And the project went out with a bang….. May 26, 2008
Posted by Miss Collins in : Class work, Games-Based Learning Links, Images , 1 comment so farToday everyone worked really hard to finish stories and props and get the class ready for our presentation in the afternoon.
The pressure was on to get drafts finished, typed and blogged, and I am pleased that so many managed to do it. Please do keep checking the Our Worlds page as more will be added each day. And yes, they are actually there to read again now!
Everyone had one last chance to edit their game, and Kieron very kindly arrived in the morning to offer assistance.
Over lunchtime Callum and Steffani helped to transform our classroom into the World Builder Presentation room.
Judy arrived and helped us to set up a bank of computers at the front where parents and other guests could be shown our fab games. All the desks were moved and the chairs laid out in rows. Morgan, Hannah and Mairead came up with the genius idea of running a Rune Translation competition and so set to work preparing that and getting it all photocopied. Mairead also put together a slideshow about the work we had done on Runes, and Rory’s name plate was a prefect example to have on show. We also set up a laptop where visitors could use the website to find out their hobbit and elf names! We barely had time to eat!
At 1:45 the parents arrived, and the room began to fill up. We were delighted that so many parents went out of their way and took time off of work especially to come along! Mrs McCall, Mrs Clark and Mr Wood also made a special effort to attend. 
After a bit of an introduction from Judy and myself, it was time for everyone to read their stories. Some people were very shy to begin with, but we ended up hearing about 10! Well done brave people!
We took a break after about 5 or 6 of them, and then we demonstrated our games to our visitors by Group. Having the competition and other activities running at the same time here worked really well -thank you girls! It looks like we really tested those parents!
Everyone was very impressed, (and some a little mystified) by our computer games. We were able to show some games on the interactive whiteboard which made them easier to see.
Back in our seats, the announcement was made: Mrs Clark won our competition!
After some more excellent story reading, every member of the class was presented with a certificate from the Adventure Author team for a job very well done!
The World Builder Presentation May 23, 2008
Posted by Miss Collins in : Class work, Games-Based Learning Links , 1 comment so farThe games are made.
The tales are written and the props made (well, nearly).
The invitations to parents have gone out.
The World Builder Project will have to come to an end next week, and to celebrate the huge achievements made we will be presenting our work on Monday 26th May after lunch. All parents and families are invited to join us and the Adventure Author team will make once last visit especially for it.
Today more people finished props and got their stories typed up and there are some more on the ‘Our Worlds’ page for our visitors to enjoy. I think they are just brilliant!
We will take lots of photos on Monday and get a slideshow of the big event on here.
Play Testing Day May 19, 2008
Posted by Miss Collins in : Games-Based Learning Links, Images , 13commentsToday the Adventure Author team took us through another exclusive piece of software: the evaluation forms. This has been designed within the toolset for designers to have their game tested, evaluated and rated by a friend. We had to change our groups around a bit today, and that was actually really good because in many cases the games were assessed by someone who hadn’t seen any of the development stages at all, and so the game and quest was 100% new to them.
The evaluation forms have sections for the tester to comment on the game’s area, storyline and playability. After this the designer has an opportunity to agree or disagree with what the tester has said.
Once again, everyone in the class was a shining example for Campie and approached this task with a very mature and thoughtful attitude. The Adventure Author team were delighted with how constructive the evaluations were and how positively everyone responded to ways they could improve their game.
When we have more time we will add some examples of the comments and targets that everyone set for themselves. In the meantime, here are some photos of the testing in action:
Testing, testing…. May 19, 2008
Posted by Miss Collins in : Evaluation, Games-Based Learning Links , 3commentsThe moment of truth! The Adventure Author team are with us today and we will be testing each other’s games. The Play Testing will involve evaluating what the terrain is like, the storyline/quest and how enjoyable the game is to play.
All things going well server-wise, we will be posting some comments and new targets for improvements here later today.
Great Groups and Amazing Artwork May 18, 2008
Posted by Miss Collins in : Class work, Games-Based Learning Links, Images, Uncategorized , 5commentsWhat a busy week! So busy I didn’t get a chance to add to this until the weekend!
On Wednesday each group had a short slot of time on the laptops to try and get their game ready for our Play Testing session on Monday 19th. What has been really good to see since we started this project is just how well everyone supports each other and helps those having difficulties. Because we have to work in rotating groups and we try to do so much each day, it is almost impossible for me to spend time with the group on the laptops, so the fact that you have all been helping each other has been vital. Thank you everyone!
As well as working on the game, everyone has been making a start to their World Builder story, and has been working on their prop design. There are some very detailed drawings, especially for sword hilts.
On Friday we had an hour to start actually making the props. It was total mayhem, but already many of the swords, plaques and shields have been created from an assortment of tubes, boxes, food containers and fabrics. Thank you to Mr Thompson the Janitor for helping people spray-paint outside when he was already very busy!
A Very Helpful Visitor May 13, 2008
Posted by Miss Collins in : Games-Based Learning Links , 3commentsFor the past two days we have had a very special visitor, who traveled a very long way to see us!
Katy first visited the school with the Adventure Author team back in April when we first got our hands on the laptops and were shown what Neverwinter Nights 2 was all about. This week Katy came back to see how we were progressing and to get some feedback on how the tool-set can be adapted in the future.
Of course, that is what she thought she was coming to do, but in fact she also spent a lot of time working with the groups on the laptops, helping them to develop their conversations and conditions.
Thank you Katy!
We are Target Setters! May 12, 2008
Posted by Miss Collins in : Games-Based Learning Links , 3commentsToday we did a quick recap of what we want to achieve with our World Builder Project. This covered 1) Creating a game, 2) Developing a story and 3) Preparing a presentation:
As you can see we also hope to podcast our stories so we can share our great work on this blog.
Although we haven’t set a date for the presentations, we will be testing and evaluating each others’ games on Monday next week. Because there are just SO many things happening at the moment, that does not leave us much time, so today we set ourselves targets for what we wanted to achieve in the 40 minute game design slots:
A Quiet Week in the World Builder Project May 9, 2008
Posted by Miss Collins in : Class work, Games-Based Learning Links , 1 comment so farAs we were only in Wednesday - Friday and have so many other exciting things like PE, and Art glass design project and Music, we didn’t have nearly enough time for World Building!
However, on Wednesday afternoon each group had 25 minutes to work on their terrain and conversations. Some have forgotten how to go about writing conditions, so we will go over that again together on Monday next week. The tricky part is that you have to start at the end, so you need to plan your dialogue first.
Also on Wednesday we continued reading and completing Literature Circle activities on our Fantasy novels. I’d love to see some mini-reviews on here soon.
For those who had read up to their target chapter and finished their activity, there was also a little time to start work on our props for the game/world presentation. There are some really great ideas for special objects and the designs are looking good. A large pile of cardboard, fabric and tubes is gathering in preparation for making our props for real.
Star Qualities Shine On April 25, 2008
Posted by Miss Collins in : Class work, Games-Based Learning Links , 5comments
The Adventure Author team have been full of praise for how well each group listens, help each other, and use questions and suggestions to learn and develop their ideas.
I can really see this coming through in other parts of project work and normal class work too!
What a class! :) Well Done everyone!
Choices, choices, choices…. and conditions! April 24, 2008
Posted by Miss Collins in : Games-Based Learning Links , 3commentsThe Adventure Author team worked with each group today on developing their conversations. They showed us how to make the creatures perform different actions as consequence of the choices that the player makes. For example, your creature might become an ally and follow you around, or they might decide they don’t like you very much and attack you!
Later we were also shown how these choices can be developed further into conditions. For example, you may need to bring a creature a certain item or items for them to be willing to help you. This can also be a way for the character to earn money or gain other objects that will be useful or vital later in the game.
This is an extremely useful tool in developing the plot, or quest, within the game and we will be looking at this and practicing how to set it up next week.
