Explore Like a Pirate: Chapter 6

Good Morning!

This morning I am linking up with Rachel from Sweet Sweet Primary to bring you my thoughts about chapter 6 of Explore Like a Pirate.

I loved this chapter! Matera has begun leading us through the actual creation of a game. In this chapter he tells us about the 4 important parts of any game: theme, setting, characters, and action/conflict. Any good game has these four elements in a very detailed and well thought out format.

The theme is where you frame your story. Its the big picture and sets the stage for the other three elements of the game. Once you have your theme you create the setting. This has to be very detailed because you want the kids to feel like they are a part of the world that you are creating in the game. Matera states that it is "one part location and two parts description."

Once your setting is in place you create your characters. Make sure that your characters are interesting and that they help you achieve the goals that you have for your students through this game. The characters need to be relevant to the story to keep students engaged and learning.

Finally you need the action/conflict. This happens in two different ways. You need to create small, quick challenges to give students successes throughout the game and a few failures so that they can learn to make changes or adjustments to their approach to the game. There are also longer challenges that flow throughout the game. These conflicts can be for individuals, small groups, or teams. We just need to make sure that they are appropriate for our students, story line, and goals.

I was so excited by this chapter that I am slowing working through the series of questions that he gives us to create a mini game for my students to play this coming school year. It won't be a year long game. I am nowhere near ready for that yet but I think I can handle a week long game to start with. I hope you found this beginning to game creation just as helpful and exciting as I did.

Have a wonderful Tuesday!

Ashley

Explore Like a Pirate: Chapter 5

Good Morning!

This morning I am linking up with Sweet Sweet Primary for chapter 5 of Explore Like a Pirate. 

 In this chapter Matera talks about the different gamer personalities and key elements to creating games. The four personality types are summarized below.

The goal when creating games for your classroom would be to know in which group each of your students fall so that when creating teams you have a nice mix of these personalities. Having a mix of these personalities on each team will give them a nice balance. Achievers and Griefers will drive the team to gain that prestige of making it to the next part of the game first or getting a piece right before others. Your socializers will hold the team together because their main focus is building relationships and making memories within the game. Finally your explorers will push your team to find the hidden elements of the game and encourage creative thinking within the team.These personalities are very different but when placed together within a team setting they can do great things. 

After learning about the different gaming personalities Matera went on to discuss different elements that are important to include within the game. He pointed out that you want to create something that students are drawn to and can relate to so that they are engaged in the game. Make sure that the activities you create are not so difficult that students can not achieve mastery but that they are not so easy that students breeze right through the challenges. Try to find a balance to keep the confident but also challenged within the game. 

Creating competition is also good for your game environment. It encourages teams to bond as they are working together to finish before other teams. When done correctly it can also be motivating for students because they will strive to become stronger or more creative in their thinking the next time around. 

Finally you want to make sure that whatever they are striving for in the game is connected to the game. Make it something worthwhile to them so that it is desired and keeps them engaged and striving to reach the end to gain that prize. 

This was only the tip of the iceberg of information in this chapter. I am looking forward to seeing how he takes these pieces and weaves them together in the game models he will be sharing in the coming chapters. 

Have a wonderful day and thanks for reading!

Ashley

Explore Like a Pirate: Chapter 3

Good Evening!

So today is all about catching up from visiting family and travels, hence the late post this week. In this post I am linking up with Rachel from Sweet Sweet Primary for chapter 3 of Explore Like a Pirate. This is a great read! I encourage you to join us if you can.

In the beginning of chapter he does a comparison of old world teaching versus new world teaching. He showed this to emphasize how our thought process needs to fit our students of today and not the students of the past. We need to reach our students on their level and instill in them a desire and passion for learning. They should want to learn. The chart below shows a few of my favorite comparisons. 

Changing our way of thinking and making learning exciting for our students will reap so many rewards. We don't need to make everything game complicated and over the top. Even the simple games like Jeopardy, Are You Smarter Than a (Grade Level), etc are all simple games to put together that students love. We can start their and work our way to other games full of strategies and levels as we feel more confident. 

"Trust in the process and believe in yourself." -Michael Matera

Ashley

Explore Like a Pirate: Chapter 2

Hello Again!

So I am returning again this morning to link up with Rachel from Sweet Sweet Primary for chapter 2 of Explore Like a Pirate. If you haven't read it yet I encourage you to start. It is an interesting read.

"Exploration is really the essence of the human spirit" --Frank Borman

This chapter goes into more detail about gamification and the myths that are surrounded with it. It was interesting to see that there are so many myths surrounding gamification, several of which I had thought myself. Matera does an excellent job of putting the 9 most common myths to rest. He makes so many valid points. As he dispels all the myths he points out how much thinking, processing, teamwork, strategy, and knowledge can come from games.

As you read this chapter you see how beneficial games are for kids. Games help them to learn from mistakes, develop strategies, process information, develop teamwork skills, etc. They need these skills for real world experiences they will face and what better way to develop them than within a classroom where they can learn, explore, and have guidance from peers and teachers. 

The challenge that I face is creating those interactive games that have challenges that will catch a students attention and get them exploring. That is not something that comes very easily to my brain which makes me grateful that he is breaking things down. I love how he mentions that there  are 3 C's that every game needs to have: content (curriculum you are working on), choice (open-ended game model), and challenges (unknown twists and turns that keep students interested). Good things to have on a checklist when creating games for your students. 

These are my thoughts for this chapter. I'm looking forward to seeing what new piece to the game making puzzle I will learn in the next chapter. 

Have a wonderful day!

Ashley

Explore Like a Pirate: Chapter 1

Happy Tuesday!

I love summer vacation for so many reasons, but one of them is the chance to actually read a book. This summer I have several books that I plan on reading and one is Explore Like a Pirate. I am joining Rachael from Sweet Sweet Primary for her book study of this book. Come join us if you can!

"Don't tell people how to do things, tell them what to do and let them surprise you with their results."

--George S. Patton Jr.

This is a great quote and I agree with it. We are all creative individuals but many do not choose to let it shine through. Many have become so accustomed to just following along. Letting someone dictate how they work through situations and solve problems. Our kids need to learn that their isn't just one way to look at things. They need to learn how to use their creativity with the creativity of those around them to solve problems and look at situations in different ways. If we can teach them to do this we can give them so many more tools to help them as they learn and grow in their academics each year. Gamification is one way that we can approach learning in a fun and creative way for all our kiddos.

I look forward to seeing where this book leads me in my teaching for this next school year. 

-Ashley