Game Based Learning (GBL) Faculty Interest Group (FIG) – Notes from Meeting Three S24

Tuesday May 28th, 2024 at 12:00PM

Grace Axler-DiPerte, Facilitator

Location: Zoom

Participants: Grace Axler-DiPerte (BIO), Annice Paolino (BUS), Mary Ortiz (BIO), Tom Lavazzi (ENG), Lilja Nielsen (BIO), Nathan Cooper (ART), Jonathan Macagba (ART). This meeting was online.

• The Reacting to the Past Annual Summer Institute will take place at Barnard College from June 6^th-9^th, 2024. More information can be found here: https://reactingconsortium.org/event-5616945
• Reminder, please fill out the Post-Semester Survey, which will be sent out later today. It helps direct the group, and allows the facilitator to gather the appropriate tools for next semester.
• Nate shared that he will help organize a “Hack-A-Thon” next Fall at KCC. It will be a hybrid event over the weekend of 10/5 and 10/6/24, as part of the NASA Space Apps Challenge.  This is a global event and this site will represent Brooklyn.  No coding experience is necessary.
• Annice shared how she uses Kahoot! in her in-person business classes as a fun and engaging test review.
• Grace demonstrated free and subscription versions of Kahoot!
  • How to find free games in the website’s library
  • How to find questions and write your own questions
  • We played a synchronous Kahoot! from the free Kahoot version.
  • Looked at free vs pay options of the software, and its capabilities
• Tom shared randomizers for assignment prompts and word cloud assignments using flippity.net free tools.
  • A demonstration was done on how to set up the Randomizer and Name Picker tools.
• Discussed TaleBlazer, which is now supported for iOS and Android v. 14+.
• Jonathan shared a card game he uses in class to prompt students to create or discuss art. The flippity randomizer wheel can be used for this, and may allow instructors to add options more quickly than cards.
  • Nate shared that the card game “MockUps: A fast-paced game for people who build to think” is similar, but is currently out of print.
• We looked at flippity manipulatives, which Nate shared is similar to Miro (and Jamboard, which is being phased out in Dec 24). Miro is a virtual whiteboard where you can create, share and manipulate “sticky notes”.

Game Based Learning (GBL) Faculty Interest Group (FIG) – Notes from Meeting One

Tuesday May 7th, 2024 at 12:00PM

Grace Axler-DiPerte, Facilitator

Location: Zoom

Participants: Grace Axler-DiPerte (facilitator, KCC BIO), Mary Ortiz (KCC BIO), Annice Paolino (KCC BUS); Cia Kessler (KCC KCeL), Lilja Nielsen (KCC BIO), Nathan Cooper (KCC ART), Mercedes Wilby (KCC HIS), Carrie Jedlicka (KCC LIB), Victoria Somogyi (LaGuardia CC ELA)

This meeting was online.

1. Introductions: New participants shared name, department and how they are currently/would like to use games in their classrooms.
2. Had a short recap of our previous meeting. Mercedes had tried making a connections puzzle for her students and also assigned them the option of making their own as an extra credit opportunity.
   1. We discussed how student generated games may make their thought processes more clear in learning the material.
3. Discussed how to gamify discussion boards using riddles and puzzles that students make, and their classmates solve.
   1. Grace provided two examples.
      1. Directional terms of the body.
         1. Students give each other “clues” that refer to a specific body region using anatomical and directional terminology. Their classmates then have to respond by guessing the region.
         2. Students use constrained language to explain a concept covered during the week. In this case I used “Up-Goer 5”, but similar work can be done with other constraints like single syllables, or avoiding a list of “Forbidden Words” (similar to Taboo).  Classmates then have to guess the concept and justify their response using evidence from the clue.
      2. Nate mentioned his tour at GUMBO, a space for game developers in Brooklyn. They have monthly events that may be of interest. https://gumbonyc.org/events
      3. Carrie mentioned the augmented tour of the library, several classes have used it to explore! Carrie and Mark are working on updates and expansions, and may need play-testers.
      4. Annice spoke about using cards in her classes to have students concept-map, as well as students assuming real-world “roles” when learning using Excel and Access.
      5. Reminder: KCTL now has several copies of the book: The Educator’s Guide to Designing Games and Creative Active-Learning Exercises: The Allure of Play, by Joe Bisz and Victoria L. Mondelli. Please contact KCTL for more information.
      6. Discussed use of Kahoot! games synchronously and asynchronously. Next meeting we will demo and try to create some Kahoot!s.
      7. Our next meeting will by at noon via Zoom on 5/28/24 (Tuesday).

Game Based Learning (GBL) Faculty Interest Group (FIG) – Notes from Meeting One

Tuesday March 26^th, 2024 at 12:00PM

Grace Axler-DiPerte, Facilitator

Location: Zoom

Participants: Grace Axler-DiPerte (KCC BIO), Carrie Jedlicka (KCC LIB), Thomas Lavazzi (KCC ENG), Annice Paolino (KCC BUS), Mary Ortiz (KCC BIO), Christina Colon (KCC BIO), Mercedes Wilby (KCC HIS), Lilija Nielsen (KCC BIO)

This meeting was online.

1. Introductions: Each participant shared name, department and how they are currently/would like to use games in their classrooms.
   1. Participants mentioned a wide range of experience with and needs for GBL.
   2. This semester will focus on developing and strategizing games for different modalities both online and in-person.
2. Discussed and played the New York Times Connections daily puzzle: https://www.nytimes.com/games/connections
   1. Introduced a design-your-own Connections puzzle web-tool: https://connections.swellgarfo.com/
   2. Played a “GBL” version of the game, designed by Grace: https://bit.ly/gamemechanics1
   3. Discussed how Connections-like games could be used in classes”
      1. Make vocabulary and concept linking exercises (advertisements, concept values, bones, historical figures, etc).
      2. Have students share connections puzzles they make via discussion board, and allow students to solve them.
   4. Discussed how to gamify discussion boards using riddles and puzzles that students make, and their classmates solve.
      1. Will have examples next meeting.
   5. Talked about “Reacting to the Past” as a longer gaming experience in the classroom. https://reactingconsortium.org
   6. KCTL now has several copies of the book: The Educator’s Guide to Designing Games and Creative Active-Learning Exercises: The Allure of Play, by Joe Bisz and Victoria L. Mondelli. Please contact KCTL for more information.
   7. Discussed use of Kahoot! games synchronously and asynchronously.
   8. Next meeting we will show examples of the games and activities discussed during this meeting.
   9. Our next meeting will by at noon via Zoom on 5/7/24 (Tuesday).