Alan Wake – in the classroom (part 6)
In a perfect world I would have photographs and student testimonies to share with you how well the launch went. I am sorry to let you down. You will have to take my word for it and a few analytic …
gaming
Alan Wake – bringing it together (part 5)
It has been a busy few weeks and the project development has slowed down a little. On the plus side, Kelvin has managed to make real headway with the 4 station Xbox cabinet with the help of some sixth formers… …
Alan Wake hardware choices (part 4)
Gaming in school – for literacy? Gaming for literacy is not any easy sell to other staff, before you have had a proven track record of success with students, but as they say ‘Man cannot discover new oceans unless he …
Alan Wake (part 3)
The script for Alan Wake is amazing. It is even more impressive when the sound effects and background audio adds depth to the experience. Playing on the Xbox just amplified the experience. What is more, I have learnt a little …
Wake-ing a thirst for literacy (part 2)
Having only assumed the role of English teacher fairly recently, I typically have to read for the very first time, the text I am about to teach, for the very first time, a few weeks before the term starts. Being …
Wake-ing a thirst for literacy (part 1)
I had been on the look out for a cinematic, highly narrative video-game title to re-purpose as a writing stimulus for some time now, inspired by Tim Ryland’s use of Myst and following on from the success of using US …
3D Gamelab
For a long time I have been interested in how game mechanics could inspire learning. Every now and then I check up on the progress of 3D GameLab – a learning platform that applies game thinking and game mechanics (quests, …
Attendance Black Ops to writing opiate
Anyone else missing a few students from class this week? Year 10 and 11 boys in particular, as of November 13th? Can we expect some bleary eyed teenagers to return to class next week? [blackbirdpie url=”https://twitter.com/petewharmby/status/269785040488128512″] Let use the dollar figures shall we, …