Game-Making Session Report

GAME-MAKING SESSION REPORT

1. Check the guidelines for classroom observation practice

2. Read through this monitoring report before the class session to remind yourself what aspects are of interest. Add your own indicators if you wish. Have a copy of the report on hand at the session so you can refer to it.

3. Monitor the class sessions using your own log-sheet.

4. After the session, use the data in your log to compile this report. Please use the file rather than a pen &paper version. Reporting is best done immediately after the session when impressions are fresh in your mind and you recall things that you may not have managed to log.

5. Later on, read back through the report to see if your impressions have changed or if you’ve remembered anything you want to add.

6. Save your report on dropbox with a version number. If you want to change it sometime later, either generate a new file or add your changes in revision mode; in both cases attribute a new version number.

Monitor’s name: Antonios

Group ID: Aggelos, Anastasia, Erifilli, Maria, Sophia, Stavros

Group’s profile (representativeness of whole class regarding abilities, aptitudes, attitudes, etc.)

Students at University Ecclesiastical Academy of Heraclion Crete (Department of Byzantine Chant and Music)

Members: 6 students

Class: 1 student (2th year), 4 students (4th year), 1 student (graduate)

Location: University Ecclesiastical Academy of Heraclion Crete

Date: 13/5/2014

1 2 1. Game idea

Were the students set a game-making task/goal? How did the main game idea emerge within the group?

The students were really interested in creating games. After the briefing (about Magos Platform, it’s use and it’s goal as far as educational purposes are concerned) we all participated in a dialogue, in which we all mentioned an idea for a game and afterwards each one of the members created a game of his/her own. The session ended with the six students divided in two groups, thus creating two games by co-operation.

To help you verify this, look out for the following indicators; simply tick the ones that occur or mark the number of times they occur. indicators no rarely moderately often v often proposed by one student X negotiated jointly X developed through exploration X inspired by a model/example X copied from another group X other ______

2. Collaboration

Did the children collaborate during the game making session?

no rarely moderately often v often X

To help you verify this, look out for the following indicators; simply tick the ones that occur or mark the number of times they occur.

indicators no rarely moderately often v often discussion X negotiation X working together X mutual support/encouragement X seeking and/or accepting peer X feedback other ______

3 Write any comment, event or situation supporting your observation The group of students was very interested in creating games and showed real concern on the learning procedure. They were supportive towards one another and they all evaluated and they all commented on the games created by the other students.

3. Engagement

Were the children engaged during the game making session?

indicators no rarely moderately often v often individuals physically staying X together with their group unit individuals actively participating X all group members actively X participating (no inactive members) concentrating X reacting positively X other ______

Write any comment, event or situation supporting your observation The only thing that I’ve noticed is that the menu has – at some point - to be translated in Greek. Even though the students that participated in the session knew English, they pointed out that a translation in greek would be really helpful.

4. Motivation

Were the children motivated?

4 indicators no rarely moderately often v often Interest in continuing with game X making in class Interest in continuing with game X making out of class Interest in game ranks or awards X Interest in dissemination of games X other ______

Write any comment, event or situation supporting your observation

The students, right from the beggining, showed real interest in the game and the various game making possibilities that the Magos Platform offered them. They discussed during the procedure of game making along with their coleagues. The game was easy to make and easy to preview but ther suggested that it would be more interesting if they could add pictures and not only words.

5. Problem solvingi

Were problem solving skills and strategies apparent in the session? These may regard processes, tools, products.

indicators no rarely moderately often v often discussion X Recognise and define problem/s including constraints or obstacles encountered X withprocesses, tools, products Reflect on and develop solution strategy X e.g. forward planning, hypothesis forming,decision- making procedure, etc. Gather and analyse ideas / data e.g.brainstorming,problemdecomposition,analysis of X overall game, seeking root cause, inference forming Consider/try alternatives X e.g. adopt a previous solution, out-of-the-box 5 thinking, transform into previously-solved problem, trial-and-error Evaluation of implemented solution e.g. assess result, reconsider strategy, refine X solution other ______

The students didn’t face any problem as far as game making is concerned. They used experience of their one along with their creativity. They kept on discussing ideas through out the game making procedure.

6. Creativityii

Was creativity apparent in the session? This may regard attitudes, processes and products.

To help you verify this, look out for the following tentative indicators (these are suggestions and not intended as precise markers). Simply tick the ones that occur or mark the number of times they occur. indicators no rarely moderately often v often Attention to game’s aesthetic appeal and potential to engage X e.g. game description , background elements, theme approach to choice of elements seek to put a personal stamp on game X e.g. generate and integrate novel ideas and solutions in mission make original / unforeseen connections X e.g. integration of elements and mission deal with conditions, constraints & problems in unorthodox / imaginative manner X e.g. seek/identify alternatives, brainstorm and cross-fertilize ideas Propose or implement solution that goes beyond set task X e.g. ambitious mission that pushes boundaries of assigned theme or system possibilities Other ______

Not one Magos game was the same as another. All six students made six completely different types of games, which really showed their imagination and creativity.

6 7. ICT Literacyiii

Were ICT literacy skills apparent in the session? These may regard attitudes, processes and products.

indicators no rarely moderately often v often Understand technological environment e.g. explore environment, explore & use functions, X identify limits & constraints, draw on help appropriately Use technology productively e.g. select appropriate functions & features, X appreciate and exploit affordances, deal with limits & constraints, produce playable game Apply existing ICT knowledge e.g. make comparison with other applications & X functions, display familiarity & confidence in environment Apply versioning to game making e.g. troubleshoot game on-the-fly, integrate X feedback, refine intermediate versions Demonstrate design thinking e.g. assume player’s viewpoint in game design, X evaluation and revision; consider, plan & reflect on global design/production process other ______

The student’s knowledge of ICT skills is very limited. That is the main reason why they used the magos platform gaming tools and made suggestions (such as the use of greek in the text, in the menus and the possibility to add pictures during game making).

8. Practitioner interaction with pupil group

Was practitioner/pupil interaction fluid and fruitful?

7 To help you verify this, look out for the following indicators; simply tick the ones that occur or mark the number of times they occur.

no rarely moderately often v indicators often Group (member) proactively sought: X … practitioner’s support for game making task … practitioner’s help with the digital environment X … practitioner’s mediation in group collaboration or X engagement … practitioner’s encouragement, recognition, praise, X etc. … interaction at ‘peer’ level with practitioner input X regarded critically Teacher intervened: X … to offer suggestions about game making task … to help with using the digital environment X … to mediate group collaboration or engagement X … stimulate, encourage, offer recognition / praise, etc. X … more as a ‘peer’ than as an authority figure X other ______

Write any relevant comment, event or situation

I intervened during the first phases of the session while I was explaining to the students how the Magos Platform works and how we can create an educational game. Apart from that the students, due to discussion and dialogue, did the rest thus creating six unique games of their own and two game via co-operation.

9. Further observations or notes (including comments on the monitoring process and report)

All the students really enjoyed working at the Magos Platform and were really intrigued by the fact that they could use this technique to the learning procedure in the teaching process. It worth mentioning that one of the students, Maria, came to the session accompanied by her little sister, Anastasia, aged 5, that showed enthusiasm and “tested” all the games created by the students. That showed Anastasia’s interest in playing as well as learning, taking into consideration that she passed successfully the tasks required at all six games (plus the two games that were created by the two groups of students), after being explained to what to do (she doesn’t know English). Finally, they all asked me to put together the video that I am sending along with the questionnaires, showing their work through out the the process, that we 8 hope you enjoy.

9 10 iproblem-solving  the ‘problem-solving cycle’ (Bransford& Stein, 1993);

 Frensch, P. A., & Funke, J. (Eds.). (1995).

 Complex problem solving: The European perspective. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates;

 International Society For Technology In Education – National Educational Technology Standards (Nets) Profiles For Technology (ICT) Literate Students

 Problem Solving for Tomorrow’s World - First Measures of Cross-Curricular Competencies from PISA 2003 (OECD)

 iiCreativity

 Cropley, Creativity in Education and Learning, London: Kogan Page, 2001

 T. Amabile, Creativity in context: Update to the social psychology of creativity, Boulder, CO: Westview Press, pp. 35-36, 1996.

 J.A. Plucker, R.A. Beghetto, Why creativity is domain general, why it looks domain specific, and why the distinction doesn’t matter, Creativity: From potential to realization, ed. R. J. Sternberg, E. L. Grigorenko, and J. L. Singer, 153-68, Washington, DC: American Psychological Association, 2004.

 E. Villalba, Computer-based Assessment and the Measurement of Creativity in Education. In The Transition to Computer-Based Assessment. New Approaches to Skills Assessment and Implications for Large-scale TestingFriedrich Scheuermann& Julius Björnsson (Eds.)European Communities, 2009.

 NACCCE, All Our Futures: Creativity, Culture and Education , Report to the Secretary of State for Education and Employment the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, UK, 1999.

 F. Frossard, M. Barajas, S. Alcaraz-DomÌnguez, A. Trifonova and J. Quintana (2011). GBL Design for Enhancing Creativity in the Classroom. In Games and Creativity in Education and Training. Barajas, Trifonova, Delli Veneri, Frossard, Mellini (Eds.). Fridericiana Editrice Universitaria. ISBN: 978-88-8338- 117-1

 iiiICT literacy

 Ferrari, A. (2012). Digital Competence in practice: An analysis of frameworks. Seville: JRC-IPTS; International Society For Technology In Education – National Educational Technology Standards (Nets) Profiles For Technology (ICT) Literate Students