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.
The WB Brain Booster is Back! May 23, 2008
Posted by Miss Collins in : Class work , 30commentsHurrah! We have time at last to have another Friday morning WB Brain Booster!
Today’s Brain Booster is:
Imagine that you are the hero in a magical quest. You must save a magical creature from a dragon’s lair. You can use any special objects, spells or abilities you like, but there are 3 guardian dragons and one Dragon Lord to defeat. The guardians all have special strength and are fire breathing, of course. The Dragon Lord is very wise and can counter-act many spells.
How do you do it?
All visitors are welceome to join in! This could be our last…..
Welcome to Our Worlds! May 22, 2008
Posted by Miss Collins in : Class work, Evaluation , add a commentI am delighted to announce the opening of a new page on our blog: Our Worlds.
Today some people reached the stage where they had completed the first draft of their World Builder story, and many have managed to type their work up. In pairs, those that had finished exchanged stories and, just as they did with the games, gave each other 2 comments about what they thought was really good about the story, and 1 point for development. The stories were then polished using this feedback and they are now ready to share!
Please visit our new page to read these as they are added. Some will also appear as podcasts in the coming week or so.
First Class First Drafts! May 19, 2008
Posted by Miss Collins in : Class work, Images , 8commentsHaving worked really hard on storylines, quests, scene setting and character personality, the time has arrived to get these fantastic fantasy stories down on paper!
I have read some of the first drafts, and I have to tell you that they really are very, very impressive! We will be word-processing and podcasting the finished versions in the coming weeks.
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!
Show Not Tell Part 2 May 13, 2008
Posted by Miss Collins in : Class work , add a commentAfter lunch today we worked in the dining hall on a short drama activity. We were acting as sculptors, creating images of positive and negative emotions. The people of the outside circle decided on an emotion or reaction such as surprise or sadness, and then gave directions to a partner on the inside circle who became a living sculpture of that feeling.
Using our sculptures we discussed what our faces and bodies reveal about how we are feeling. We then created phrases from this that would show the reader how a character is feeling, without simply telling them.
For example, rather than writing “He/She was sad”, our ideas for showing a character was feeling sad were:
- He walked with his head down
- She sat with her hands hidden back in her sleeves
- Tears dripped off of his nose
- The corners of her mouth were turned down
Rather than writing “He/She was really happy”, our ideas for showing a character was feeling happy and a bit surprised were:
- Her eyes were wide
- Her arms flew up in the air
- He started to jump around the room
- He walked in with a massive cheesy grin
Putting Our Ideas on Paper May 13, 2008
Posted by Miss Collins in : Class work , add a commentToday each group worked with me to discuss how they can turn their game quest into a story, and we looked at two different types of planners.
My suggestion is that everyone will write the story of their world and the events that lead up to the start of the player’s quest. Both planners help organise ideas for the opening, the development/turning point, and the ending/cliff-hanger.
- What sort of world was it? How did people live? Who ruled the land? Who are the important characters?
- What changed? What was lost/stolen? Who was overthrown? How did the evil characters arrive? Who now has power? How did life change?
- What must be done to make things better? Who needs to help? What sort of journey might be involved? Who will go?
Working with each of the groups I found that the best place to start was the turning point, or reason for the quest, and then to work backwards to think about how life was before then.
I have already seen some completed planners and they clearly show what detailed and interesting ideas everyone is coming up with. It is so exciting!
These stories are going to be something to be proud of and I can’t wait to get them podcasted and on here for everyone to enjoy! 
