RMH
d e v o n
noise dept.
Janaina Medeiros
Lint Roller? I Barely Know Her
titsay
shark vs the universe
pixel skylines
occasionally subtle
we're not kids anymore.
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ellievsbear
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DEAR READER
Stranger Things
Discoholic 🪩
h
JBB: An Artblog!
Alisa U Zemlji Chuda
Andulka
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@sindarinscholar
Final Choice Project
I will say one thing about this project as we are all working on our various pieces, it really makes you take stock of all the different things that have now taken up residence in your head through the readings!
Mangle of Play
The idea of mangle of play seems like something that should definitely be talked about. The idea that community can be built by play and then effect the play itself, turning it into this flow between player culture and the playing itself is something I knew about but didn't think about in relation to play before.
I take player-culture as meaning the meta-game that evolves around play, trying to optimize and learning through play to accomplish the task, thus mangling the exact nature of play in the process.
This occurs in almost every game that I have played or play. In World of Warcraft, there are entire communities based around optimization and making sure you are maximizing your ability usage time and a million other ways to "play" correctly.
This happens in Warhammer too, where each army has a particular build that is considered "good" regardless of how much fun it is.
The learning opportunities presented through mangle of play though result from the social and logical collaboration based around the play. This lets academics study the social impacts of the different forms of play.
Choice Assignment
For my choice assignment, I am planning on writing the 4 blog posts and then creating a game.
Possibilities for Play
What Play Can Teach Us About Writing
Valuing Games as a Graduate Student
Game Analysis
For my game, I am hoping to create something that deals with rhetorical analysis (since I am an AP Language and Composition teacher). I am thinking of making it a quest game that has students create their own character and then has to take on different quests that deal with different rhetorical challenges. I am still working out the kinks, but I think that this will be super cool in my 2 sections of AP.
This sounds pretty cool Katie. I wonder if you could share the premise once you finish it? This is somewhere my students struggle and would be largely beneficial. Have them level up as they complete the quest, maybe have a level up structure sheet for different advantages they could gain after completely so many number of assignments?
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.
Snack Attack 3
I love to grab some Keebler E.L. Fudge cookies when I need something sweet.
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. 😃
I feel the same way. Migrated from Myspace, to Facebook, to Tumblr, to Twitter. I like to engage with the painter and hobby space on Twitter, but I do find myself on Discord a lot more engaging with fellow hobbyist. I would say as far as gaming and hobby community go I have definitely learned a lot from others in these spaces and it really helps discourse overall.
Peer Review Choice Project
For the choice project, I have decided to do:
Chapter Choice + Student Created Notes A and B
Blog Post - What play can teach us about writing
Blog Post - Game Analysis
Create a Game
In creating a game, I am thinking about doing something that has to do with grammar and syntax. I have in the past taught one grammatical pattern per week (about 5-10 min per day) and kids have really enjoyed it and found it helpful for their writing. In thinking about a game, I don’t want the game objectives to be an external objective. I want the grammar-learning to be the focus of the game. I’m wondering, in everyone’s experience, if I should make this a digital game or “on-paper” game. Additionally, I’m also wondering if anyone has suggestions of what sources I should look at (from class) that you think would give me a better view into making the game.
Thanks!
Jake, I wonder if the on paper game could work if they students are placed into groups to compete against each other? I feel that when I give on paper assignments most of them ignore the push to do it whereas digital gets token engagement for me most of the time.
Some of the things you have talked about with your original post this week hinted towards the ideas from Benson in the position statement. The other source I would use is the ethics of playing piece we read.
Elden Ring: The Highest Order of Thinking - Original Content Writing 2 (Mod 4)
As a teacher, when I think of higher order thinking skills, I think Blooms Taxonomy (remembering all the way to creating, depending on which version you look at). Elden Ring is a video game that asks the player to use these thinking skills. In short, it is a first person role player game in which you are tasked with exploring a world, leveling up, finding weapons, armor, loot, etc. and working through a series of “bosses” that vary in difficulty. To explain the higher order thinking that happens while playing, I’ll list each level of Blooms and explain what the game requires in that area
Remembering - while playing, the player must remember where they have been and looted already. It is a waste of time to go back and loot/explore an area that you’ve explored already.
Understanding - While playing, a player must estimate what it will take to beat a certain boss. The game is so “open world” that the player must figure out when they are at a skill level adequate enough to defeat a boss.
Applying - Similar to above, players must determine which weapons, shields, and power-ups to use when attempting to defeat a boss. Players also have to determine (after attempting to defeat a boss and losing) whether they will try again or continue exploring until they feel ready.
Analyzing - Players have to “mind-map.” As a player is discovering new territories in the world, they must make a plan for how they will explore. There are no indicators to show whether one is ready to explore the area or when to explore the area.
Evaluating - Players must evaluate the efficiency of weapons. If one weapon is too heavy, the swing is slow and can only be used in certain situations.
Creating - The player creates a character for themselves with certain attributes. Upon leveling up, the player gets a point to use in certain skill areas for their player. They create the player in order to complete the objective in the fastest, best way possible.
I am literally playing through Elden Ring right now so I can get to the DLC! I think a lot of your higher thinking points are perfect! The analyzing of the areas with a mind map and the evaluating of strategy and weapons in the game really hit home. Understanding each enemy and how they strike and move was up there to. Elden ring is definitely a game that doesn't hand hold and allows player space for experimentation and understanding and eventually mastery.
Choice Assignment
Right now I am planning to do the 4 blog post prompts:
Possibilities of Play
What Play Can Teach Us About Writing
Value of Studying Games as a Graduate Student
Game Analysis
Then for the last choice I am planning on sharing a section of the game I am implementing into my classroom this upcoming year. This game has students creating a character, complete with slimmed down stats and skills that will fall into a particular class, as well as backstories.
Then as we read different material over the year the characters will be used to overcome challenges from the literature. How would their group have approached the Green Knight? What about Grendel? I want to use these opportunities to review literature, have structured writing exercises, and have some fun rolling big foam dice. I hope that allowing students to utilize their characters/avatars in the classroom will allow for them to feel less vulnerable and critically think and take risk when it comes to the themes and stories that we will read.
Higher Order Thinking Game
Role playing games have been mentioned multiple times by different authors that we have read and I think that these are truly a great example of a game that supports higher order thinking.
Characters must be created within the confines of the rules, requiring understanding of the synergy of the rules and how different aspects effect each other.
During the game players are put into roles that they must maintain and utilize to play the game (in order to be considered good players).
Often times players are put into situation where there is a problem to overcome and a multitude of solutions or steps needed to be taken in order to solve the problem. One misconception is that fighting in an RPG is always the answer and it definitely isn't.
Players must use abstract thinking to solve most problems and spatial thinking in order to solve others. Sometimes multiple story lines interact during the game forcing players to organize and critically think about the information and which is the most important paths to take based on the perceived outcomes.
Because of the true sandbox nature of an RPG game, it allows for a host of higher order thinking skills to be utilized at the table.
Snack Attack 2
I must have my coffee in the morning. Maybe it's because I have gotten into the habit during the school year, but I need to have it in the morning or I feel like I can't get up to speed.
Dr. P Project Check In (Module 4 check in 3)
For creating a game, do we have to have any sources for it and can we showcase a section or system of a game we are developing or does it have to be a complete and enclosed system?
Dr. P Check in #1 Module 4
During my reading of chapter 2, page 29 mentioned the "Golden Age" of educational gaming. I have conflicting feeling here. First I feel old reading out it, second is I remember how effective these games were in teaching me different things throughout my child hood.
My question is: Could we see a renaissance of educational gaming? With so much academia pointing to how beneficial these types of games were and the pedagogical theories in place behind them would it be possible for a resurgence even if unlikely? It made me think about the potential there is behind game based learning as a whole if system were made to adapt the idea to the mainstream.
Games=Bad (the most garbage of takes) OG content Module 4.
Chapter 1 of Theoretical Foundations of Game Based Learning is definitely influenced by the idea that if something is a game that it is bad. There are two ways I read this in the chapter.
The first is that the entirety of this chapter, while informational, is constantly having to justify game-based learning as being worthwhile. I understand that is is an exploration of game-based learning so it is creating a foundation for discussion, but that undertone is definitely there, especially in the introduction section where statistics are given, specifically focused around teens/young people and gaming as well as the end where it talks about parent's evaluation of games. I do appreciate that the authors go above and beyond to make sure that the idea of game-based learning in this first chapter ties back into pedagogy and benefits through different studies, showing that there is tangible benefits to games in a learning environment.
I don't think that violent connections or games=bad is a conversation that scholars need to continue to have at this point. I think that the core of this issue was a moral panic had by an older generation because they couldn't relate to the idea that kids can engage and play games on a screen so it must be "bad". Having to waste time and energy to counteract that point is a waste of scholars time.
Snack Attack 1
First go to snack.
Salt and vinegar chips.
Dr. P Check in 2 Module 3
I know that this course highlights the links between play and writing, and I am really excited to get into those links next week! I am trying to hard focus on the writing process and the idea of transfer for my essay. I currently have my working definition of writing include both writing and graduate writing, and then I'll tie in those processes to the graduate writing definition. Is it okay to have both definitions in the papers intro?
What is graduate writing? Essay
This feels really messy to me yet, but:
Graduate writing is a rhetorical process that synthesizes prior knowledge with new learning, typically in an academic style. This writing has a focus on positioning students as rising researchers who are contributing to their chosen academic field.
Plan/Thoughts:
WPA Outcomes
Process
Critical thinking, reading
Transfer
M.Ed. vs. M.A. experiences with writing
Feedback welcomed! I just keep staring at this "definition" like I've never done graduate level writing in my life.
I think that your definition looks really good. I am planning on focusing on that transfer through writing as well. Jake made a good point in his post that we as graduate learners bring so much to the table from our experiences when we write that it puts us in a very good position to make original points and observations. I don't think than can be a wildly wrong answer to what graduate writing is though!
