Games Learning Society, June 2010

Games Learning Society, June 2010

• 1.
  Turtles, Gobos, Greepsand Brick Blocks: Design-based Learning Models in Informal Settings Kieth Braafladt Cynthia Matthias Brian Myers Ricarose Roque Games + Learning + Society Conference University of Wisconsin-Madison June 2010
• 2.
  Turtles, Gobos, Greepsand Brick Blocks
• 3.
  Turtles, Gobos, Greepsand Brick Blocks
• 4.
  Turtles, Gobos, Greepsand Brick Blocks People’s Computer Center, Menlo Park, early 70s
• 5.
  Turtles, Gobos, Greepsand Brick Blocks
• 6.
  Turtles, Gobos, Greepsand Brick Blocks Eric Zimmerman, interviewed by Henry Jenkins (December 21, 2006) Retrieved July 23, 2007 from http://www.henryjenkins.org/2006/12/an_interview_with_eric_zimmerm.html
• 7.
  Turtles, Gobos, Greepsand Brick Blocks Game Maker Academy organized in 2006, initially as a recurring library-based game design program using the Game Maker platform Conceived as a way of leveraging our successful open gaming events and competitive gaming tournaments in order to give youth and teens an opportunity to play the role of media creators, not just consumers Provided a context for the promotion of specific 21st century literacy skills: systems thinking, information management, creativity with digital media content, storytelling, logic, and programming, thus aligning our goals with the Library’s traditional role as a supporter and provider of literacy education.
• 8.
  Turtles, Gobos, Greepsand Brick Blocks Game Maker Object Editor
• 9.
  Turtles, Gobos, Greepsand Brick Blocks In early 2007 we began offering our first Scratch programs We began to see greater diversity among participants, with a broader age range and more girls in attendance Many kids would come back to repeat these programs (both Scratch and Game Maker) and we watched as relationships formed among these youth and teens
• 10.
  Turtles, Gobos, Greepsand Brick Blocks Some of the more engaged participants decided to form a club in order to sustain the creative environment of the workshops, and to play a role in planning and assisting with additional workshops Meetings were irregularly scheduled at first, but then began occurring on a monthly basis in one of the library meeting rooms. Members met in order to • plan additional Game Maker and Scratch workshops, • invite professional guests, • plan game competition events Club members began inviting figures from the gaming industry and from academia as guests (Rachel Nador, left, and Patrick Curry, right).
• 11.
  Turtles, Gobos, Greepsand Brick Blocks Members invited to form a teen panel at the ALA’s 2007 Gaming, Learning and Libraries Symposium
• 12.
  Turtles, Gobos, Greepsand Brick Blocks By the summer of 2008 the club had been together long enough that its members began to see it as a formal institutional entity • Game Design Club web site was created - www.gamemakeracademy.org • Members began thinking and discoursing critically about the club, its scope, structure and its future (sense of ownership and responsibility) • Members began delivering presentations to one another as a component of their monthly meetings (controller mapping, 3D effects, content editing and editing tools)
• 13.
  Turtles, Gobos, Greepsand Brick Blocks GDC members began facilitating workshops themselves beginning in 2008 A couple members have even been hired to facilitate Game Maker and Scratch programs at neighboring suburban libraries Members have encouraged and helped to develop additional design workshops and programs, built around the Alice, Robocode and Greenfoot applications. The club regularly hosts gaming tournaments that draw 20-30 teens. The most popular of these have been the retro tournaments, which sometimes include parents.
• 14.
  Turtles, Gobos, Greepsand Brick Blocks
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  Turtles, Gobos, Greepsand Brick Blocks Reflections Gender disproportion Affinity => community => shared goals => collaboration Informal learning spaces: how persistent? Homes, Clubs, Museums, Community Centers, Park Districts, Libraries, Online Communities Learner-centeredness => ownership Playfulness
• 16.
  Turtles, Gobos, Greepsand Brick Blocks www.gamemakeracademy.org www,gamedesignclub.org