Digital Play » grahamstanley

Pixels – warmer for classroom discussion of videogames

grahamstanley — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 13:01:59 +0000

Here’s a great warmer to help start off any classroom discussion of videogames

Guest Post #1 : Video Games and Wikis

grahamstanley — Sun, 30 May 2010 09:04:46 +0000

It is my great pleasure to introduce our first special guest on Digital Play – Shelly Terrell is an English teacher, educator, blogger and all-round inspiration when it comes to educational technology. In this post, she puts the case for using a wiki to support digital play with learners.

Did you know that the average time spent playing video games per week is 18 hours? Imagine if your students spent 18 hours a week practicing their English voluntarily. Perhaps, you won’t be able to persuade your students to practice English for this amount of time, but you can get them to practice their English outside the classroom in a fun way! Many of the free games online are fantastic for language learning. My class time is highly focused on having students speak English, therefore, we rarely spend a lot of class time playing online games. Instead, the games are put on my class wiki for students and parents to enjoy at home. These games are optional, but I find that most of the children will play them at home with their parents guidance.

So what do you put in a wiki?

A wiki is like a class website, but easier to design. Wikis are free for educators and are advertisement free if you sign-up at Wikispaces for Educators or PBWorks for Educators. Both of these sites provide you with a variety of tools to embed (insert on your wiki page) to help students collaborate and build a language learning community full of resources. Below are some ideas to consider:

Have a translation button to help students and parents understand the website
Use video tutorials like the one below to help students and parents navigate the wiki

List the vocabulary and grammar the students are supposed to learn with each game
Conduct a parent workshop to teach parents how to help their children play the games and reinforce the language at home
Supplement the games with related songs, stories, finger plays, activities and/or videos
- In the English Story Time wiki, I list an English story the student can read that relates to the theme in the game
Have students use other web 2.0 tools to provide support and excitement for the game
- Have students design their game characters using the Voki website or upload drawings of their characters in Blabberize
Have students write reviews of each game and how they believe the gaming experience can be improved. Encourage the students to share this with the game designer, because they will be motivated if the game designer responds.

Adding the “social” to game-based learning…

Have you watched anyone recently play a game on their Wii or PS3? You will notice that these games have virtual worlds and that players can speak through headsets to other players that are located in another part of the world. Several of our students already play these games and they enjoy them, because they get to compete with others, complete tasks with others, and interact with others. Language is learned through social interaction so it is important to add this dimension to the games we choose for our language learners to play. Wikis are great tools for adding the social networking aspect to your game-based curriculum.

Consider these ideas:

Embed a Wallwisher so students can easily add in gaming tips
Embed a Google Doc where students add tips and tricks to pass certain games stages
Embed a forum where students can discuss game strategies. Wikispaces comes with a discussion page.
Have students create graphs and charts on your computer’s software and post them on the wiki. These graphs can chart their progress on their games like how much time they took to complete a level.
- These graphs add a competitive edge as students compete to raise their rankings.

Useful links:

What other ways do you envision wikis enhancing game-based learning?

Shelly Sanchez Terrell is a freelance technology teacher trainer, the VP of Educator Outreach for Parentella.com, and an English language teacher based in Germany. Explore her Teacher Reboot Camp Blog for tips on professional development and integrating technology effectively into the classroom. Feel free to connect with her on Twitter, @shellterrell.

“If the child is not learning the way you are teaching, then you must teach in the way the child learns” - Rita Dunn

Tweet this!

Scooby Doo and the Temple of Lost Souls

grahamstanley — Fri, 28 May 2010 04:40:57 +0000

Play the game

An engaging game with English audio introduction, middle section and ending. The game is challenging enough for the students to want help (in English) to finish it, therefore lending itself to be used as a listening activity during gameplay.

Alternatively, you could do something with the walkthrough to turn it into a reading. How would this work? Give the walkthrough to the students, and if they get stuck, then they can read the walkthrough to find out how to proceed in the game. The best way to do this is to have the different sections on slips of paper or cards and to give them out as requested.

Audio introduction:

“Wow! I can’t believe you and I travelled all the way to Guatemala to find the hottest hot pepper in the world just so we could make some really great chile. You’re right – I can believe it.

The old harbinger mucho gusto is supposed to grow in a secret chamber somewhere in the middle of the temple.

But we’d better be careful – Harlows the tour guide said this place was filled with booby traps.

WALKTHROUGH:

1. When Shaggy and Scooby first enter the temple, they find themselves in a doorway, looking at a rolled up whip and a dead explorer.
There is a vine on the left going down to the next level.
Stand next to the whip and press space to pick it up.
Walk to the vine, press space. The characters shoot down the vine.

2. Walk to the bedroll and pick that up.
Walk as far forward as you can without walking onto the broken cracked floor.
Go to the pole stuck in the wall. Select the whip in the inventory by pressing ‘I’ and using the left and right keys to select the whip.
Exit inventory and press space. The characters should go into auto and use the whip as a swing to get across.

3. Get the metal pole.
Select the metal pole, and press space when you are near the door.
The Characters should use it to poke the button on the other wall.
Careful to not step on the cracked floor, try to get to the bottom of the set of stairs. Be quick, or the stairs will disapear.
Press space when at the bottom of the stairs.
Characters in auto, go up stairs.

4. Take the disc type thing on wall (it’s a shield) by pressing space
Go to the loop on the wall. Don’t walk in front of the doors, or a knife will come down and scare ya. Press space when metal pole selected.
Characters will put pole across door.
Walk safely across.

5. Go up to, not on, scorpions.
Lay blanket over the top of them
Go to the wall and press the button.
Run to the edge, and spikes should come up.
Lay the shield over the spikes.
Run up stairs, by going to bottom and pressing space.

6. The wall should move towards you.
quickly move to the broken vine thing on the wall.
Look at it, and press space.
Characters should pull it revealing a carpet thing and slide down.
Go through doorway.

7. Shaggy and Scooby find the plastic peppers and need to set a trap.

8. Walk to the wall next to you with the characters and pull the lever.
Walk to stairs on other side of room.
Ignore the rope, you can’t pick it up just yet.
Go up the stairs.

9. Get the shield and the torch.
Hold the shield under the beam of light.
Walk through the door.

10. Pick up the stone circle
use the torch to get under the tiles.

11. walk to the rope under the tiles
press space when the bumped up tile shows you that you are next to rope.
Shaggy should poke his head out.
Press space again to get rope.

12. Walk back to the other room with the decorated tiles.
Stand at the top of the stairs, and press space
If done right, character should throw rope through hoop.
get the stone circle and tie it to the end.

13. go back underneath tiles, and get to just behind the monster.
press space to poke your head out.
Press space again, to burn his bum.
keep doing it until he stands on the trap.

14. Go back to the tiled floor
Kick the stone.
Capture the monster

15. Find the recipe for the chile. Enjoy your meal!

More Scooby Games here: http://www2.warnerbros.com

TIPS

If you play the game as a listening with students, then give them clues from the walkthrough. Here are some example questions you could ask / clues you could give:

QUESTIONS (to act as clues when students are playing the game)

1. Be careful of the dead explorer. He has a knife!
Can you see anything on the wall to help you get down to the next level?

2. Watch out! The floor is not solid! It’s broken!
How can you get round the corner?
Can you see the pole sticking out from the wall?
Have you got anything to help you swing round the corner?

etc…

Tweet this!

Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?

grahamstanley — Mon, 17 May 2010 04:32:49 +0000

http://www.arcademaniacs.com/swf/whowantstobeamillionaire2.swf

This is just a quick one – good for a filler or for telling students to do on their own at home.

It’s an entertaining version of the popular TV show – the questions are, on the whole, relevant to English teaching, although some are US-culture specific

Play Win A Million at Online Games HQ

Or download a powerpoint template of the game from here ‘Who wants to be a millionaire’ download

Tweet this!

Room Fake

grahamstanley — Fri, 14 May 2010 07:21:36 +0000

Room Fake is another ‘Escape from the Room’ puzzle game that is almost impossible to do without the walkthrough, which I have added below.

This works well as a live listening activity, but I recommend playing it first as a race to see who finishes first in the computer room. With the students in pairs, give out the walkthrough (unnumbered) and ask them to order it as they play. To make it harder, remove some of the information (such as the codes in number 16) or (even more devious) change some of the clues so they give wrong information and then later in the classroom, ask the students to rewrite the errors and deal with all vocabulary questions.

COMPLETE WALKTHROUGH:

Click on the dresser, click underneath it, and get the battery.
Back out, turn right, get the number 4 tile and the wadded paper out of the garbage can.
Examine and uncrumple the wad of paper.
Back up so you’re looking AT the can, click on it to lift it, and click it again near the base to find the color for the letter O.
On the desk, near the left side of the plant, will be a green 3 cylinder. Get that.
Click on the bed, turn back the blanket, and get the number 6 tile from the edge of the blanket. At the bottom of the bed is a red 3 cylinder, get that as well.
Back out, turn right again. Between the bed and the cabinet on the floor is the number 7 tile.
The top drawer of the green cabinet has a clue but nothing to get. The middle drawer has a safe that we don’t have the combination for yet. The bottom is locked. Open the cabinet at the top and get the battery from the right side of the second shelf, and the scrap of paper from the top shelf. That should tell you the color of the letter C.
Turn right again, open the curtains. On the curtain rod will be a blue 3 cylinder.
Next to the curtains is a diagram for the magic sqare. Click the bottom corner: Taped to the back is a scrap of paper that has the safe code (196 – it’s shown upside down).
Go back to the green cabinet – put the combination in the safe, and get the number 7 tile and the screwdriver. Examine the screwdriver and pull the cord to extend the bit.
Turn right, click the wall plate, and use the screwdriver to remove the cover. Take the screws.
Turn right again, and look at the SIDE of the small wooden dresser. Unscrew the screws (and take them!), return to the front, and open the stuck bottom drawer. Take the battery charger and the red 3 cylinder.
Examine the battery charger and put the batteries in it, then go back to the left to the outlet. Plug the charger in, click away, click back, and take the charger and charged batteries. (That was fast!)
Turn right again, click on the little dog statue, and put the batteries in the holders. Press the button on the front to turn its head and get the number 9 tile.
On the desk is a magic square puzzle – put the tiles in so the grid becomes:
8 3 4 1 5 9 6 7 2 and press the button. This will give you the color of the K.
When you back up, the picture will have fallen. If you turn left, two circles of light on the side of the dresser will give you a time, and the controls behind the painting are to set the clock. Set the short hand to 5 and the long hand to 6 (30 minutes).
When you turn left again, there is a small box extended under the clock. Click it and get the silver key and the blue 2 cylinder.
The silver key opens the bottom drawer of the green dresser. Open it and get the pink tissue and the small red sword.
On top of the small wooden dresser is a vase – knock it over and use the pink tissue to absorb it. Turn left, open the curtains, and clean the window off with the tissue. This will show you the color of the L (on the right), and a secret about the door (on the left).
Return to the dog statue, put the red sword in its neck slot (as marked) to get a red 1 cylinder. Pull the string left over to get the gold key.
Turn to the door, click on the bottom left corner to zoom in, and again to take off the panel. Plug the door into the wall outlet. Get the blue 3 cylinder.
The gold key opens the safe behind the paper to the right of the window. Open it, and get the doorknob, and the green 2 cylinder.
Click the door, use the doorknob on it, and the screws to secure it. Pressing it will open a panel with the word “LOCK” above it.
THE COLORS CHANGE, but the puzzle works like this: Any two colored cylinders of the same value will blend (blue and red become purple, red and green become yellow, blue and green become teal). If you kept note of the colors each letter should be there will only be one combination of the cylinders that will fit and make the right colors for each letter. Place the cylinders so the colors are right, and OPEN SESAME!
Now you can exit through the cabinet, OR, find the REAL exit…
Clicking the bottom right of the green cabinet should show you the side – get the hammer out from behind the drawer.
Turn around, break open the vase to reveal the color of the letter A.
To your right, the magic square on the desk can be clicked and turned over – that reveals the color of the backwards K.
The back of the cover from the electrical panel will give you the color of the letter E.
Believe it or not, with this, you have enough information to re-solve the puzzle for “FAKE”. Go back to the door, and solve the puzzle again. FAKE will turn to TRUE, and there will be one gold cylinder now – a token with a dog on it. Take that.
Return to the dog statue, detach the head, put the dog token in the neck slot, and reattach the head. He will open the TRUE exit for you.

The end!

Tweet this!

QR Code Gaming

grahamstanley — Sat, 08 May 2010 06:00:36 +0000

QR Code - Digital Play

Can you read the square barcode above? Chances are you can if you have a phone with a camera and a barcode reader. If not, then it’s unlikely unless you take your laptop or a hard copy down to the local supermarket and persuade the person sitting at the checkout to scan it for you. These things are appearing all over though, and it’s likely that we’ll be seeing more of them too. They are called QR codes and you can find out more about them at Wikipedia.

The Q. R stands for ‘quick response‘ and they are designed to allow their content to be decoded at high speed. They also hold more content than a normal barcode. Very popular in Japan, the system has quickly moved from their initial use in vehicle manufacturing to being used for all sorts of mobile tagging and can contain a maximum of 7,089 characters of information. They have also just started being used in games, which is why Digital Play has become interested in them

QR games

In November 2009, Kidrobot, a designer toy store in the US organised a scavenger hunt game based on QR codes n
In December 2009, the marketing software company Interlink One held the first QR code game for its employees at the Christmas party. The employees, as described on the QReate & Track blog were given a sheet of QR codes and another sheet of questions (try the game out for yourself if you have a phone with a barcode scanner) .
Google took the idea of a QR game one step further at its Developer Day in 2009, with 100 people running around hunting for QR codes that were stuck to tables and chairs, walls and boxes, etc. Each player earned points by scanning the QR codes and could check their score and the scores of other players directly on their phones.
Perhaps the oddest example is the QR Kill game played in Barcelona. Each player has a large QR code attached to their back and communicates with their team members using their mobile phone, which is also used to scan / kill their opponent – sounds a bit like a less messy geek hi-tech version of paintball - bizarre!

Language Quest

So what has this got to do with language learning? Out of curiosity, this week I gave some of my own pre-intermediate students a challenge and simply handed them a QR code at the end of the class, saying this was their homework and that it was a puzzle, without giving away any other clues. The code contained a series of instructions for them to follow that would lead them to an account on Facebook that they had to friend (all of these students use Facebook) and then they could claim a prize. It was an experiment, aimed at satisfying my curiosity more than anything. Most of the students left the class muttering that I was mad, but that evening, one of the students friended the Facebook account and claimed his prize!

So, what does it ll mean? I’m not sure yet, but it’s bound to create some interesting conversation next class and I’m planning on taking in some more QR codes that we can decode as well as an article about using them for all sorts of uses.

I would love to organise a running dictation / treasure hunt using the QR codes but I’m not sure whether there’s much mileage in this idea unless all students had access to barcode scanner software in their mobiles . Who knows, maybe some time in the near future…

Find Out More about QR codes:

QR Codes in Education http://mrrobbo.wordpress.com/2009/01/08/qr-codes-in-education/
QR codes and students http://eblabla.wordpress.com/2009/03/31/qr-code/
Make Your own QR Code here http://www.beqrious.com/generator and here http://qrcode.kaywa.com/
What is Mobile tagging? http://mobile-tagging.blogspot.com/2007/09/what-is-mobile-tagging.html
QR Code Hunters – Google’s game http://blog.hungrymobile.com/2009/11/qr-code-hunters-one-of-the-first-effective-qr-code-games/
More about the QR Kill game in Barcelona http://qrcode.es/?p=209&language=en
QR Store (buy your t-shirt here) http://qr-code.spreadshirt.es/

Tweet this!

Top Ten interesting ipod/iphone apps for English language learning

grahamstanley — Sat, 01 May 2010 20:19:40 +0000

The idea of mobile learning (or M-Learning) is starting to become more and more popular as more people get access to smart phones and other devices that allow them to learn wherever they are.

Although only a small part of m-learning, the apps available for the iphone/ipod touch show what some people are using at the moment to help them learn English.

Here are ten of them apps worthy of interest. Most are well worth downloading (they can all be downloaded from iTunes) – a couple really aren’t. Read the descriptions to find out more.

1. Word Challenge

Type: game Price: free

Description: A great new vocabulary game from the British Council. 3 different levels of difficulty and lots of different categories of vocabulary. How many questions can you answer in 60 seconds? When you have finished, the feedback shows you the answers and there is a brief description of why the answer is correct, with other examples of English in use.

What it Lacks: It’s too fast for some. Although this makes it exciting to play, it can be frustrating for some learners. This is just the first version of the game though – later versions will be adding a speed button so you can slow it down.

Summary: Excellent. An engaging vocabulary game for learners – they will love to play it and it will definitely help them increase their vocabulary. Great to see that you can share your score on Facebook too – shame you can’t do the same on Twitter.

2. English Grammar in Use Tests

Type: game Price: Euros 3.99

Description: It’s not free, but it’s one of the best English grammar apps available for the iphone/ipod touch at the moment. Based on CUP’s (Cambridge University Press) best-selling grammar book of the same name, you can work through different levels (1- ).

Don’t be put off by the word ‘test’ in the title, it’s built like a game so it’s more fun than working through the test exercises in the book. When you launch the app, you can choose ‘practice’ or ‘test’. in the test mode you’re presented with a gap fill exercise and three options. If you choose correctly, then the response turns green. If you choose wrong, it turns red. In the practice mode, you can choose specific aspects of grammar (tense, prepositions, articles, etc) to practise. Finally, there is a section on ‘Scores and statistics’ so you can see how you’re doing.

What it lacks: Explanations of grammar (for this you have to go to the book) so students can see where they’ve gone wrong. Some users have complained the interface is too slow. There is a more comprehensive app of the same book (English Grammar in Use, Euros 7.99) with audio and other features, but it still lacks the grammar explanations.

Summary: Definitely one to recommend a student with an iphone/ipod touch who needs to practise their grammar but who wouldn’t go near a book. Good value for money.

3. Free British English Gengo Flashcards

Type: flashcards Price: Euros free

Description: There are lots of different flashcard-based apps out there. This one is one of the best systems. It allows sounds to be played, which helps with pronunciation and includes a game.

What it Lacks: There are only two sets of free flashcards (fruit and weather) – if you want more sets then you have to pay

Summary: A limited app, but does what it offers. Great way of learning more vocabulary for visual learners.

4. Cambridge Advanced Learners Talking Dictionary

Type: reference Price: Euros 17.99

Description: There are so many dictionary apps available that it’s difficult to choose just one. I recommend sticking to the one you have found most useful. And, of course, there are lots of free English dictionaries, but, as usual, you get what you pay for. Although it’ll be too expensive for many, this is a great dictionary for learners that is cheaper than the paper/CD-ROM version but just as complete.

What it Lacks: Nothing. Most reviews on the Apple itunes store are positive

Summary: A great tool for learners for self-study, although it’s expensive for an iphone app.

5. Oxford Delux Dictionary and Thesaurus of English

Type: reference Price: Euros 42.99

Description: If what you want is a fully comprehensive dictionary and thesaurus and money is no object, then this is definitely for you. It’s the entire Oxford English dictionary and thesaurus plus audio for the iphone. It makes it one of the biggest (if not the best) English language reference guide currently available.

What it Lacks: nothing

Summary: Only for those with lots of cash to spend on iphone apps, obviously, but if what you want is an excellent comprehensive dictionary and you don’t want to lug around the paper equivalent, then this is for you.

6. IELTS Master Vocab Guide

Type: game Price: Euros 4.99

Description: If you know any students taking the Cambridge IELTS exam, then this is the app for them. complete with glossary and vocabulary tests, it will help students prpeare for the exam. Cambridge also produce similar versions for other exams (TOEFL, TOEIC, etc)

What it Lacks: Not as comprehensive or as good as the book – designed to be used as supplementary to it.

Summary: Good app for IELTS – a perfect complement for students looking at preparing for the exam and who want to use their iphone/ipod touch

7. Vaughan Radio

Type: game Price: free

Description: Aimed at Spanish learners of English, this app is a simple one which allows anyone with a live internet access to tune into Vaughan radio live from Madrid. Vaughan radio is a radio station broadcasting 24 hours a day for English learners.

What it Lacks: There is no support from the app – just a screen with the log on it – it would be far more useful if there was information about programming and/or exercises sent simultaneously to the iphone/ipad while broadcasts were taking place (perhaps a future possibility)

Summary: Perhaps only of interest to Spanish learners of English, the app nevertheless shows a different kind of future direction for learners wanting to study English.

8. Tongue Mystery English

Type: game Price: Euros 0.79

Description: And now for something completely different. Tongue Mystery English is simply a collection of tongue twisters. You can practise, search for ones containing particular words and then there’s a social networking aspect to them as you can share on Facebook and Twitter. Not particularly designed to help learners with English, but some may find it fun. I was disappointed though – it doesn’t work very well and the content is poor.

What it Lacks: It has very limited in scope and interest. Would be better if it were free as it really doesn’t have much content. Even if it were free, I’d probably not recommend you download it.

Summary: Odd app – one interesting thing about it is the sharing on social networking aspect – it’s surprising that more apps don’t offer this. Avoid this though – if you download it, it won’t be on your iphone/ipod for long.

9. A Cup of English

Type: podcast support Price: Euros 1.59

Description: A very interesting idea in theory – a podcast support app. When you start the app, it gives you a list of the available podcasts and when you choose one you get a transcript and the podcast. However, you can’t listen to the podcast and read the transcript at the same time, and sometimes the background to the transcript means it’s difficult to read. You can’t increase the size of the text either, which means the font size is infuriatingly small.

I also downloaded the app based on the image in iTunes (above). It looked very interesting, integrating Facebook, Twitter, email and allowing iphone users to call the show – what a great idea! But the version that I have installed doesn’t have Twitter/Facebook integration. Neither does it let you call the show, so very disappointing.

What it Lacks: See above, but basically a lot of what is promised on the iTunes page. Presumably the podcasts are available free from iTunes, so this is a complete waste of money

Summary: Cup of English promised something very interesting – if all of the features worked in the way you’d expect them to, then this would have been a very interesting app indeed. But they don’t. And I feel cheated. In short, don’t buy this app.

10. Conversation English

Type: courseware Price: Euros 3.99

Description: There aren’t that many English courses out there for the ipod/iphone yet, something that will surely change. One of them is called Everyday English, uses a video of a teacher talking. It has ten lessons available, priced 0.79 euros each, and aims to give advice to students. However, the choice of language taught is questionable and it’s just a video so it’s not interactive at all. The Conversation English app is much better. It has 20 lessons, each one featuring a short audio dialogue (using an animated video). Once you’ve listened to the video, you can read the dialogue and then there are comprehension questions and other exercises based around the dialogue (sentence ordering, vocabulary-definition matching, fill in the blanks).

What it Lacks: It’s a very good app for the price – you could hardly ask for more

Summary: Following a story, the dialogues take the learner through a range of different conversations that are fun and the exercises that go with them comprehensive and informative.

I hope I have shown with this selection that there is already a lot of content out there for English learners with ipods/iphones. However, you have to be very careful what you choose to download as there are a lot of poorly produced and dubious apps out there. My recommendation is it’s probably best to stick to the established names if you want good quality apps. Beware of low cost apps that seem interesting on the surface but which will probably make you feel you’ve wasted your money. Be wary too of free apps and choose carefully. Even though they are free, they’ll take up your time and energy (and ipod space) downloading them. Use reviews such as this to know what to try/what to avoid and ask people you know who’ve tried apps out to recommend ones too.

Tweet this!

English Attack – a new fun way of learning English

grahamstanley — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 17:16:46 +0000

English Attack is a new way of learning English through videos, games and other online entertainment platforms. Aimed at the 15-35 year-olds and claimed by the founders to be “the world’s first 100% entertainment-focused online resource for improving English language skills”, it is now open for beta testing (you can request an account here) and my first impression is that it looks like it’s going to be a winner.

I’ve just signed up for an account, so I haven’t had much time to explore, but I couldn’t wait to share the opportunity for you to sign up and use the site now. It seems to feature a points system, which will appeal to the gamer in any of our students and hopes to provide “the kind of “digital entertainment immersion” most likely to appeal to this audience, and in so doing greatly increase learners’ exposure to a wide range of authentic spoken English.”

Can’t wait to spend more time on the site!

I first came across English Attack when I saw a presentation listed at TESOL France last year by one of the founders, Paul Maglione.

The presentation is excellent, and full of the same kinds of ideas that appealed to us when we decided to set up Digital Play, so I’m sure you’ll find it of great interest.

You can see the slides to his presentation below:

Video Games The Learning Revolution Tesol France

View more presentations from Paul Maglione.

Tweet this!

Problem solving game to generate conversation

grahamstanley — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 07:08:14 +0000

Here’s a problem solving game that is best played in a connected classroom (i.e. a classroom with a PC/data projector) – it’s even better if you have an interactive whiteboard (iwb)

The game is called Crayon Physics Deluxe and a free demo can be downloaded from here: http://www.crayonphysics.com/
You will need to install the game (you cannot play online only) but you could install it on a pen drive if this is a problem

Here’s a video to give you an idea of what it looks like/ how to play it:

Crayon Physics Deluxe from Petri Purho on Vimeo.

How to use Crayon Physics Deluxe in class

1) Start the game and explain how it works by talking the class through the first couple of screens

There are a few simple concepts behind the game that will need to be explained to the class:

The object is to move the ball to the star in every level
You have to draw shapes (lines, squares, triangles, circles, etc) to move / block the ball
You can fix a shape so that it doesn’t move by drawing a circular ‘hinge’ (they’ll see this explained in the second screen)
The trick is to think how to do it before trying it out

2) Show them the third screen. Ask for a few volunteers to tell you how you can move the ball so that it touches the star. Listen to their ideas and ask the class to choose the one they think will work best. Ask that student to come out and draw the solution.

3) Continue in this way (it gets harder) and each time ask the students to explain exactly what they plan to do before letting them tray to do it. Deal with any vocabulary as it emerges and keep a record of it on a board or a piece of paper (review this later)

4) Finish by showing them the video above and ask them to compare the differences between how they solved the problems and how the person in the video did.

Another way of playing could be as a team game (awarding points to the team who solves the puzzle)

Thanks to Matt Ledding for introducing me to this idea at the 2010 TESOL Spain convention.

Tweet this!

The Uncanny Valley

grahamstanley — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 02:47:19 +0000

An interesting video to use with Advanced class interested in video games

Tweet this!