Games in Education 2014: Full Schedule

8th Annual Games in Education Symposium
Register Today!

8:30am EDT

Breakfast Reception and Registration

Tuesday August 5, 2014 8:30am - 9:00am EDT
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Food

9:00am EDT

Welcome and Opening Remarks

Tuesday August 5, 2014 9:00am - 9:15am EDT
Auditorium

9:15am EDT

Keynote: Gamification: What Works and What Sucks

Gamification is an over-used buzz word that for many educators promises so much and delivers so little. Lee will illuminate the diseases that afflict 95% of all gamified educational experiences, then suggest some cures by revealing his own voyage of discovery while creating entire classes as games, and how his approach has matured since those first stumbling steps before the term became popular in 2010 to where he now uses the powerful triumvirate of gameplay, narrative and emotion to enable collateral learning: where students learn almost without realizing it because they want to know what happens next.

Speakers

Lee Sheldon

Associate Professor, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Associate Professor Department of Communication and Media Games and Simulation Arts and Sciences Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Principal Investigator: Emergent Reality Lab Author: Character Development and Storytelling for Games Author: The Multiplayer Classroom: Designing... Read More →

Tuesday August 5, 2014 9:15am - 10:00am EDT
Auditorium

Keynote

10:15am EDT

Gamify your Class without Electricity

Limited Capacity seats available

Class Dojo, Socrative, Nearpod, Zondle and Play Brighter dominate most conversations about gamification in education. This focus on technology and apps automatically alienates some teachers: “I don’t have any computers in my room, so that leaves me out!” However, it is possible to gamify your class in the absence of any technology . . . even in the absence of electricity. This is because to ‘gamify’ is to use ‘game mechanics’ to motivate students. The concepts behind a good game are the same whether that game is on the internet or in a box with dice and a board.

Speakers

Linda Darcy

Education Specialist, Capitol Region Education Council

Linda T. Darcy is an Education Specialist in the CREC Resource Group, which facilitates professional learning for school districts across Connecticut. She facilitates professional learning experiences in a wide range of topics, always grounding learning in Equity and Social Justice... Read More →

Tuesday August 5, 2014 10:15am - 11:00am EDT
Room 106

Presentation

10:15am EDT

The 'Let's Play' Phenomenon: Video Game Commentary and the Common Core

Limited Capacity seats available

In June 2014, The Wall Street Journal reported that Internet sensation PewDiePie earned over $4 million from his YouTube channel. PewDiePie -- who boasts over 27 million subscribers -- specializes in a trend called “Let’s Play.” This genre of video is when users record and share voiceovers of video game play. Minecraft videos are among the most popular. Watching others play video games is so popular that YouTube reportedly purchased video game streaming channel Twitch, for one billion dollars.

Having students engage in Let’s Play-style video game screencasts has immense educational implications. This workshop will review the necessary tools for implementation, for computer and for tablets. Many recording tools are free or have low cost options. Let's Play is a seamless way for students to reflect and share what they have learned from problem-solving in video game worlds, as well as explain what they created in sandbox games (e.g., Minecraft, Kerbal Space). The activity itself meets Common Core State Standards, too. The ability to teach and to explain information in an engaging way can make one highly marketable in today’s global economy.

Speakers

Matt Farber

Teacher, Adjunct Instructor, Doctorate, New Jersey City University

Matthew Farber, Ed.D. teaches social studies at Valleyview Middle School, in Denville, New Jersey. He holds a Doctorate Degree in Educational Technology Leadership from New Jersey City University, where he is an adjunct instructor. He is also a part-time lecturer at Rutgers University... Read More →

Tuesday August 5, 2014 10:15am - 11:00am EDT
Room 166

Presentation

10:15am EDT

Game Design and Development with GameMaker Studio: A Gateway to Computer Science

Limited Capacity seats available

"Don't just buy a new video game. Make one." This was the plea of President Barack Obama leading to the Hour of Code Initiative of Computer Science Education Week this past December. Creating video games provides students with a constructionist learning opportunity involving design thinking, problem solving and iterative design while teaching computer science concepts in an engaging manner. Game Design requires collaboration and an interdisciplinary approach including graphic design and animation, storytelling, sound engineering, and object oriented programming. GameMaker is an incredible tool for teaching these skills as it is presented in an intuitive drag and drop manner that stays true to the programming in a concrete manner. Join us for this demonstration and hands on experience where you will learn the GameMaker basics and create your first game!

Speakers

Steven Isaacs

Education Program Manager, Bernards Township Schools

Steve Isaacs has been teaching since 1992. In 1998 began teaching in Bernards Township, NJ where he developed an internationally recognized middle and high school game development program. Steve is a pioneer in using VR and AR in the classroom. He is a champion for student choice... Read More →

Tuesday August 5, 2014 10:15am - 12:00pm EDT
Room 224

Workshop

10:15am EDT

Portfolio Websites Workshop

Limited Capacity seats available

The Albany Academies Portfolio Website is used as a mechanism to build and assess technology skills as well as a platform for students to collect their academic work and to reflect upon their progress across the curriculum.
Participants in this workshop will create their own Portfolio Website and go through the steps to build a simple banner and add basic content.

Participant’s portfolios will be created from a template that offers specific tutorials, embedded in the portfolio itself. These tutorials provide contextual guidance in creating content, banners, project blurbs and website structure. The template is linked directly to a curriculum that can be used to implement a Portfolio Website program at your school.

The curriculum works best for schools that have implemented Google Apps for Education (GAFE) but it is not required. Time will be available at the end for specific questions and exploration for how to best implement a Portfolio Website program.

Speakers

Mark Eisenhardt

Director of Technology, The Albany Academies

After a long career as a business software developer, I am happily teaching kids how to decode and dominate software! I focus on projects that use a Design Process to to guide research, 3D modeling, video editing and ultimately website publishing. All projects use free, platform independent... Read More →

Tuesday August 5, 2014 10:15am - 12:00pm EDT
Room 123

Workshop

11:15am EDT

The Game is UP: A Gameshow featuring some of your favorite GiE presenters, Hosted by Chris Haskell

Limited Capacity seats available

From Oregon Trail to Second Life to World of Warcraft, the evolution of digital game and socialization spaces as classrooms continues to dazzle and delight some while frightening and concerning others. This panel game-based learning expert educators, moderated by Dr. Chris Haskell from Boise State University, will look into the future of these spaces and attempt to describe the classroom of 2023. Panelists to include Peg Sheehy (WoW is schools), Lucas Gillespie (Minecraft is Schools), Andrew Miller (@betamiller), Marianne Malmstrom (Atlantis Rising), and others.

Session Learning Outcomes
As gaming spaces become ubiquitous, we move into them for the purpose of learning. Perhaps this is because the educators enjoy the rush, the students enjoyed the digital frontiers, or maybe, just maybe, they serve as effective digital learning spaces. This panel discussion will unpack what makes these spaces so valuable and what they may look like in the future.
- What are the platforms that are likely to stick around or emerge?
- What changes in the Internet, mobile Internet, and consoles will mean for teaching and learning and digital spaces?
- How can teachers identify, learn about, and inhabit the digital game-spaces of the future?

Speakers

Chris Haskell

Clinical Assistant Professor, Boise State University

Dr. Chris Haskell plays video games for a living, or at least that’s what his friends think. He's the director of the Varsity eSports At Boise State. As a professor and researcher, Chris also focuses on the impact of videogames, virtual worlds, social media, and digital culture... Read More →

Tuesday August 5, 2014 11:15am - 12:00pm EDT
Room 166

Panel

11:15am EDT

Creating the World's Greatest Thief: Making and Using Alternate Reality Games in Your Classroom

Limited Capacity seats available

Alternate Reality Games (ARGs) use existing media platforms in addition to the physical space around the player to create a uniquely pervasive gaming experience. ARGs are uniquely accessible in a world that still cannot guarantee an Internet connected computer in every classroom, let alone for every student. Any internet connected device - in or out of the classroom - is ready to play!

ARGs require little to no programming or professional design skills to create and can rival the dynamic playing experience of video games and the enriching collaboration of tabletop games.

"Dolus" was created to aid my 7th grade English class' study of Homer's Odyssey and this presentation will illustrate a classroom ARG entering its third iteration, as well as hopefully inspire teachers to create their own ARGs for their unique learning environments.

Speakers

John Fallon

English Teacher, Fairfield Country Day School

John Fallon is a 7th & 9th grade English teacher at Fairfield Country Day School, a Prek-9 all boys school in Connecticut. His first game based learning project was a pervasive Alternate Reality Game to support the teaching of Homer's Odyssey in his 7th grade class. John also co-designed... Read More →

Tuesday August 5, 2014 11:15am - 12:00pm EDT
Room 106

Presentation

12:00pm EDT

Lunch

Tuesday August 5, 2014 12:00pm - 1:00pm EDT
-

Food

1:15pm EDT

Teaching STEAM with MinecraftEDU

Limited Capacity seats available

A group of Minecraft and education enthusiasts will describe our experience developing informal STEM curriculum using MinecraftEDU to teach subjects such as mechanics (physics), computer programming, art history, writing, logic, history, and math through architecture.

Our program serves students in the Albany School District during the school year and camp attendees from around the capital district in the summer.

The panel will include curriculum developers, project leaders, and teen mentors from our informal STEAM program at Siena College.

Speakers

Michele McColgan

Associate Professor, Siena College

Dr. Michele McColgan is an Associate Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Siena College. She has developed augmented reality models for students learning abstract and 3D concepts in physics, engineering and astronomy. Her MARVLS apps are available for download on the Apple Store... Read More →

Tuesday August 5, 2014 1:15pm - 2:00pm EDT
Room 166

Panel

1:15pm EDT

Play. Make. Learn: Empowering Students in the Maker Age!

Limited Capacity seats available

Kids are amazing when we put cool technology in their hands and provide an engaging learning environment. Anyone who has seen a kid play minecraft knows exactly what I mean! . This year I received funding through a Donors Choose Grant for a project that would provide additional opportunities for my students to take charge of their learning. With the funding, we were able to purchase an Xbox One, Disney Infinity, the Ouya console, Raspberry Pi, and four MakeyMakey kits. These tools were added as extension activities in my Video Game Design and Development class. In this presentation I will share highlights of this project and the choice based learning environment that allows students to carve their own path.

Speakers

Steven Isaacs

Education Program Manager, Bernards Township Schools

Tuesday August 5, 2014 1:15pm - 2:00pm EDT
Troy Room

Presentation

1:15pm EDT

One Blended Class: Why, What and How

Limited Capacity seats available

Latin has become blended at Emma Willard. In this presentation/workshop, I will first discuss why we decided to use the blended format. I (and a few of my generous students, if I can entice them away from their summer vacations) will demonstrate the types of blended activities we use (screencasts, online assignments, online discussions, synchronous editing of Google Docs), and then I will give some hands-on work time to those participants who would like to learn how to work with Screencast-o-Matic and Google Docs. We may also dip into Socrative, a new assessment app which I hope to use in the fall.

Speakers

Diane McCorkle

Latin Instructor, Emma Willard School

I have been a Spanish, Latin and German teacher in Independent Schools since 1986. I knew I wanted to incorporate technology into my teaching as soon as I saw the first Broderbund "Living Book" in 1993. I have been honored with the task of reviving Latin at Emma Willard, thanks... Read More →

Tuesday August 5, 2014 1:15pm - 2:45pm EDT
Room 123

Presentation and Workshop

1:15pm EDT

Making Games instead of Playing Games: Tabletop Game Jams in the Classroom

Limited Capacity seats available

Game Jams are intense game creation sessions where participants create a game around a theme in a short period of time. Most Game Jams are digital, but a Tabletop Game Jam is cheaper, more flexible, and allows everyone to get involved.

During this session, you will first learn about the structure for a Game Jam, and then will participate in a mini Game Jam. By the end of the workshop, you will have gone through the steps of a Game Jam and will be able to facilitate this inexpensive activity in your own classrooms.

Speakers

Scott Nicholson

Professor, Wilfrid Laurier University

Dr. Scott Nicholson is the director and professor of the Game Design and Development program at Wilfrid Laurier University in Brantford, Ontario, Canada. He also runs the BGNlab, which focuses on making games to change the world. His specialty is in live-action games, like... Read More →

Tuesday August 5, 2014 1:15pm - 4:00pm EDT
Room 106

Workshop

1:15pm EDT

Scratch for coding-phobes

Limited Capacity seats available

Scratch is a free, web based platform well known for its kid friendly fusion of creativity and computer programming. This introductory workshop will teach basic computer programming concepts while participants create their own fun animation. Learn exciting classroom applications, including video game design, that don't require the teacher to be an expert to be a success.

Speakers

Melissa Wasilewski

Youth Services Librarian, Albany Public Library

Melissa Wasilewski has served as youth services librarian at Albany Public Library (APL) for more than seven years. She specializes in programs and services to patrons ages 11 to 18 and is a winner of the Excellence in Service to Young Adults award from the American Library Association... Read More →

Tuesday August 5, 2014 1:15pm - 4:00pm EDT
Room 224

Workshop

2:15pm EDT

Decode Develop Dominate! Using 3D Modeling Projects to Teach Software Skills

Limited Capacity seats available

Participation in our society requires the use of software in almost every professional and academic pursuit. Students can be taught strategies that help them to effectively and quickly decode and dominate the software they will encounter in their lives.
This presentation will demonstrate how SketchUp and 3D software projects are used to teach these strategies. Long term projects based upon a Design Process and freely available software provide students with the opportunity to break down software, exploit it, and ultimately manage complexity while creating engaging digital products.

As projects move along the projects’ Design Process steps, similarities between successive software environments reinforce the strategies.

Reference materials and web resources are available for the projects and will be discussed. While SketchUp is used in the projects that will be covered, the strategies can be applied and taught using any software environment.

Speakers

Mark Eisenhardt

Director of Technology, The Albany Academies

Tuesday August 5, 2014 2:15pm - 3:00pm EDT
Troy Room

Presentation

3:15pm EDT

'Hayy Ibn Yaqzan: The Self-Taught Philosopher' A machinima theater-piece.

Limited Capacity seats available

A theatrical adaptation of one of the earliest novels in the history of literature, which uses video games like Minecraft and Surgeon Simulator to retell the story. The audience will hear of the incredible life of Hayy Ibn Yaqzan, an orphan who grew up on a deserted island, yet through ingenuity and meditation managed to reach a level of knowledge deeper than that of the wisest of civilized scholars.

Speakers

Connor Sedlacek

Tuesday August 5, 2014 3:15pm - 4:00pm EDT
Room 166

Performance

3:15pm EDT

Are Standards Aligned with Game-based Learning?

Limited Capacity seats available

If a game is assigned as homework, is it still a game? When does using games in the classroom make the games lose their fun value? Can games teach standards? Or even better, do standards allow for effective use of games in the classroom? Game-based learning principles embody what we know to be good learning environments, yet are often inconsistent with standards and a standardized-testing based system. This talk will explore what makes a game engaging and good for learning, what is the aim of introducing a standards-based schooling system, and whether standards and games can ever get along. This talk will not be a critique of our current Common Core standards or of current schools, but of the idea of standards as a whole. Whether you are new to games and intrigued by their potential or a long-time gamer wondering why games are so much more fun than school, come join this conversation about the challenges to integrating games, schools, and standards.

Speakers

Kevin Miklasz

Director of Digital Learning, Iridescent

The science research interests of Kevin Miklasz are using physics and engineering to understand why organisms look the way they do. His PhD dissertation is on how size and shape effect the physics of small algae. He currently works for Iridescent as Director of Digital Learning... Read More →

Tuesday August 5, 2014 3:15pm - 4:00pm EDT
Troy Room

Presentation

3:15pm EDT

PBS LearningMedia NY

Limited Capacity seats available

Explore innovative multimedia content for learners of all ages on the new PBS Learning Media NY platform with over 80,000 free, online classroom – ready resources across subject areas. You’ll have access to content from PBS Teachers, the National Archives, the Library of Congress, and NASA, among many others. Earbuds/headphones are recommended.

Speakers

Katherine Jetter

Tuesday August 5, 2014 3:15pm - 4:00pm EDT
Room 123

Presentation and Workshop

8:30am EDT

Breakfast Reception and Registration

Wednesday August 6, 2014 8:30am - 9:00am EDT
-

Food

9:15am EDT

Keynote: Play to Learn, Learn to Play: How Game Culture can Transform Education

Video games have emerged as a vital 21st century medium and art form, moving them from the periphery to an increasingly important source of cultural transformation. Everything from film to fashion and food are being impacted by games culture, and schools are slowly catching on. Video games in and of themselves offer many opportunities for educators to enhance their classes and keep them relevant to the world their students inhabit outside of school. Perhaps even more importantly, the lessons of how video games and game elements engage and educate players can be used as models to completely alter and disrupt traditional classroom structures and dynamics.

Speakers

Paul Darvasi

Educator, Royal St. George's College

Paul Darvasi teaches at Royal St. George's College in Toronto, Canada, and he's a PhD candidate in York University's Faculty of Education, with a focus on digital and pervasive games in educational environments. He experiments with video games and interactive technology in his classes... Read More →

Wednesday August 6, 2014 9:15am - 10:00am EDT
Auditorium

Keynote

10:15am EDT

Level Up With Gamification

Limited Capacity seats available

Tap into the power of gaming and game-design principles to increase student motivation and engagement. Tom will share how he effectively incorporated game design concepts such as leveling, points through attrition, leaderboards, collaboration, competition, and narrative into his social studies curriculum – and explore how you can, too.

Speakers

Tom Driscoll

Director of Digital Learning, Bristol Warren Regional School District

Tom Driscoll is the Director of Digital Learning for the Bristol Warren Regional School District in Rhode Island. Previously, Tom taught high school social studies for eight years in northeastern Connecticut. Tom also speaks at conferences, consults with school districts, and has... Read More →

Wednesday August 6, 2014 10:15am - 11:00am EDT
Room 166

Presentation

10:15am EDT

MinecraftEDU World Showcase to teach STEM topics

Limited Capacity seats available

Dr. Michele McColgan and Dr. Albert Andrade will showcase worlds we've developed and how we teach using MinecraftEDU. We've developed worlds to teach physics topics such as velocity, momentum, and gravity, digital electronics, computer science using turtles and icons as well as text based programming in Lua, revolutionary war, art history, writing using characters in the game, etc.

We'll show examples of several worlds with students going through the activities in Minecraft. We'll also show how we link our worlds to learning goals and standards.

Speakers

Michele McColgan

Associate Professor, Siena College

Wednesday August 6, 2014 10:15am - 11:00am EDT
Room 106

Presentation

10:15am EDT

MISSION US: Understanding History Through Interactive Gaming

Limited Capacity seats available

MISSION US is a series of free online games developed by WNET to engage upper elementary and middle school students in American History. Since the debut of the first game in September 2010, hundreds of thousands of educators and students have explored the past through the eyes of young people living it. This session will orient teachers to the games and accompanying classroom materials.

Speakers

WNET & PBS' The Great American Read

WNET/THIRTEEN/WLIW21

THE GREAT AMERICAN READ is an eight-part television and online series designed to spark a national conversation about reading and the books that have inspired, moved, and shaped us. The series will engage audiences with a list of 100 diverse books. Audiences are encouraged to read... Read More →

Wednesday August 6, 2014 10:15am - 11:00am EDT
Troy Room

Presentation

10:15am EDT

After the Storm

Limited Capacity seats available

After the Storm is a new middle-grade literacy learning game from Classroom, Inc., an education non-profit which has been creating digital games for more than 20 years, while educating teachers on how to use games and technology to improve their practice. In After the Storm, students take on the role of Editor-in-Chief of an online magazine in a community that is facing the aftereffects of a major hurricane. The workshop will begin with an overview of the instructional design process behind the creation of After the Storm, which contains embedded assessments designed around selected Common Cores State Standards. Attendees will have the opportunity to play through a portion of the game and discuss implementation challenges and opportunities, as well as explore teacher dashboards and accompanying in-class project and discussion materials. Attendees will also receive a generalizable framework they can use to assess any digital game's potential impact and usefulness for instruction.

Speakers

Anne Richards

Vice President of Product Development, Classroom Inc.

Games, storytelling and the intersection of play and learning

Wednesday August 6, 2014 10:15am - 12:00pm EDT
Room 224

Workshop

10:15am EDT

Best Practices for SimCityEDU and MGO: Arguebot Academy Classroom Integration

Limited Capacity seats available

A teacher led workshop on integrating SimCityEdu and Mars Generation One (MGO) - Arguebot Academy by GlassLab Games into classroom use. We will go over:

1. Tips and tricks on gameplay as well as an overview of teacher professional development materials to make implementation smoother.

2. Invite attendees to join the GlassLab Teacher Network - a community of educators, schools and districts, who playtest and pilot the latest educational games and classroom tools from GlassLab and its partner organizations. By sharing your perspectives on teaching and learning in the digital age with us, you become integral part of the design process of new products and services.

Speakers

Reina Cabezas

Wednesday August 6, 2014 10:15am - 12:00pm EDT
Room 123

Workshop

11:15am EDT

Assess This! Formative Assessment In and Around Games

Limited Capacity seats available

Assessment doesn't have to be boring, rigid, or standardized. Games provide rich opportunities for your students to demonstrate what they know and enable you to gather and analyze data that's meaningful to you.

In this session, we'll play a game together and consider quick formative assessment techniques. Then we will discuss formative assessment techniques to use with any game, examine assessment systems in BrainPOP, and consider practical applications for their classrooms.

Speakers

Scott Price

Director of Product, BrainPOP

I've been making games for learning, and playful learning and assessment, for 12 years. I can advise on:• publishing and distributing games in formal education market (schools, classrooms)• game design for classroom use• game design for learning in and out of the classroom... Read More →

Wednesday August 6, 2014 11:15am - 12:00pm EDT
Room 106

Presentation

11:15am EDT

Introducing Chromebooks in Education

Limited Capacity seats available

Chromebooks are being touted as a new and powerful tool that will revolutionize education, but what exactly are they? In this session, we will scratch the surface of what a Chromebook is, and how to harness the power of these low-cost devices to improve creativity, focus, and learning in your classroom.

Speakers

Crystal Jones-Howe

School Technologist, Shenendehowa CSD

Wednesday August 6, 2014 11:15am - 12:00pm EDT
Room 166

Presentation

11:15am EDT

NY STEAM Girls Collaborative: A National Girls Collaborative Project

Limited Capacity seats available

The New York STEAM Girls Collaborative brings together organizations throughout New York that are committed to informing and motivating girls to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

Too often programs that serve girls in STEM are limited in service and impact due to size, location, funding, expertise, and equipment. In other cases, projects compete with each other, duplicating services and seeking the same resources. New York STEAM Girls Collaborative provides the opportunity for programs to increase their ability to maintain interest and participation of girls in STEM within New York through collaboration.

New York STEAM Girls Collaborative is based upon a model developed by the National Girls Collaborative Project, and replicated through a grant from the National Science Foundation. Project activities are designed to facilitate connections between organizations to maximize access to shared resources. Collaboration, as an interactive proc

Speakers

Jen Goodall

College of Computing and Information - University at Albany

I am an Assistant Dean in the College of Computing and Information at the University at Albany.

Wednesday August 6, 2014 11:15am - 12:00pm EDT
Troy Room

Presentation

12:00pm EDT

Lunch

Wednesday August 6, 2014 12:00pm - 1:00pm EDT
-

Food

1:15pm EDT

Escaping the Asylum: The Art of Transforming your Class Into a Living Video Game

Limited Capacity seats available

The exciting possibilities for embodied learning will be explored through an
examination of The Ward Game, a pervasive game designed to teach Ken Kesey’s
classic novel, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. For 30 days, players were immersed
in the world of the novel through a modular combination of video game mechanics,
social media, interactive tools and locative activities. In the end, most players
displayed notably high levels of engagement, collaboration and productivity. The
presentation will open a window to the logistical considerations and pedagogical
value of this unique dynamic, which can ultimately be applied to any subject or
grade.

Speakers

Paul Darvasi

Educator, Royal St. George's College

Wednesday August 6, 2014 1:15pm - 2:00pm EDT
Troy Room

Presentation

1:15pm EDT

Professional Development and Technology Integration into the classroom

Limited Capacity seats available

At Ohio University, we are seeking to add to the knowledge base of professional development and the integration of technology into the classroom by sharing teacher ethnography/stories with a series of projects in each of these areas.

These projects are: 1) partnerships with local schools to design bottom-up professional development sessions for technology integration into their classrooms using 3D GameLabs. This creates a game-like environment that fosters independent, learn at your own pace, community spaces. 2) Playful Learning Initiative - partnership with Gates Foundation to develop grassroots, teacher focused, national workshops and training sessions. And lastly, 3) Curriculum Delivery using Mobile Narrative games and more.

Speakers

Ryan Rieder

Wednesday August 6, 2014 1:15pm - 2:00pm EDT
Room 166

Presentation

1:15pm EDT

"Templatized" Games Across Subject Areas

Limited Capacity seats available

BrainPOP's Games Team has been looking at, and designing, games that can cover many content areas with similar game mechanics. It helps us give students the chance to play with more topics from our site, but it also gives teachers some simple game mechanics that they (or their students) can adapt to "play" with whatever they're learning.

In this workshop, we will play and consider two games we've designed that cross subject areas well. We will discuss several other game mechanics, and then participants will get a chance to design their own.

Speakers

Scott Price

Director of Product, BrainPOP

Wednesday August 6, 2014 1:15pm - 2:15pm EDT
Room 106

Workshop

1:15pm EDT

Flipped Learning Workshop

Limited Capacity seats available

Flipped Learning proposes using technology to shift direct instruction out of the group learning space, therefore enabling educators to innovate and personalize instruction in various ways. In this interactive workshop, Tom will introduce the basic principles of Flipped Learning as well as practical strategies for classroom implementation. Participants will then be coached through the process of creating their own personalized instructional videos.

Speakers

Tom Driscoll

Director of Digital Learning, Bristol Warren Regional School District

Wednesday August 6, 2014 1:15pm - 2:45pm EDT
Room 123

Workshop

1:15pm EDT

Game Jams: A Model for Using Game Design for Learning

Limited Capacity seats available

The New York City Hive, a collection of different education organizations from New York City, has been running a series of Game Jams, or one-day events where middle and high school students learn how to make games. The format is meant to provide deep engagement in game design in a short period of time, engaging students in systems thinking, problem solving, design processes, persistence, and in some cases computer programming. A game jam can be run in a variety of settings including libraries, museums, or other after-school settings, or even as extended in-class units.

The game jam is made to be a flexible model and has been run with a variety of game design tools and activities, from level-editors to text-based coding tools, from digital to physical activities, from designing original games from scratch to designing game controllers. Tools used in the game jams are primarily free and open-source, and all activities developed using those tools are being made available via a free Game Jam Guide produced by the NY Hive. The only thing you need to run a game jam is space, time, technology, and a few excited and motivated facilitators.

As the lead organization behind this initiative, Iridescent will present the Game Jam model, describing the format, objectives and impact of this initiative. Then, the participants will have the opportunity to engage in a miniature Game Jam experience. Finally, participants will reflect and share feedback on the experience, and with interest make connections and plans to run a game jam event in the Troy area.

Speakers

Kevin Miklasz

Director of Digital Learning, Iridescent

Wednesday August 6, 2014 1:15pm - 3:00pm EDT
Room 224

Workshop

2:15pm EDT

Ethics and Games: Designing, Choosing, and Implementing the Best Games for Your Classroom

Limited Capacity seats available

This presentation covers the best practices for using games to teach ethics and related skills, including ethical awareness, empathy, character, and civic engagement. A framework for evaluating and identifying games to be used in the classroom will be discussed, as will be case studies of specific games to teach ethics and related skills, such as Mission US, Quandary, Awesome Upstanders, Gone Home, and Fable.

Speakers

Karen Schrier

Assistant Professor, Marist College

I teach interactive media and game design, and my expertise is in ethics, learning, and games. I am also the director of the Play Innovation Lab at Marist College. I look forward to meeting everyone!

Wednesday August 6, 2014 2:15pm - 3:00pm EDT
Room 166

Presentation

2:15pm EDT

Interactive Narratives in the Classroom

Limited Capacity seats available

Find out how a Sesame Street game writer uses narrative to make simple interactions and curriculum matter to preschoolers. Come away with a set of strategies to infuse compelling narrative into an interactive lesson plan or activity in your classroom.

Speakers

Jessie Hopkins

Wednesday August 6, 2014 2:15pm - 3:00pm EDT
Troy Room

Presentation

2:30pm EDT

Social Robotics Workshop: Meet them where they are

Limited Capacity seats available

This workshop will give you a hands-on introduction to the Social Robotics Workshop (SRW). We run the SRW to get kids excited about computer programming by having them program robots to have a personality or mood. This workshop presents basic computer science concepts by focusing both on the core fundamentals of robotics and the role of social interaction in future robot platforms. This workshop engages students with interesting tasks that explore the capabilities and ideas behind robotic platforms. We try to meet students "where they are", allowing them to explore robotic concepts in terms of exercises based around every day real life scenarios. Prior tasks explored in early versions of this workshop included home aides to help with brushing their hair, and robots designed to assist in buying ice cream and fetching it from the freezer. You can do the workshop for your students or have us run it for you!

Speakers

Jen Goodall

College of Computing and Information - University at Albany

I am an Assistant Dean in the College of Computing and Information at the University at Albany.

Wednesday August 6, 2014 2:30pm - 4:00pm EDT
Room 106

Workshop

3:00pm EDT

Educating with GameSalad.

Limited Capacity seats available

Video game design is a cognitive exercise, useful as project-based learning (e.g. an integrated STEM project), and even curricula. A nice idea, but practically examined, the question arises, “what software should we use?”

What you’re looking for is the right “authoring tool”; a program for creating interactive, multimedia-focused software. You’re looking for an authoring tool user-friendly for beginners, but comprehensive enough that users can employ more resources and features as their mastery develops.

GameSalad Creator is a user-friendly application for creating video games playable on mobile touch-screen devices, plus Windows and Macintosh computers. Overall, however, “GameSalad” refers to an online community that empowers everyone to express and share their ideas through games.

In this workshop you will learn how to use GameSalad Creation software and access its supplemental resources. Like most authoring tools, it has “Free” and “Professional” editions.

Speakers

Heather Bigelow

Computer Technology Teacher, Capital Region Career & Technical School

During her four years teaching at Capital Region Career & Technical School, Heather Bigelow developed the courses “Gaming, Multimedia, & Web Design” and “Internet Application Design”. These courses cover the topics Video Game Design, Computer Programming, Digital Art & 3D... Read More →

Wednesday August 6, 2014 3:00pm - 4:00pm EDT
Room 123

Workshop

3:15pm EDT

"Sim City: An Innovative Way to Plan, Build, and Manage a City"

Limited Capacity seats available

An introduction to the new SimCity and how it can be used in the classroom for STEM education and how it is being utilized in extracurricular programs, such as the Future City Competition.

Speakers

Aaron Vera

Wednesday August 6, 2014 3:15pm - 4:00pm EDT
Troy Room

Presentation

3:15pm EDT

Class as a Fully Realized Online RPG

Limited Capacity seats available

Faculty of Boise State University have converted a class to a fully game-based approach that leverages role-play characteristics, MMORPG leveling and skill building, and an immersive game-based design. This session will outline the theory, pedagogy, and application of this course built in the virtual world. It will be presented in the form of a graphic novel using machima to tell the story. It shows the unlikely but natural intersection of learning, games, and digital culture.

Speakers

Chris Haskell

Clinical Assistant Professor, Boise State University

Wednesday August 6, 2014 3:15pm - 4:00pm EDT
Room 166

Presentation