Game Based Learning (GBL) Faculty Interest Group (FIG) – Notes from Meeting
Monday, Mar 30, 2020, 1pm, Virtually using Zoom
Grace Axler-DiPerte, Facilitator
Participants: Kelly Amoroso (KCC Fatherhood Academy), Grace Axler-DiPerte (BIO), Joe Bisz (BMCC), Javon John, Victoria Mondelli (Missouri), Elizabeth Mulligan (BIO), Kathleen Offenholley, Mary Ortiz (BIO), James Sinagra, Vera Moreno, Felicia, “Faculty”
Meeting began at 1:02pm.
- Grace welcomed everyone.
- Grace mentioned how a digital platform for GBL can help students relax, have fun and learn.
- We went around “the room” and introduced ourselves.
- We had a special guest, Joe Bisz (BMCC), who started the CUNY Games Conference for GBL.
- Victoria was invited by Joe to join the meeting. She is Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning at the University of Missouri, and formerly was at CUNY.
- Today Grace tried Kahoot with her microbiology class. It is an online game that makes use of clickers. Right now it is free on line. She made up a set of Kahoot questions on bacterial metabolism and showed them to us. Students logged in on their phones to play. The students competed with each other. The game let’s them know how they are doing. You can make trivia questions and can put graphics with it. It led to more questions and engaged the students. You can do puzzles, too. For example, which molecule produces more ATP? Grace said it took 1.5 hours to set up the game she used. There are leader boards and streaks. We had a discussion about the game.
- Joe Bisz gave a presentation on simple game mechanics on line. He presented a PPT titled, “Online Teaching with Activity – Games”.
- He discussed “Challenge and Switch”, where students apply facts that need to be corrected or completed. Students create trick questions or a puzzle. For example, if a run-on sentence is given, the next student fixes it. When handing back graded work, students can check each other’s work.
- Another approach is “Cut-Ups”, here students are given cut up/out information and they have to re-assemble it in the correct order. For example, this can be done with essay sentences, a math equation, or CPR. In an on-line format, you can post the text description in the wrong order and students have to put it in the correct order.
- Using PPT for games works well because you can move things around on the slide easily. For example, the pieces of a math equation can easily be ordered on a PPT slide. (Students can get MS Office from CUNY for free.) Also, Scrabble can be done with students on line easily in a PPT slide; so can a crossword or a math puzzle. PPT can be used to design games at different levels.
- Visit Joe Bisz’s website at joebisz.com.
- A Q&A session followed Joe’s presentation.
- Grace shared using a “KCC Urgent Care Clinic” with role-playing with her microbiology students.
- We discussed doing breakouts in Zoom. The host calls you back into the main meeting room, and there’s a countdown to get a task done. You can do breakouts in Zoom if you set it up when you set up the session. The students in a breakout room can call the teacher in. You can share in small groups with breakouts. One example was starting with your name, who gave it to you, and what it means.
- You can do Pictionary with a white board in BlackBoard Collaborate and in Zoom via Share. (In Zoom you must release the mouse to let students see the move.) Some shared Chrome works better with this. Discussion followed. We can try Canva for a non-green screen.
- PPTs can be used to do concept maps.
- Grace will put crossword sites in the notes and post on CUNY Commons.
- Grace will get everyone’s email address so she can invite all to meetings and share notes, etc.
- She will share this online GBL FIG.
- Next meeting: Grace will send out a Doodle for our next meeting on Zoom for the end of April 2020.
Meeting ended at 2pm.
Notes respectfully submitted by Mary Theresa Ortiz, KCC Bio