DAY 2 FINAL - JUNE 26, 2007

Shut down, power off: Reflection on Day 2

Day 2 started out with considerable more focus than Day 1. A printed agenda for the week was distributed, and appeared to block out concrete times for specific activities. Computers were distributed promptly, and software worked (more or less) on most computers.

Students learned some basics of the Virtuoso gaming program in the morning, and had the opportunity to experiment with the program in a hands-on fashion. This "getting your feet wet" approach seemed to alleviate some of the frustration from the previous day.

In the afternoon, a brainstorming session allowed teachers to share their visions of their projects with their student groups. Students, as the expert game players, provided input and constructive criticism as to how to improve the game in terms of its "enjoyment factor", the teacher still maintaining control as content expert. This proved helpful, and allowed me as teacher to rethink the project I had begun last year. Student input was positive, and they seemed genuinely interested in working on my project. Brainstorming concluded with the generation of a rough game map on chart paper to guide the subsequent phase of actual game construction.

The end of the day allowed our team to begin constructing the game. Based on student input, I decided it was more profitable to construct a new world, and maintain my old world from last summer as separate. Perhaps I will incorporate pieces of both worlds into one final game; perhaps I will develop both worlds separately. Initial work was productive, and students were actively engaged. Day 2 concluded positively.