Karen%20Anderson

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Putting Pacman in the Classroom

• Karen Anderson

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• Theres a thin line.....

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Introduction

• Karen Anderson
• CP3 2007 Its Not Just A Game totally
  different
• Currently teaching independent boarding school
• Previously state sixth form
• Successfully introduced games design into both
• Differences gender, ages, enthusiasm

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Learning Objectives

1. To explain what games are and why they are
   important
2. To show how games can be used in education in
   all subjects and for all ages
3. To show how you and your pupils can make your own
   games for education

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What is a game?
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What is a game?

• Powerful media form interactive
• Huge range massive worlds to single screens,
  immersive to casual
• Part of culture characters part of contemporary
  psyche
• Being used in more fields entertainment,
  education, advertising,

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Why are games important?

• Exercises the brain
• Encourages problem solving and choice-making
• Builds confidence (difficulty curve)
• Improves dexterity
• Improves multitasking

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Why are games important?

• Helps children learn pattern recognition
• Practice for the real world / encourages real
  world activities
• Fun without real consequences
• Demonstrates choices have consequences for
  characters

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The questions Im always asked...

• Do computer games promote violence?
• Should we be encouraging children to stay
  indoors, sitting slouched in front of the TV
  playing games?

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How can games be used in education?

• Pupils making games
• - as a discrete area of ICT/Media
• - as part of any subject
• Pupils playing games
• Support teaching methods not replace them

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Off-the-shelf games
... available in all good games shops...
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Barriers

• I dont play games...
• It will be difficult to manage the lesson...
• Its difficult to set up...
• Its expensive...

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Break the Barriers

• I dont play games...
• This workshop will give suggestions
• Only need to play the one you plan to use
• Pupils may suggest future ones

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Break the Barriers

• It will be difficult to manage the lesson...
• Have a plan
• If you misbehave, we wont play games ever
  again...

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Break the Barriers

• Its difficult to set up...
• Most consoles 3 cables only fit in one socket
• IT Technicians
• Use pupils equipment e.g. DS

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Break the Barriers

• Its expensive...
• Dont have to use latest equipment
• Original Xbox about 20
• - games - 4 for 20
• Free games online
• Emulators

FREE!!!!
CHEAP!!
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Setting up

• Its this easy...

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(No Transcript)
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Bespoke games
... made by YOU and your pupils...
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How can they be used?

• You make games
• Specific to your subject
• Specific to your pupils
• Make boring topics interesting
• New approach to difficult topics

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How can they be used?

• Your pupils make games
• Further understanding of a topic
• Help each other learn
• Encourage creativity
• Play each others games
• Work in groups

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Barriers

• Surely its really hard?
• Designed to be as easy as possible
• Most designed for children
• Try in this workshop
• But maybe its expensive?
• The games design software I will show you is
  FREE!!!

FREE!!!!
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Scratch

• scratch.mit.edu/
• Made by MIT
• Designed for 8 year olds and older
• Ive used with 11, 15, 17
• This is what well use today

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Adrift

• www.adrift.org.uk
• Creates text adventures (aka interactive fiction)
• Easy to use games depend on creators
  imagination
• Many examples available on internet search for
  interactive fiction (esp Lost Pig aka Grunk and
  905)

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Hot Potatoes

• hotpot.uvic.ca
• by Half-Baked Software Inc (University of
  Victoria)
• Hot Potatoes 6 becomes free on 1st September 2009
• Creates quizzes, gap-fills, crosswords, jumbled
  sentences, matching exercises, etc

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While were talking puzzles ...

• A couple of websites I used recently
• www.puzzle-maker.com/CW/
• www.teach-nology.com/web_tools/word_search/

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PowerPoint

• Made by Microsoft, probably something you have
  already
• Although made for presentations, using hyperlinks
  and a bit of creativity, can make games
• Example...

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Web 2.0

• Use their existing interests in your lessons
• Facebook
• Many games available e.g. puzzles, logic, shapes
• Second Life
• The EduIslands, Foul Whisperings (Macbeth),
  Genome Island (science), International
  SpaceFlight Museum

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Dont forget... Board Games

• Great way to get pupils sitting round, doing
  something together
• Use the same elements as computer games
• Could have different ones on different tables
• Need communication, strategy, etc
• Examples
• Game of Life Twists and Turns (Hasbro),
• Cluedo Discover The Secrets (Hasbro),
• Cranium, Dingbats, Risk, Chess, etc

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Scratch

• We will try the basics together
• Then, in your pairs, you will each make different
  games
• If time, you can play each others games
• Take a copy of your games

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Scratch

• Open the software....

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Scratch
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Scratch
Click on Control in the top left
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Scratch
Select and drag it to your script area
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Scratch
Click on Motion in the top left
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Scratch
Select and drag it to your script
area Attach it to the yellow block of script
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Scratch
Click on the green flag Your sprite should move
forward each time you press the green flag
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Scratch
So weve made your sprite move Lets now make it
walk
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Scratch
Click on the Costumes tab Notice how there are
two costumes for your sprite
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Scratch
Click back onto the Scripts tab Click on Looks
in the top left
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Scratch
Select and drag it to your script
area Attach it to the blue block of script
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Scratch
Test that by clicking on the green flag
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Scratch
Choose the Control tools Add this block to your
other blocks and change the number to 0.5 secs
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Scratch
Choose the Motion tools Add another move 10
steps block to the others Choose the Looks
tools Add another switch to costume
block Change it to say costume 1
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Scratch
Test that by clicking on the green flag (while
the script is outlined in white, it means it is
still running)
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Scratch
Now we have the sprite taking two steps, we need
to have it continue to walk Open the Control
tools and drag the repeat block on your script
area
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Scratch
Pull the repeat block so it is around everything
except your start block
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Scratch
Test that by clicking on the green flag How can
we make it walk faster? How can we make it walk
further? How can we make it take more steps?
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Scratch
Our sprite moves but, if it keeps walking, it
will disappear off the edge of the screen We
need it to turn around and walk back
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Scratch
Open the Motion tools (blue) Drag to
under your wait block Drag another to
under your other wait block
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Scratch
Test your animation What happens when the sprite
reaches the edge?
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Scratch
To stop it turning upside down, we need to tell
it that the cat cannot turn upside In the sprite
info at the top of the screen, select the ? icon
(only face left-right)
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Scratch
The last thing we will do with this sprite is add
a sound Before we do, we need to make sure your
computer will play sound.
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Scratch
Open the Sound tools Add the block to the
bottom of the script blocks, under the repeat
block
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Scratch

• Congratulations!!
• Now, to make an interactive game...

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Conclusion
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Conclusion

• Games are a part of society and part of your
  pupils lives
• Games can enhance learning and support other
  teaching methods
• Off-the-shelf games available cheap and easy to
  use
• Bespoke games made by teachers, made by pupils

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Where do we go from here?
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Thank you
Any Questions