eyepets. They are part of our family now and the children have taken to them so well. Each group had adopted an eyepet, where they nurture and care for him/her. Some children have also created their own eyepet using a variety of materials. They are fab and on display in the room where eyepet lives and breathes.”

Open Doors Event

Cathkin Community Nursery then took the expertise they had gained from running Eyepet as part of their project and held an open doors event where the Early Years workers shared their experience of using Eyepet and how it tied to the curriculum with colleagues from South Lanarkshire. There were also a number of other brilliant presentations on involving parents and involving children in the planning process and digital learning books. The evaluations from this event were wholly positive and it was great to see CPD opportunities like this being provided by practitioners for practitioners. Liz and the team are real advocates of CfE, and you can see from the slideshow below how that looks in practice when undertaking the Eyepet project.

HMIE

You may also be interested in reading the thoughts of HMIE about this nursery. Their report was published today and all areas of their work were graded as Excellent and HMIE thought their work with Eyepet was wonderful.

“Staff provide a very well-balanced curriculum firmly based on play, active learning and enjoyment. High quality staff interaction, a stimulating environment and very well planned use of resources support children’s progress most effectively”

We currently have a number of Eyepets out on loan across Scotland at the moment, some as transition projects and some as literacy focus work and the pictures below are of some of the reactions of children watching their Eyepet hatch and some of the work that has come out of looking after their Eyepet.

Home School Partnership

As a follow on to that I attended a couple of parent workshops run by Colin Venters from South Lanarkshire’s Home School Partnership, encouraging parents to see the potential of their child’s use of gaming consoles as a positive chance for meaningful interaction between themselves and their child. Hear below what Colin and some of the parents who visited had to say about these sessions.

April 26th, 2010

Mario Kart Leaderboards

bmclaren

Comments: 1 Comment Tags:  : Categories Added Value, Consolarium, Games we have, Multi-player games, Nintendo, SLF10, cross-curricular, game based learning

Dum! dumdumdum! dumdum!

dumdumdumdum!

<cue Murray Walker voice>

………….and there goes Mario!

………………and there goes Luigi!

F1 season is well underway and all over Scotland schools are taking up the SLF10 Mario Challenge.

Would you like to race head to head, in front of a live audience and win the title of

SLF10 MarioKarter Champion ?

This year at SLF10 there will be a Mario Kart Grand Prix for Primary and Secondary pupils. In order to qualify you must be in the top 4 verified time trial times.

Teachers must submit a photo of a pupil’s verified Time Trial time. These times will be logged on a leader board held on the Consolarium Glow Group and blog so you can track your position against the whole of Scotland.

At the moment these leaderboards are empty (apart from my rubbish time!) - submit your time now!

The four fastest primary pupils and four fastest secondary pupils will be invited, with school representatives, to compete in a live race final at SLF10. In order to submit a qualifying time you must run your time trial according to the criteria below.

A picture of the complete time trial showing character, kart and time should be forwarded to[email protected]

The four fastest pupils from each sector will then race head to head in the

50cc Mushroom Cup Grand Prix

in front of a live audience at SLF10.

The driver with the most amount of points at the end of the Grand Prix will be the winner and crowned Mario Kart Champion SLF10 and win a Wii and copy of Mario Kart for their school.

Check out the glow group where schools involved will be posting plans, pictures and joining discussions about the game and the work they are undertaking within their class using Mario Kart as a contextual hub or as a subject specific theme.

The closing date for verified Time Trial times is September 3^rd 2010. Qualifiers will be contacted after this date

February 21st, 2010

SLF10 MarioKart Challenge

bmclaren

Comments: none Tags: Tags: cross-curricular, Mario Kart, mathematics, SLF10
 : Categories Added Value, Consolarium, Games we have, Glow, Multi-player games, SLF10, cross-curricular, game based learning

Mario Kart Competition @ SLF10

Calling all Jenson Button and Lewis Hamiltons of the future.

Would you like to race head to head, in front of a live audience and win the title of

SLF10 MarioKarter Champion ?

This year at SLF10 there will be a Mario Kart Grand Prix for Primary and Secondary pupils. In order to qualify you must be in the top 4 verified time trial times.

Teachers must submit a photo of a pupil’s verified Time Trial time. These times will be logged on a leader board held on the Consolarium Glow Group and blog so you can track your position against the whole of Scotland. The four fastest primary pupils and four fastest secondary pupils will be invited, with school representatives, to compete in a live race final at SLF10. In order to submit a qualifying time you must run your time trial according to the criteria below.

A picture of the complete time trial showing character, kart and time should be forwarded to [email protected]

The four fastest pupils from each sector will then race head to head in the

50cc Mushroom Cup Grand Prix

in front of a live audience at SLF10.

The driver with the most amount of points at the end of the Grand Prix will be the winner and crowned Mario Kart Champion SLF10 and win a Wii and copy of Mario Kart for their school.

The closing date for verified Time Trial times is September 3^rd 2010. Qualifiers will be contacted after this date.

Have you thought about using MarioKart in your class as a contextual hub or topic? Check out the Consolarium Glow Group for ideas on how you might do this. You might also want to think about how you might use MarioKart in subject specific lessons also. Share your thoughts on the Discussion Board at the Wii, Mario Kart section of the Consolarium Glow Group.

We also have a small number of MarioKart kits (console, software and controllers) available on loan until SLF10. If you are interested in receiving one on loan send us a summary of how you would use it and what you feel the impact would be upon your pupils. Our team will get together and examine all bids and decide upon the lucky applicants. Please send bids to [email protected] and ensure all bids are with us by Monday March 8th.

September 22nd, 2009

Three Weeks in!

bmclaren

Comments: 1 Comment Tags: Tags: Consolarium, games based learning, Sony, Wii
 : Categories Consolarium, Games we have, Multi-player games, Nintendo

New to the post!

A quick introduction; I am Brian McLaren and I am the new Consolarium Development Officer. Three weeks into the job and my head is beginning to stop spinning. I am amazed by the energy and application of everyone I have met so far and I am really looking forward to supporting and sharing the good practice going on in schools.

I am currently looking into the potential of a number of games for classroom use including “Little Big Planet” for PS3, “Wild Earth African Safari” and “SimAnimals” for Wii.

If you have any experience of using these games in your class or are keen to do so please feel free to contact me. I am also keen to hear of your experiences using Games Based Learning in your class and would love to see some pics of your success.

My email is [email protected]

November 23rd, 2007

ICET 2007: World of Warcraft demo

Derek Robertson

Comments: 4 Comments » Tags: Tags: , ICET2007, WoW
 : Categories Conferences, Multi-player games

One of the anticipated highlights of the conference was the presentation by Professor Angeline Khoo from NIE in Singapore. Her presentation was called Active Learning through Gaming. It seems that Professor Khoo is a World of Warcraft (WoW) player and the session was advertised as follows:

Looking back to the 24th of July, 2007, World of Warcraft, the award winning massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) made by Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. has officially surpassed the 9 million subscribers mark. What makes the game successful and how has it become a defining icon of online gaming entertainment? Why have 9 million people around the world given their time to it?

In the Gaming Demonstration at ICET 2007, we will “walk” through a gaming scene from World of Warcraft. There, players will form a team to fight an enemy (termed as the BOSS). Team members will learn how to plan, coordinate, and strategize in order to prepare themselves to attack and defeat the BOSS.

Players are constantly tested as the game progresses with new abilities and challenges. To look at it from another angle, the player has to gain the ability to learn, adapt, and implement his skills in the world to ensure the continued survival of its gaming character. The result: better learning rates, as well as higher levels of logical thinking, and coordination.

Come join us for the full insight on how gaming, and in particular World of Warcraft, can play a significant role in shaping the future of learning in gaming.

I must confess that I have yet to delve into and invest the necessary time required to make progress with WoW so I was interested to see what they were doing with this game in relation to its application in teaching and learning. Professor Khoo talked about how she has become hooked on this game and how important her avatar is to her. She has invested a lot of time in its creation and evolution and it has helped her make friends in her Guild, friends who come from all over the world. She demonstrated it in action in relation to how one would interact with another player. The text message system worked perfectly although the voice communication did not work.

Then Profesor Khoo invited a group of adults who were teachers and ICT professional on to the stage so that a live raid could take place in the game. Unfortunately there were some technical problems so the ‘raid’ was 10 mins late in starting! When it did start it was good to see how the team worked together in order to co-ordinate attacks on enemy monsters.

The question and answer session was interesting and points raised included:

• issues about connectivity with such games via school network
• how does current curriculum architecture facilitate the time required to make meaningful progress within the game?
  
• what are people learning when they play this game?
• is it appropriate to collaborate to kill in a game, and do to this in school?
• how do you balance your life when this game demands a lot of time?
• how can we make explicit the learning that implicitly happens within the game?

I wasn’t wholly convinced that this presentation would make me want to use this in my classroom although it does make me consider how such games could be used to help develop leadership skills and team dynamics. No doubt you have other ideas so I’d love to hear from anyone else that is using WoW in their practice.