Borrowing an idea from the Digital Harbor Foundation, my juniors and seniors took a template and designed their own unique part of the quilt.  We then used loose-leaf rings to combine them. 

This was actually a fairly simple process.  Getting my MakerBot minis to behave was (is always) the most difficult part.  We used www.Tinkercad.com to create them, and it's really intuitive and easy to learn.

If anyone would like a few pointers about how to get started with this, don't hesitate to reach out via justin.d.eames@gmail.com

I can't wait to bring this project to my middle school students and keep the quilt growing!

When I think of about the term “Game Jam,” I don’t often think about industry giants like Ubisoft, Rovio, Sony, and Disney.  This weekend in the gorgeous offices of Learning Objects, those very same developers along with a host of educational developers and small teams came together to spend 48 straight hours, each creating an educational game.  What’s even better is that they also invited several teachers to act as mentors and guides, which is why I’m writing this blog post now.

I’ve pointed out before that the idea of leveraging games for classroom use is gaining traction, and these kinds of events go a long way to backing that claim.  The question is quickly changing from whether we should use games in the classroom to how we should use them.  During the introductory remarks, it was pointed out that studies show significant cognitive gains in students who play video games in school.  92% of young elementary school students could solve algebraic equations after spending an hour with the amazing game Dragon Box.

After a quick morning meeting, teams were sent to “jam.”  They were given suggestions in each content area and asked to keep standards in mind.  About a day after they begin to brainstorm ideas for their game, teams welcome students into the office to playtest.  A mere 24 hours later, each team is expected to have a working, playable prototype to unveil at the White House.  They will create a two-minute video about their game and have another minute to speak about their product.

It’s early yet, but the atmosphere here is electric.  Perhaps most gratifying for me personally is seeing how eager the developers are to receive guidance from the educators.  More than once, teams have pitched their idea to me, asked for suggestions, and modified their trajectory based on my input.  There is a real positivity in the room, and I think it stems from the fact that gaming as a source of entertainment, as a form of art, and now as a teaching tool is finally being taken seriously.  Most of us are here because games have had a positive impact in our lives and we recognize that we learned and grew from playing them.

For a long time, I would have been slightly embarrassed to admit I was a gamer.  Many of us, even those of us who should know better, still have that skewed mental image of a gamer.  You know the one.  The image is almost always male, adolescent, and adverse to sunlight.  Often, a basement is involved.  That stigma is gradually falling away, as young gamers become adult gamers and refuse to ditch their beloved past-time because they’ve reached a certain age.

To deliver to students the kind of rich, engaging experience that we know is possible in gaming provides the ultimate validation.  We’re still many hours and lots of energy drinks away from the end, but I can’t wait to see what comes from this jam.

If you don't find those impressive, then you should probably just skip the rest of this post.  In case you'd like to download and use the map, you can find it here:

In several pictures you can see little columns with a blue, lower-case 'i.'  Those are information blocks that give the students information about the structures or direct them to complete various assignments.  What a wonderful way to learn about humanities.

In my last post, I spoke about my students playing more traditional games.  Specifically, they've been playing Warcraft III, an intense strategy game with beautiful graphics and sound.  I guess I wasn't really surprised when they asked to play Minecraft instead.  Well, they're getting their wish.  My plan is to begin to create an epic Minecraft map that might someday rival Mr. Walker's map.  So, I'm putting my high school students to work.  We've recently invited about ten sixth-graders into the game club.  We had to because if I hadn't given these middle school students a chance to play Minecraft, there would have been a revolt!

So, we're going to be working together--some of the oldest students at SEED and the youngest.  We are just getting started, but we're going to be tracking our progress with a wiki.

Currently, we're working to decide which seed to use.  Seeds are like world templates.  As we begin to add to the seed we choose, we will keep updating the wiki so feel free to stop by and see how we're doing!

So, let's get the bad news out of the way.  We weren't able to complete the full five-day expedition.  The winds were relentless, to the point that the Coast Guard issued a small craft advisory.  That basically meant it was unsafe to travel by small craft.  Also, it was flipping cold.  Seriously, the second night, the temperature dipped to 29 .  Did I mention we were staying in tents?  29 might not sound that cold, but trust me, it was brutal.  I was wearing seven layers of thermal clothing, and I was snug inside a thermal sleeping bag.  Still, I was freezing.

So, that's the bad news.  But, the good news is that our students had an amazing time.  The adversity they faced only served to make them grittier and determined.

Let me give you an example.  One of the first things we had to do was a "wet exit" test.  Basically, the instructors need to know that if the kayak tips over, you can escape and not get trapped.  So, how do we test that?  Well, you swim out into the Chesapeake Bay, get into your kayak (no easy task), and the instructor flips you upside down in the water to make sure you can escape.  Also, the water is 44 degrees.  If you didn't shiver just now, then you don't comprehend what being dunked into water of that temperature would feel like.  Not one of my students hesitated or made a fuss over this.  Believe me, it wasn't easy.

Although our trip was cut short, it was a tremendous experience for our students.  I know they grew in ways that are hard to measure.  It just goes to show that not all learning can (or should) take place in a classroom.  As an ardent supporter of technology in the classroom, sometimes the best possible thing is to leave it all behind and head into nature.  Just ask these guys!

The class I was attending was Typography 101, which for those of you who don't know, means I signed up for seven hours of fonts (although I quickly learned that we mostly use that word incorrectly).  This is subject matter I suspect either sounds really interesting or really mundane, depending upon the individual surveyed.  Going in, I only know that there is a a lot to know about fonts, which really just meant I was aware of a large gap in my own knowledge.  Given that the importance of design continues to increase, I knew I needed to learn some more so I could pass that knowledge along to my students.

I'm pleased to report that I had a great time.  While I'm not ready to hurl insults at anyone using Comic Sans (seriously check out the internet on this), I think the primer I got was enough to ensure I will be thoughtful in my typeface and layout choices in the future.

I was very happy to have attended the class, and at $60 for all day, I'd call it a bargain.  The instructor, Mr. Andy Mangold, did a great job and presented complicated concepts in a very understandable way.  Needless to say, I'm sure I'll be back at Betamore for more classes.  Now, if I could just dream up that million dollar startup idea, I could spend all my time there!

Check out their schedule here.

Greek mythology tells us about Sisyphus who was doomed to roll a boulder up a hill, only to have it roll back down just before it reaches the summit.  It also speaks of Tantalus who, parched with thirst, is unable to drink from the stream in which he is eternally standing.  Well, for me, these terrible fates rank just above the idea of taking an entire class called simply "typing."  Nonetheless, I was tasked this year with teaching just such a class this year.

Seriously, for 70 minutes a day, my students are supposed to practice their keyboarding skills.  Well, that wasn't going to work for me.

A common (and valid) complaint among the teaching staff here at SEED is that students lack some basic computer skills.  For most teachers, this means that students don't understand the basics of word processing.  It's a terrible cliche that anyone under the age of 18 has an inherent and impressive knowledge of computers.  My students could use their phone to friend on you on Facebook in 11 seconds flat, but ask them to center and underline some text in a document, and you'll be met with a blank stare.

So my solution is to teach the basics of word processing using game based learning.  If you've been following along with my blog posts, you probably know what I'm going to say next.  Yep, we're heading to Minecraft.

So, here's what I've done.

1. Found a beautiful MC seed (blank map)
   
   

Then, I record some tutorial videos that demonstrate to students how to survive in the MC world.  As they do, they create a "survival guide" that catalogs their adventures and shares the information they learn.  Here's the template I've been using to demonstrate.

Also, here's one of my tutorial videos:

And one more:

So far, so good.  Students are really into it.  And I've got a great reason to incorporate MC in class.  As we move forward, I will updating this site with information.  Thanks for tuning in!

Well, we certainly have some a long way in terms of gaming.  Pac-Man has given way to Call of Duty, Halo, and John Madden Football.  These games cost dozens or hundreds of millions of dollars to produce.  On it's release day a few weeks ago, Call of Duty: Black Ops II made over 300 million dollars.  With the next generation of games on the horizon, the line between cinema and gaming graphics blurs even further.  These games often have symphonic scores.

One thing hasn't changed, though.  Educational games are lame.  Seriously, they're no fun.

So, do we even need them?  I'm starting to think no.  There's plenty to be learned from "real" games.  The students in my gaming club have been having playing Warcraft III, an older game that stresses tactics and strategy.  While my students work in teams to battle one another, they are forced to juggle several factors.  They have to manage inventory, make value-based decisions about how to spend their resources, communicate with their teammate(s) about how and when to launch attacks. The whole time they're making these decisions, they keep a mental image of the massive map in their heads.  It gets very complicated very quickly.

I'll give another example.  Remember history class?  I do.  I remember it involved a lot of reading from a textbook.  Don't get me wrong,  I think that learning from written text is an extremely important skill.  However, we can certainly supplement the old-school with the new.  

Let me be very clear, you can explore every nook and cranny of Rome.  You climb all the walls, explore the Colosseum, and splash in the fountains.  It's a truly incredible experience.

Of course, this particular game is also full of simulated violence.  The point, though, is that the technology exists for us to create truly immersive experiences for our students.  Take out the "assassin" part of "Assassin's Creed," and you have one of the most powerful educational tools I can think of.

They come with hundreds of specialized lego pieces, as well as, a motor which adds movement to the mix.  I dove in right away during a planning period and created a windmill.

It's a little difficult to see from my camera phone, but the weight in the back lowers, which powers several gears to spin the windmill blades. Needless to say, I was hooked.

My plan has been to introduce students to robotics by using these kits.  I was originally worried that students would find them to be too "young," but that hasn't been the case.  There has been a lot of interest in the projects.  By far, the most popular has been this crane.

My students also just completed this amazing pendulum clock:

These projects have been a wonderful start to our robotics club.  Currently, students are creating these simple machines using instructions provided in the kits (think IKEA meets Lego).  The next step is to have students design their own machines using the sets.  From there, it's a short jump up to using Lego NXT Mindstorms (, which requires computer programming.  Once they are comfortable with that relatively simple system, we'll take the real plunge and crack open our brand new Vex set.

I can't wait to show off what we make next.

FYI: A student looking over my shoulder has just informed me that you never add an "s" to the end of the word "Lego."  Apparently, I'm going to have to do a push-up every time I say the word "Legos."