Erik's game on Tessellations

You can click the link here to play Erik's game on Tessellations

1. Title : Video Game Design with Patterns and Tessellations.

2. Targeted learning outcomes (instructional objectives).

A) Learn video game design basics 

B) Analyze and create Tessellations in the style of M.C. Escher

C) Discuss and then Create a video game that demonstrates knowledge of pattern and mathematical Tessellations

D) Assess their work and the work of others

3. NETS-S and SC curriculum standards aligned to each learning outcome.

Outcome A: Visual Arts VA6-6.2

Compare and contrast concepts, 

issues, and themes in the visual 

arts and other subjects in the school 

curriculum.

VA6-6.3

Identify specific visual arts careers 

and describe the knowledge and 

skills that one needs for these 

careers.

5.	Digital Citizenship
	Students understand human, cultural, and societal issues related to technology and practice legal and ethical behavior. Students:
	a. advocate and practice safe, legal, and responsible use of information and technology. b. exhibit a positive attitude toward using technology that supports collaboration, learning, and productivity.

Outcome B: Visual Arts VA6-1.3

Select and apply the most effective 

materials, techniques, and 

processes to communicate his or 

her experiences and ideas through 

artworks

VA6-2.2

Describe the ways in which the 

elements and principles of 

design are used in a particular 

work of art and the ways in which 

their use expresses the artist’s 

ideas. 

6.	Technology Operations and Concepts
	Students demonstrate a sound understanding of technology concepts, systems, and operations. Students:
	a. understand and use technology systems. b. select and use applications effectively and productively. c. troubleshoot systems and applications. d. transfer current knowledge to learning of new technologies.

Outcome C: Visual Arts VA6-4.2

Discuss and write about ways that 

time, location, climate, resources, 

ideas, and technology give meaning 

and value to an artwork

1.	Creativity and Innovation
	Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative products and processes using technology. Students:
	a. apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products, or processes.

Outcome D: Visual Arts VA6-5.2

Describe, discuss, and evaluate, 

both orally and in writing, the 

different qualities and 

characteristics of his or her own

artworks and those of others, 

including works by South Carolina 

artists.          And NETS....

3.	Research and Information Fluency
	Students apply digital tools to gather, evaluate, and use information. Students:
	a. plan strategies to guide inquiry. b. locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and ethically use information from a variety of sources and media. The product that my students will create will be a video game that showcases influence from pattern and Tessellations in their game design. There is no limit on how big or detailed a students video game may be, as long as they can feature somewhere within their game a pattern and/or a Tessellation. I plan to analyze five video games from five separate students

 

4. Rationale for instructional design—

I chose Gamestar Mechanic as it is a free and flash based program that allows my students to access it from their home computer and it teaches video game design through playing, earning and creating. 

The skills required are taught through the "quests" of Gamestar so that the students will make a game with basic game design elements (challenge/objective/map). They will also learn programming skills as they modify elements within a game and how individual elements/sprites interact with each other as a gaming system.

I made my decision to promote the students to do artwork based from home to instill a little bit more independence on them, but also to do it through engagement (playing video games)

One of my requirements for the students to submit their final game was that they had to play through roughly 30 levels in the program, complete handouts that showcase their understanding of game design, and finally publish their game to Edmodo.

I chose Edmodo as a classroom management tool to send them files, grade assignments, create a safe environment for the students to share their work and for me to easily grab their posted link so that I can put it on my blog arcade. 

The great thing about this site is that it allows the students to work on their own pace, gave them short obtainable goals (levels), awarded as they complete levels (sprites) and has the ability to share their work with their friends from around the world using social media (quick posts to Edmodo, Facebook and Twitter)

By using this tool, we avoided issues on email access or file access on the student drives. All of the files they needed for assignments were uploaded to Edmodo, and everything the students needed to make their game was within the flash based web site. Some students navigated through the site easier than others based on their home internet access or students who had previous semesters with me using Edmodo and/or Gamestar Mechanic.

 

5. Summary of significance—How does the artifact demonstrate your instructional

technology competence, and which program learning outcomes are

evidenced by these artifacts?

The product that my students will create will be a video game that showcases influence from pattern and Tessellations in their game design. There is no limit on how big or detailed a students video game may be, as long as they can feature somewhere within their game a pattern and/or a Tessellation.

I did make a suggestion for students to make a minimum of three levels and that each one demonstrates understanding of what Pattern and/or what a Tessellation is via block and game sprite arrangements.

This will be demonstrated by the fact that the student can clearly publish their game through all of their quests on Gamestar Mechanic. Each quest has various levels of game play that teach the students about game design, interactive sprite elements, and rewards. A student will only receive their publishing certificate once they complete the five quests.

The students will be creating their game through the various days of the quest. I showcase images of patterns and the work of MC Escher so that the students will have an understanding on how to create tessellations and patterns out of blocks.

I tell the students that I will not play their game nor feature it on my class arcade web site until they post it to Edmodo. Once they post it on Edmodo, I can grade it so that they will receive a numerical score instead of writing it down on paper and sending it back. 

Learning outcomes evidence:

7. Demonstrate knowledge of technology and use technology to support effective teaching, enhance student learning, and monitor student progress.

By using Edmodo I was allowed to communicate with my students, see where they were on their assignments and used it as a safe publishing platform. Gamestar allowed the students to learn game design while they played with that same technology.

1. Demonstrate knowledge of the content that they plan to teach as well as the professional, state, and institutional (conceptual framework) standards related to content knowledge.

I myself had to go through the same quests in order to publish my game, so I had to guide some of the students along if they were stuck or frustrated. I also collaborated with the Math teachers at my school to help plan the project and to also use the students' games as teaching tools for other Math students studying Tessellations and/or Pattern

 

3. Provide a student-centered learning environment by applying professional and pedagogical knowledge and skills as delineated in professional, state, and institutional (conceptual framework) standards and by engaging in ongoing reflective practice to improve teaching and learning.

I feel Edmodo and Gamestar are both student centered. Edmodo is similar in scope and design as their other social media tools like Facebook. Gamestar appeals to the students through a Japanese comic book narrative and it uses the engagement of game play through learning. I have participated in the reflection of this site by hosting staff developments on it for Horry County and TLC at the Beach

 

 

 

 

Black Water Middle's Video Game Arcade commercial

This is a commercial that I made utilizing Imovie and Jaycut which promotes my website mrgsgames.blogspot.com

Gamestar_Mechanic_Commercial.m4v Watch on Posterous

The commercial is intended to promote the work of my students, and to let other people out there know how easy it is to create a video game utilizing the free site of gamestarmechanic.com. 

And in case you haven't realized it yet, the style of this video was really inspired by 1980's BMX commercials and old school wrestling promos. I hope you enjoy it, play my students' games and make your own using Gamestar Mechanic

I think you can easily see my inspiration from this vintage "Monsters of Rock N Roar" commercial. The theme song is STILL stuck in my head after 20 years!

Play these Art Video Games on my Black Water Middle School Blogger site

CLICK RIGHT HERE (or check out the banner that I created this morning) so that you can play some of the games that my students created using Gamestar Mechanic. One student has made a game that is close to having three hundred people from around the world that have played it this past week alone.

See the full gallery on Posterous

http://mrgsgames.blogspot.com/

Create your own video game like this one on Game Star Mechanic

You can check out this game that I created below by using the awesome web 2.0 tool, Gamestar Mechanic. It isn't the greatest game in the world, but the fact that I could create one and post it on the internet to share is pretty amazing, and why I am looking forward to teaching this to my students next week.

 

What is great about Gamestar, is that it is well balanced between playing, learning and creating. The site ACTUALLY encourages its users to play the video games through their tutorials called "Quest." The Quest is a little story that has the look and feel of a Japanese Manga, but as you play the game, you begin to learn the basics of video game design and you unlock characters and items to include in your games.

In FACT, you can't even publish your game until you complete all five episodes. So, as a teacher, I feel that this is a great (and free) tool to use with my students. Some of the games may be a little simple and cheesy, and the kids may be a bit frustrated that they can't import/create their own characters, items, music or backgrounds, BUT it is an excellent way for your students to create something utilizing 21st century skills, heavily bound by STEM standards, read comics while they learn and share their work on the internet for the world to play.

And coming from a gamer's perspective, for someone who grew up with a Nintendo Enterntainment System in their home as a kid and has since gone through the several generations of video game consoles, I think is a great way to hook the students into their own interests. If you have a student that is interested on some day creating their own games, check this one out to just get used to the whole theory and practice behind game design, but if you really want to get crazy with video game programming, then I would recommend Scratch (which is a bit more complicated)