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English teacher, cat lover, amateur gardener “Keep your face always toward the sun and the shadows will fall behind you” -Walt Whitman

[themrleininger-deactivated20240]

Module 4: Peer Reblog - My Game

For one of my Choice Project options, I created a game. Below is a screenshot of the first instruction sheet, though I have also included a link to the PDF. Let me know if there are any instructions that need clarification or more explanation. Thank you!

Amazingly Simple Graphic Design Software – Canva

[qhaldem]

This is awesome! I love the idea and how the game has multiple elements to it! The only thing I would suggest if you haven't already is to make clear the order in which you pick cards, what you do if you can't successfully analyze the artifact, and what that analysis looks like. I can definitely see how this will be an engaging game that allows choice and inspires cognitive development. I'd be interested to see if players can team up to make this a more socially interactive activity. Great work so far, this is a really cool concept for a game!

[qhaldem]

Peer Review Module 4

Hi everyone! I think I have a pretty good grasp on the rest of the choice assignments I’m doing, but I’d appreciate some feedback on my plan for the “possibilities of play” blog post. So far, here are my main ideas:

A space becomes playful when you agree to enter the “magic circle” of play and are able to be creative and experimental. Within this playspace, you agree to following the rules and are able to escape the conventions of the real world. As you become fully invested, the flow of play takes over to the point where your playfulness extends upon what is expected. 

I want to use Huizinga’s explanation of the magic circle and Sutton-Smith’s ideas on rhetoric of play as imaginary to then discuss flow and how playfulness cannot be tamed from Gameful World. 

Then, I think I’m going to discuss how we can consider graduate learning as play as we enter this discourse community and fully invest ourselves in it. 

I’m hoping I will be able to fit this within the word count, but I might need to cut some parts out. I’d appreciate some feedback to help refine my ideas here within the context of the “possibilities of play.” Thanks!

@npfannen

[whole-souledela-deactivated2024]

I think I want to focus on the concept of flow for high school students for the possibilities of play blog post. I was thinking about using an activity I did with my students (an escape room on episode 1 of the Serial podcast in which students played the role of detective) which was the most engaged I had ever seen this particular group of students. Is it okay to begin by describing what flow is, how play achieves it, and then go right into the example of the escape room and how it a flow inducing play activity?

[qhaldem]

I think that's a great idea, especially for a blog post! Since that was a super popular podcast, I think it will be really engaging for your audience. A few days ago, Dr. P gave me feedback on my tumblr post where I asked about the focus of the possibilities for play blog prompt. She asked, "what are the thresholds when something, or some space becomes playful?" I think discussing flow is a great way to create focus within your post and will fit perfectly within the possibilities of play. As a reader, I'd want to know how students made the choice to be playful (since it wasn't totally voluntary) and how that flow was able to continue naturally. Your post honestly helped me figure out how I was going to narrow down my topic for this blog post, so thank you for sharing! I hope I get to read your post on the blog!

[qhaldem]

Dr. P Check in Part 2 Module 4

Hi Dr. P and peers! Here is the list of which options I’m doing for the choice project:

Student Created Notes (I think I will do either the chapter on toys or beauty from Play Matters)

Blog: Possibilities of play

Blog: What play can teach us about writing

Blog: Value of studying games as a graduate student

Create a game (I think I’m going to try to turn a short story that I read with my students into a game where they have to make decisions as the narrator while analyzing fictional elements of the story)

I’d appreciate it if you could let me know what you think of these! 

I also have a question specifically about the “Possibilities of Play” blog. I’m having a hard time avoiding being repetitive from my “What is Play?” essay. I feel like I could go on and on about everything that play can do. I’m assuming that I will be more successful if I pick one specific aspect of play to focus on, but I’m worried that I won’t be able to encompass truly how much play can do.

Thanks for the feedback! @npfannen

[sindarinscholar]

Dr. P Check in 2 Module 4

Yesterday I was reading the chapter on game based assessments, and it seems like this is cutting edge and not a lot of research has been done here making it ready for study.

Do you think this could be used as an official mode of assessment or would it never be able to get to that level? I think some students would be able to engage and demonstrate knowledge better through a digital game medium than with multiple choice and extended response test, so it is exciting to think about to bring more equity to the standardized testing.

[qhaldem]

I was thinking the same thing while reading! I definitely think that people are starting to see the value of games within the classroom. Some barriers I see are that it seems much more challenging to create meaningful games as assessments versus using the traditional forms that we are used to. The traditional forms of assessment you mentioned have been around forever, but I get the sense that more authentic and individualized assessments are being valued more. During COVID, my school district said we could not give tests or quizzes, only open-ended responses. If a student cannot pass the Keystone Exams, they are given multiple pathways or alternative assessments to be able to graduate. I think more and more, people are seeing the inequities present in these traditional forms of assessment, but it might take a while for games or other forms of assessment to be widely accepted, especially for national or state standardization.

[qhaldem]

#drpgame Module 4

My final go-to snack is a charcuterie board. I’ll be having one later today actually!

[qhaldem]

Dr. P Check-in Module 4

In Chapter 7 of GBL, the authors discuss how students don’t have a lot of choice or autonomy in their education. Within a game, these barriers are deconstructed as the learner has the opportunity to shift their role to a teacher/expert who contributes to the community. Games are a great solution to breaking this power dynamic, but can we bring the ideas within them to non-game-based learning activities to make them more plausible for real-world application? Within the context of this class and the blog posts we will create, should we keep the conversation within the frame of the activity of a game, or can we expand on the elements of a game in other contexts?

Quote for reference: “‘In many contemporary schools, students are afforded very little facility to reconfigure and restructure their learning materials (e.g., a low degree of ludic affordances) and are rarely encouraged to formulate their own narrative understandings of course materials (e.g., a low narrative affordance)...’” (190) @npfannen

[qhaldem]

Dr. P Check-in Module 4

I was thinking of this question in relation to both Chapters 1, 2, and 20 of GBL. There are many examples of games throughout these chapters that have complex designs, a multitude of skills or knowledge that they target, and a social element. What has more of an effect on the learning, the player and what they decide to do with a game, or the elements within the game that motivate and engage the player? When I’m playing games, I gravitate towards more simple ones, but can still find motivation and engagement. Is the idea that you have the possibility to learn more with more complex games, or can you create a depth of learning in a simple game? @npfannen

[qhaldem]

Original Content Writing Module 4

In Chapter 20 of GBL, I was seeing a lot of ideas about formative assessment. This is HUGE in writing. Within this class, we practice this through our tumblr posts when we peer review. As a teacher, I constantly give formative feedback on writing to support students in perfecting a final draft. Feedback throughout the writing process helps learners understand and reflect on what choices they need to make to be successful. In both a game and a writing assignment, learners put their ideas forth to receive either positive or negative feedback to dictate the next step of the process. 

[megpoff]

Module #4: Sociocultural Foundations of Game-Based Learning

“Our research indicates that social media is now an intrinsic part of participating in affinity spaces” (pg. 200).

Fun fact:

2003 => MySpace was a social media platform

2004 => Facebook was a social media platform

2005 => Reddit was a social media platform

2006 => Twitter was a social media platform

2007 => tumblr was a social media platform

2010 => Instagram was a social media platform

2016 => TikTok was a social media platform

I know there are many others, please feel free to list the ones I’m missing. I’m old enough to remember when MySpace was hip and cool. I practically lived on that thing when I was in college. That said, “my affinity” space discontinued when I didn’t see much traffic there anymore. I deleted my account about 10 years ago. That said, do you have “affinity spaces” you still cling to or have migrated to? Has this helped with your community discourse and/or learning? I’m generally curious to know. 😃

[qhaldem]

I use Tik-Tok way more than I should... It's interesting to think about this because my first reaction was to say that it doesn't really provide anything other than an escape from the real world. Now that I'm thinking about it more, I can definitely see how by following the conversations happening on TikTok, I have a better understanding of other's perspectives and how they contribute to the larger societal norms. I've been recently seeing a lot of posts about weddings and feel like I have a gauge on how our society feels about weddings being so expensive, how the norms are changing and why. I find myself going back to these videos to stay in the loop before I decide what I want for a wedding. Thanks for presenting these ideas, I'll be checking back to see what others say!

[qhaldem]

#drpgame Module 4

Another one of my favorite snacks is Doritos. Literally any flavor. My top three are spicy sweet chili, cool ranch, and spicy nacho.

[qhaldem]

Original Content Writing Module 4

Chapter 2 of Games-Based Learning showed me that playful learning involves acknowledging and responding to an environment in creative ways to challenge the mind. Just like in play, you are able to escape the real world to make mistakes and figure out what motivates and engages you. To me, play was more general and can serve multiple purposes, while playful learning intends first and foremost, to teach the learner. They both overlap with concepts of self-reflection and socialization while serving other purposes. Both ideas bring me back to the thought that play and playful learning center around the mind of the player/learner.

[qhaldem]

#drpgame Module 4

My number one snack will always be cereal. Some consider it a meal, but I always save room for a bowl of cocoa puffs after any meal 🥣

[qhaldem]

Original Content Writing Module 4

When reading Chapter 1 of Games-Based Learning, I learned a lot of the terminology used to describe the elements and effects of a game. I am not a gamer, so the only exposure I have to this topic is very little on the idea of “gamifying the classroom.” From this, I really only knew that it increases engagement to offer competitions, rewards, or a game-like structure within classroom activities. I now have a specific idea of what game-based learning is, what it looks like, and how it can be effective. I was also surprised to see a lot of research done on this topic!

[qhaldem]

Dr. P Check-in Module 3

Hi Dr. P and peers! I have a few questions regarding the “what is writing?” essay. Do I need to bring undergraduate writing into the conversation? I don’t want the essay to feel like it’s comparing/contrasting too much, but rather that the focus is on what graduate writing looks/feels like for the learner. That being said, can I base this in my limited personal experience or should I look to expand that? I was planning to center my examples on personal experiences and explain my thoughts regarding those. Can my examples be more abstract, or should I cite specific classes/assignments? Would it be better if I included secondary sources that illustrate my thoughts in a more direct way? Thanks! @npfannen

[qhaldem]

#drpgame Module 3

A color that describes me today is beige. I’m trying to stay organized and check off my to-do list, which is pretty hefty today. Beige is a neutral color that calms me 😌

[themrleininger-deactivated20240]

Module 3: Peer Review Blogs

My working definition: “Graduate writing is exploratory, emergent, and dynamic. It is exploratory in that it represents new thought, research, and experimentation; emergent in that it forms a new space or point of view within a conversation, and dynamic in that it is a process of rethinking and revision that generates new ideas inside its own boundaries.”

I am using the publication of Einstein’s “Specific Theory of Relativity” as an example of how academic writing can explore, emerge, and change dynamically.

I will be using the Writing Transfer Studies introduction, “WPA Outcomes,” and Gameful World Chapter 7 as my sources.

[qhaldem]

I absolutely love your definition! I think it's so important to talk about the experimentation within the process and how graduate writers create their own space for their work to be understood or accepted. I also like the way you included exploratory to account for the knowledge one needs to gain/synthesize in order to present their own ideas. I only thought of using personal examples of graduate writing in my essay, but it's a great idea to include a secondary source to illustrate the concepts within your essay. I'm curious to see how you center Einstein's work around graduate writing. I just Googled that he was only 26 when he published this. Are you going to discuss his personal life alongside his work, or solely focus on the writing? Either way, I think it will be a great example of the concepts you are discussing!