Wow...Has been my reaction to the skills my students have displayed this term creating their games!
5C have been creating games based on the novel we are studying this term "The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe". The fantasy element of the story has had students creating interesting worlds which accurately reflect the descriptions of the book. There are wardrobes, upturned beaver's houses, witches castles and not the mention the roaring Aslan.
A common problem I have noticed students facing is that they know how to play their game, and they assume it is quite clear what a player needs to do without detailed instruction. However, when I have played alot of their games, instructions have been forgotten or at the most minimal level. Once a student faced this problem while playing another students game, they understood the importance of clear goals and instructions.
Asthetics also seems to be the primary concern of most students, wanting their scenes to look as close to Narnia as possible. This is a problem, as most students spend their valuable ICT time on the way their worlds and characters look and not how their game actually works.
However, once these issues have been pointed out, students are quick to rectify their problems and have created some great games!
Can't wait for the parents to come in and see their Little Tech Kids in action!
It's great to hear how impressed you were with the games your student's created. It is a very common problem that students don't initially supply the players with enough instructions. It is all up in their heads, they forget that the players are not mind readers! That's why the testing of the games by their peers is important in supplying this feedback to the designers.
ReplyDeleteIt's great to have your feedback Julianne and we are looking forward to the sharing day with the parents and other Year 5 students.