Creating Your Own Game – An Inside Look at Gamestar Mechanic – JOSH GARDINER

Subject: Design and Technology

Year Level: 6

Strand: Processes and Production Skills

Sub Strand: Creating Solutions By: Designing

Content Descriptor: Design, modify, follow and represent both diagrammatically, and in written text, alternative solutions using a range of techniques, appropriate technical terms and technology.

Link to the Resource:

http://gamestarmechanic.com/

Cross Curriculum Priorities and General Capabilities:

  • Numeracy
  • Information and Communication Technology (ICT)
  • Critical and Creative Thinking (CCT)
  • Personal and Social Capability (PSC)

Links to Other Learning Areas:

  • Mathematics
  • Science

A Classroom Activity Using this Resource:

The students can be in charge of designing and then constructing their own video game. Every child’s fantasy right?

Or I am the only one who wondered how some of the best video game titles came into existence?

You have simple games like the infamous Flappy Bird that was hated so much that it became a classic and even though it is no longer available. The creator still made enough money to stop supporting the game. The concept that you can be the creator of the next big idea in the gaming world is exciting. Now I know you cannot wait to get started on this. Enjoy this tool as a class and publish your games that you create for other students to play.

Happy Gaming!

How to Use this Resource:

  • The designer is really simple to use.
  • Just create an account.
  • Using secure usernames and passwords for each student (something that can be easily remembered).
  • Once you have logged in; you can either take lessons on how to begin/improve your design skills or you can get straight into designing your own game.
  • It is a good idea however, to start with a couple introduction lessons/courses just to get an understanding for the basics.
  • From there you can construct a plan for what style of game you are to create.

 

By Josh Gardiner

Pre-service Teacher

Edith Cowan University

Perth, Western Australia.

iMotion- Stop Motion Application

iMotion- Stop Motion Application

Name: iMotion by Fingerlab

Link to resource:
https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/imotion/id421365625?mt=8

Description of resource:
This application allows students to take photos and put them together to form a video. It has the capability for manual or automatic photo capture, a grid so that objects in shot are placed appropriately and videos can be shared with social media or with online websites as well as onto the devices photo folder.

Video: This video explains the concept and shows the features of the app in an example stop motion video.

Year level/band level: all band levels F-2, 3-4, 5-6

Subject: Design Technology
Strand: Processes and Production Skills
Sub-strands and Content Descriptors: Generating and Producing

  • 2.6 Visualise, generate, develop and communicate design ideas through describing, drawing and modeling
  • 2.7 Use materials, components, tools, equipment and techniques to safely make designed solutions

Subject: Digital Technologies
Strand: Knowledge and Understanding
Sub-strands and Content Descriptors:Digital Systems

  • 2.1 Identify and use digital systems (hardware and software components) for a purpose)

Strand: Processes and Production Skills
Sub-strands and Content Descriptors: Collaborating and managing

  • 2.6 Work with others to create and organise ideas and information using information systems, and share these in safe online environments

Cross Curricular Priorities and General Capabilities:
This technology encourages students to learn about and use information and communication technology (ICT) as well as other general capabilities. Specifically this technology encourages Critical and Creating Thinking as well as Personal and Social Capability.

Using stop motion videos to convey ideas, explain concepts, show understanding and communicate ideas to problems encourages students act in ways that contribute to a sustainable future. In creating these videos, students are contributing to the wealth of knowledge and passing on information for future students to use.

Links to other learning areas:
English

  • Animating a story e.g. animating student’s own narrative writing, retelling a section from a novel, creating vidual representations of poetry etc.
  • Creating an instructional video- visualising a procedural text

Maths

  • Creating ‘How To’ videos to explain students own knowledge of a maths concept

Science

  • Explain a concept or illustrating a theory, such as how electricity works in a circuit or demonstrating the change of state when a liquid changes to a gas.

How it is useful to classroom:
In the past stop motion capture and production was too impractical for a classroom and educational context, however with free apps like this stop motion one, it now very easy for students in the classroom to create their own photos and videos on a mobile device

Exciting way for students to engage with different learning areas and learn about the technology they are using to convey ideas and solutions to problems.
Teachers use this application as a helpful assessment tool when seeing how students are progressing through ideas. Once the video is made, teachers can go back and video the video again for assessment purposes.

Flexible and engaging for students to represent what they know- especially for students who are weaker in written or oral language or who are learning English as another language or dialect, they can show their knowledge and skills through the use of this technology and collaboration with others.

This application enables students to work together on their videos as a collaborative task – someone captures pictures while others plan future photos or move objects for the next photo as well as previous steps in the design process such as designing props or a storyboard.
It is easy to share videos safely online or onto a mobile device for sharing with the community. If parents, other classrooms or schools are connected by class blogs, videos can be posed online so students learning and creations can be viewed.

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All Photos and Video are property of Finger Labs 2012

Design a Dog.

Subject: Design and Technology

Level: Year 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6

Strand: Process and Production Skills

Sub-strand: Possible sub strands are highlighted, it will depend what year the teacher is teaching and what they do with the program.

(Click on the picture to enlarge)

Scope and Sequence_Highlighted

Link to the Resource: http://www.teachingideas.co.uk/dt/files/dogstrustdesignadog.pdf

Design a Dog

Cross curriculum priorities and general capabilities:

Depending on how much depth the teacher decides to use this program for the following cross curriculum priorities and general capabilities can be integrated:

CCP: Sustainability

GC: Literacy, Numeracy, Critical and creative thinking, Personal and social capability and Ethical understanding

Links to other learning areas: English, Maths, Science, Society and Environment, Citizenship, History, The Arts,

A classroom activity using this resource:

Year 1 – Making moving dog’s tales

Year 2 – Making dog puppets for a purpose

Year 3 – Making toy dogs move with pneumatics

Year 5 – Making toy dogs move with cams

Year 6 – Making toy dogs move with motors

How to use the resource:
This resource is a United Kingdom resource. It has be located from Pintrest. The resource has a very broad selection of different activities for using design and technology in the classroom. When looking at the document you will find it includes ideas for 5 different year groups and has detailed plans for each year that range from 1 to 8 lessons idea building on each time. Design a dog can be used for a whole unit of work or even just one lesson. The program includes all worksheets and material needed to complete the lessons (Print outs only). Below you will find some ways that design a dog can be integrate with in the curriculum.

Maths: Measurement
English:
Procedure, evaluation and planning writing
The Arts:
Shape and design
Science:
Living things, Basic needs

 Each year level and class needs will be different, but the program could even integrate the RSPCA.


My little dog
Photo Credit: -=RoBeE=- via Compfight