Week 10

Game Background: Students will create coin change for computer characters that need it. The game will be called "4C" - Change Creator Cathy's Cubicle. Cathy's cube is nearest the office's break room that only takes change. To help her co-workers, she always has enough change to break dollars down to coin change. The player has to enter in the right amounts to complete this task. Cathy provides change to a group of co-workers each day and at the end of each day, the budget for buying new items for her cubicle goes up. A player completes the game when they have played enough days to put all items into her cubicle.  Different co-workers will ask for different types of coins for their purchases. It will be random on their demands out of a list of 3 needs.

Programming Notes: I will have to program both a calculator for coin totals, ifs statements for when totals are reached, animations for her co-workers moving on and off screen and a store to buy things for her cubicle. The "mental calculator" will be in a thought bubble and require clicks to add or reduce a coin type.

Miscellaneous Notes: I believe that the interactive with run quicker and smoother if I have the characters talk. I plan on a store with a few different items like a lava lamp, calendar and digital picture viewer as the "levels."Here is a link to my start up screen. Scratch | Project | 4C

Double Entry Journal #9

Why should programming be part of school curriculum?

I believe that programming should be part of school curriculum because of the direction that the job market is going. High tech jobs are becoming the industrial jobs of the 21st century. I was lucky that I was able to have an introductory class in programming in BASIC in high school. It was excellent exposure to software before I studied Engineering and later Computer Science at WVU, because I already had learned a programming language.

Newest generation programming languages are even easier to learn and use, as shown in the article with Scratch. The benefit that students have from starting with today's technology is a real boon.

Lastly, I think that programming could improve interest in math because of the need for numbers to be exact for software to work.

What are the barriers to implementing programming in schools?

I believe costs are the major obstacle. Upgraded computer labs and instructors with programming skills that could be taken to the private sector would bust already tight school budgets. The authors of the article showed a lack of instruction in programming, despite having the computer labs already.

How can barriers to implementing programming in schools be overcome?

A way to add curriculum outside of budgets would be with afterschool "clubs". I had a few months of introductory Spanish in grade school that was provided in this way. While it did not produce much in the way of retention for later courses I had in High School and College, I was prepared to build upon my earlier lessons with greater ease. Being able to count and carry on a simple conversation was less that I had to learn in the other courses.

I was introduced to video teleconferencing classes in the Navy and this could provide a way to stretch out instructors. We were in San Diego, watching the instructor in Tennessee, with a few others satellite sites. We also had microphones to speak to the instructor during question sessions.

Double Entry Journal #8

I really enjoyed reading this week's article because I am both a programmer and a future instructor. The case study showed how success in programming can lead to success in other areas of learning. My quote:

"...we are focusing on three aspects that we feel are particularly important to media arts practices: computation, collaboration, and creativity. Computation draws our attention to the role that technology and computer programming plays in the media arts practices. Programming in this context is less about code and more about creativity or personal expression... Collaboration within this context takes on many forms. The design studio environment emphasizes the social context of media arts practices, which sets the stage for peer to peer and member types of collaborations."(Peepler & Kafai, 2)

I was impressed that the authors would take the time to go into such depth in instructing their students in the software and media arts development style. I personally would be interested in participating in such as group.

I found a link to that hosts media arts instruction at: http://www.khake.com/page87.html
I looked through some of them and they are a good starting point.


Reference:

 Peppler, Kylie A.,  Kafai, Yasmin B. Online article at: Collaboration, Computation, and Creativity: Media Arts Practices in Urban Youth Culture

Week 9 Game Intro

• What is the academic concept students will be involved in as they play the game?
• Students will create coin change for computer characters that need it.
• What is the story line?
• The game will be called "4C" - Change Creator Cathy's Cubicle. Cathy's cube is nearest the office's break room that only takes change. To help her co-workers, she always has enough change to break dollars down to coin change. The player has to enter in the right amounts to complete this task.
• Who is the main character? Cathy
• What does the main character do to win the game? Cathy provides change to a group of co-workers each day and at the end of each day, the budget for buying new items for her cubicle goes up. A player completes the game when they have played enough days to put all items into her cubicle.
• What challenges will the main character face to move up a level? Different co-workers will ask for different types of coins for their purchases. It will be random on their demands.

Find a SCRATCH game that you might use as inspiration for your own game and link to it.

Scratch | Project | Cash Register

This game simulates a fast food cash register so I can use the calculator feature in making sure that the player  adds up the correct amount of coins.

Double Entry #7

Quote: "They believe that the process of playing and designing games might increase students' academic engagement, improve their motivation in reading and writing, and prepare them for success in the 21st century workforce." (Hsu & Wang, 8)

Response: This quote really struck me as a good summation of goals for game based education. Games really do have the potential to reach out to students that struggle in traditional classroom, can teach reading and writing behind the scenes of a student engaged in a game and give students much exposure to new technologies. This exposure is critical in today's workforce because a lack of computer literacy can limit a young worker to manual labor jobs.

Link: http://currents.dwrl.utexas.edu/2010/lieberman_four-ways-to-teach-with-video-games

I did an internet search on computer literacy and got this site. It has much of the same focus as the quoted text and presents the material in a different way. The examples that this author used were games that I had seen and had a better understanding of the author's notes.

Reference:

Hsu, Hui-Yin & Wang, Shiang-Kwei. Using Gaming Literacy to Cultivate New Literacy - Simulation and
     Gaming 43 (6), December 2012.
 

Pacman

I created a Pacman game off of a root project and set it up the way I liked it. Enjoy!


Scratch | Project | PUCMANAndy

Double Entry Journal #6

Quote:
"Students were also asked about where they found information for completing their work, and 86.3% of respondents indicated that they used the Web as opposed to printed materials. When asked about activities they enjoyed in school, students listed working with computers as their top activity—above working on projects in a group, working on a project independently, listening to the teacher explain things, and doing worksheets."
Response:
This number really shocked me at first because I did not know that students use the Web for their source of information that readily. As a graduate student I am always looking for the source of information to quote, but it seems that students today do not car where the information is coming from just so long as they get the answer. I don't blame them because it is the path of least resistance.
Link:
http://www.brainpop.com/english/writing/onlinesources/preview.weml

I did an internet search on online sources to show others a good link on how to reference the material. This might be a good starting point for teachers that have to show students that they need to research their sources so that they can prove where the information was based.

Reference:

Spires, H., Lee, J., & Lester, J. (2008). The 21st century learner and game-based learning. Meridian, 11(1).

Week 7 Catlib

Here is the link to my Catlib: Scratch | Project | AndyCatlib