Putting Pacman
in the Classroom
Karen Anderson
There’s a thin line.....
Introduction
Karen Anderson
CP3 2007: It’s Not Just A Game – totally different
Currently teaching – independent boarding school
Previously – state sixth form
Successfully introduced games design into both
Differences – gender, ages, enthusiasm
Putting Pacman in the Classroom
Karen Anderson
Learning Objectives
1) To explain what games are and why they are
important
2) To show how games can be used in education –
in all subjects and for all ages
3) To show how you and your pupils can make
your own games for education
Putting Pacman in the Classroom
Karen Anderson
What is a game?
What is a game?
Powerful media form – interactive
Huge range – massive worlds to single screens,
immersive to casual
Part of culture – characters part of contemporary
psyche
Being used in more fields – entertainment,
education, advertising,
Putting Pacman in the Classroom
Karen Anderson
Why are games important?
Exercises the brain
Encourages problem solving and choice-making
Builds confidence (difficulty curve)
Improves dexterity
Improves multitasking
Putting Pacman in the Classroom
Karen Anderson
Why are games important?
Helps children learn pattern recognition
Practice for the real world / encourages real
world activities
Fun without real consequences
Demonstrates choices have consequences for
characters
Putting Pacman in the Classroom
Karen Anderson
The questions I’m always asked...
Do computer games promote violence?
Should we be encouraging children to stay
indoors, sitting slouched in front of the TV
playing games?
Putting Pacman in the Classroom
Karen Anderson
How can games be used in education?
Pupils making games
- as a discrete area of ICT/Media
- as part of any subject
Pupils playing games
Support teaching methods – not replace them
Putting Pacman in the Classroom
Karen Anderson
Off-the-shelf games
... available in all good games shops...
Barriers
I don’t play games...
It will be difficult to manage the lesson...
It’s difficult to set up...
It’s expensive...
Putting Pacman in the Classroom
Karen Anderson
Break the Barriers
I don’t play games...
• This workshop will give suggestions
• Only need to play the one you plan to use
• Pupils may suggest future ones
Putting Pacman in the Classroom
Karen Anderson
Break the Barriers
It will be difficult to manage the lesson...
• Have a plan
•“If you misbehave, we won’t play games ever
again...”
Putting Pacman in the Classroom
Karen Anderson
Break the Barriers
It’s difficult to set up...
•Most consoles – 3 cables – only fit in one socket
• IT Technicians
• Use pupils equipment e.g. DS
Putting Pacman in the Classroom
Karen Anderson
Break the Barriers
It’s expensive...
• Don’t have to use latest equipment
• Original Xbox – about £20
- games - 4 for £20
FREE!!!!
CHEAP!!
• Free games online
• Emulators
Putting Pacman in the Classroom
Karen Anderson
Setting up
It’s this easy...
Putting Pacman in the Classroom
Karen Anderson
Putting Pacman in the Classroom
Karen Anderson
Bespoke games
... made by YOU and your pupils...
How can they be used?
You make games
•
•
•
•
Specific to your subject
Specific to your pupils
Make ‘boring’ topics interesting
New approach to difficult topics
Putting Pacman in the Classroom
Karen Anderson
How can they be used?
Your pupils make games
•
•
•
•
•
Further understanding of a topic
Help each other learn
Encourage creativity
Play each other’s games
Work in groups
Putting Pacman in the Classroom
Karen Anderson
Barriers
Surely it’s really hard?
• Designed to be as easy as possible
• Most designed for children
• Try in this workshop
But maybe it’s expensive?
• The games design software I will
show you is FREE!!!
Putting Pacman in the Classroom
FREE!!!!
Karen Anderson
Scratch
scratch.mit.edu/
Made by MIT
Designed for 8 year olds and older
I’ve used with 11, 15, 17
This is what we’ll use today
Adrift
www.adrift.org.uk
Creates text adventures (aka interactive fiction)
Easy to use – games depend on creator’s
imagination
Many examples available on internet – search for
interactive fiction (esp Lost Pig aka Grunk and 9:05)
Hot Potatoes
hotpot.uvic.ca
by Half-Baked Software Inc (University of Victoria)
Hot Potatoes 6 becomes free on 1st September
2009
Creates quizzes, gap-fills, crosswords, jumbled
sentences, matching exercises, etc
While we’re talking puzzles ...
A couple of websites I used recently:
www.puzzle-maker.com/CW/
www.teach-nology.com/web_tools/word_search/
PowerPoint
Made by Microsoft, probably something you
have already
Although made for presentations, using
hyperlinks and a bit of creativity, can make
games
Example...
Web 2.0
Use their existing interests in your lessons
Facebook
Many games available e.g. puzzles, logic, shapes
Second Life
The EduIslands, Foul Whisperings (Macbeth),
Genome Island (science), International
SpaceFlight Museum
Don’t forget... Board Games
• Great way to get pupils sitting round, doing
something together
• Use the same elements as computer games
• Could have different ones on different tables
• Need communication, strategy, etc
• Examples:
Game of Life – Twists and Turns (Hasbro),
Cluedo – Discover The Secrets (Hasbro),
Cranium, Dingbats, Risk, Chess, etc
Scratch
We will try the basics together
Then, in your pairs, you will each make different
games
If time, you can play each others’ games
Take a copy of your games
Putting Pacman in the Classroom
Karen Anderson
Scratch
Open the software....
Scratch
Scratch
Click on Control in the top left
Scratch
Select
and drag it to your script area
Scratch
Click on Motion in the top left
Scratch
Select
and drag it to your script area
Attach it to the yellow block of script
Scratch
Click on the green flag
Your sprite should move forward each time you
press the green flag
Scratch
So we’ve made your sprite move
Let’s now make it walk
Scratch
Click on the Costumes tab
Notice how there are two costumes for your sprite
Scratch
Click back onto the Scripts tab
Click on Looks in the top left
Scratch
Select
and drag it to your script area
Attach it to the blue block of script
Scratch
Test that by clicking on the green flag
Scratch
Choose the Control tools
Add this block:
to your other blocks
and change the number to 0.5 secs
Scratch
Choose the Motion tools
Add another ‘move 10 steps’ block to the others
Choose the Looks tools
Add another ‘switch to costume’ block
Change it to say ‘costume 1’
Scratch
Test that by clicking on the green flag
(while the script is outlined in white, it means it
is still running)
Scratch
Now we have the sprite taking two steps, we need to
have it continue to walk
Open the Control tools and drag the ‘repeat’ block on
your script area
Scratch
Pull the repeat block so it is around everything except your
start block
Scratch
Test that by clicking on the green flag
How can we make it walk faster?
How can we make it walk further?
How can we make it take more steps?
Scratch
Our sprite moves but, if it keeps walking, it will
disappear off the edge of the screen
We need it to turn around and walk back
Scratch
Open the Motion tools (blue)
Drag
Drag another
‘wait’ block
to under your ‘wait’ block
to under your other
Scratch
Test your animation
What happens when the sprite reaches the
edge?
Scratch
To stop it turning upside down, we need to tell it that the
cat cannot turn upside
In the sprite info at the top of the screen, select the ↔
icon (‘only face left-right’)
Scratch
The last thing we will do with this sprite is add a
sound
Before we do, we need to make sure your computer
will play sound.
Scratch
Open the Sound tools
Add the
block to the bottom of the
script blocks, under the repeat block
Scratch
Congratulations!!
Now, to make an interactive game...
Conclusion
Conclusion
Games are a part of society and part of your
pupils’ lives
Games can enhance learning and support
other teaching methods
Off-the-shelf games available – cheap and easy
to use
Bespoke games – made by teachers, made by
pupils
Putting Pacman in the Classroom
Karen Anderson
Where do we go from here?
Putting Pacman in the Classroom
Karen Anderson
Thank you
Any Questions