Playing Games

I don't play a lot of games in my free time.  When I do play games, I like to play Spider Solitaire or Text Twist.  I also like strategy games, but do not have a favorite one.  I am looking forward to seeing the games that you make this year.  Because you do play a lot of games, I think it will help you come up with a fun and interesting game.

Mini Game Project

We have been working on the mini game project the last couple of days. There were a few difficulties to be overcome. The machines seemed to take a while to open Flash.  After the file was downloaded, we found a few that were corrupted and had to be downloaded again. Needless to say, we did not get much accomplished in a 45 minute class period.  Hopefully we can get done tomorrow!

Check out what we did in our mini workshop yesterday!  Scroll to the bottom of the page and look for the Mini Workshop October 7th heading.

Choosing a Topic

I know that you are finishing up your "big questions" for choosing a topic.  Remember to answer the questions on your own "My Projects" page.  To see what some of the other schools are doing and to read student blogs, visit the Weir High School site.  The instructor has placed links on her page to several of the other schools.  Find at least three students in your area and make positive comments on their blog and add them to your blog roll.

If you haven't customized your wiki and blog, you need to ASAP.  Monday is the end of the 6 weeks.

Choosing a Game Genre

Now that you have had some time to play the games, it is time to start thinking about the type of game that you would like to create.  Remember, we will be creating games in the S.T.E.M. area--Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.  So put on your thinking caps and try to come up with a topic that will be interesting and fun to learn about.

Setting up your blogs

Your e-mail account is set up and your wiki account established.  It's now time to set up your blog.

If you have never blogged, it will be a new experience.  You will be expected to blog at least once a week and maybe more on special occasions. 

Good luck--now get started!

Welcome to Globaloria game design class!

Buckle up and get ready to blast off for a new year! I look forward to seeing the games that you will create this year and possibly enter in the STEM competition. In addition to creating a game, you will be working with your own wiki and blog throughout the year. Good luck and I hope you enjoy the class!

Looking Back

When I look back on my first year as a Globaloria teacher, I wonder where the time went. We had our training and it was time to start. Then the snow kept pouring down. Before you knew it, it was May and time for students to have their games done. My students accomplished a lot, but at first I was apprehensive that they would get finished.

My advice to new educators would be to not get overwhelmed. There is a lot to do, but if you begin to doubt your ability, your students will not get the full benefit of the program. Let the students know that you are learning too and will need their help. The students will grow more if you let them learn how to do things on their own and share with their classmates. So if you start to feel that you are not accomplishing anything, take time to sit back and relax and then start again!

My Favorite Beatle

I have always enjoyed listening to the Beatles and my favorite has always been Paul McCartney. Their songs are easy to sing along with even if some of them have weird lyrics. Paul McCartney and John Lennon wrote most of the song lyrics. It is strange that many of my students weren’t familiar with the Beatles until the Rock Band video game came out in 2009. It’s nice to know that if they can't reunite in person, they can virtually!

If you want to listen to some of their music or watch videos.

Enjoying Summertime!

Well--I am just getting used to being off from school. It usually takes the rest of June to realize that you don't have to get up at the crack of dawn and be at school in time for morning duty. Usually I start to really enjoy my break in July and it usually flies by. Then, guess what, it's August all ready!

We start back on August 18th this year. I have a lot of things to do to get ready to start again. I saw a student yesterday working at an ice cream stand and she said that she was ready to go back to school; she said she was bored! I thought, not me, I don't miss lesson plans and inservices at all.

It's inevitable though; come August, it's back to the grind!

One Day at a Time

We're down to the final days. End of course tests and senior semester exams are done. We completed our game presentations and graduation is next. After that, comes underclass exams and registration. I have one more morning duty and that's it. I am looking forward to some free time to relax.