Well, the marking is mostly done and scores are being entered into spreadsheets and the ARG adventure is over.
When I started this project I wanted to find a way to have the students more engaged in a learning task - and, in theory, get a better product from them. I wanted them to create work for a purpose rather than just do an essay. Have I been successful? Probably not.
The feedback forms I have received from students have suggested that the ARG format did not motivate them to produce better work - although it certainly kept them more interested than a regular assignment. Wetpaint seems to have had mixed reviews from students - some finding it frustrating and others confused. A few had no issues.
You can see the full results (updated - google tells me) here.
From my perspective the issue is bang for buck.
I worked pretty hard to set this up, layout the structure, create characters, write media releases and get other teachers involved. Also, we had a fair amount of lab bookings for the students to work on this assignment so that took us away from 'normal' classtime. Oh, and I nearly forgot, we had 23 visitors from Nagasaki for a week!
At night I logged into the fake Dr Frank Tonkin account and the fake Dr Simone Schama accounts to answer any student emails and, of course, I checked each page of their wikis regularly and posted comments. I know that a couple of students noticed these comments but I don't think any actually used the comments to improve their work.
Another hard thing was the stupid lying about me not being Dr Frank Tonkin. Students, if you are reading this - ごめんなさい.
The wikis that the students did were mostly OK. Some were exceptional but I think the choice of technology was a problem. Wikis are at their best when they are collaborative and the students didn't really have to use this aspect to refine their responses to missions. I suspect a blog or even a simple email might have been better. I could have asked them to work in teams but I wanted them all to have some formal writing practice and was worried about 'social loafing'.
One thing I would change in terms of the story structure is to give the students more choice inthe missions. The missions were non-negotiable. Do this. Write that. It was only on the last mission that it occurred to me that games involve choice so I let the students choose to save the samurai or get rich.
Would I run one again? Maybe. The amount of work for me (reduced if I repeat most of it) did not get a substantially better product from students. You'll notice that one of the questions asks them if they want to do an ARG or essay in the future and most picked "A 3rd option".....
What is the 3rd option? I dunno.
It has been fun running the ARG and the kids were definately more engaged than a regular research essay.
Maybe I could be tempted.
Maybe
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
The ARG finishes
Hello -
Sorry it has been a while.
The ARG ended and I've started to assess the wetpaint wikis that my year 9s and 10s created. So far the first few I've looked at have been excellent. The students researdhed well and used the technology of wetpaint effectively - which is great.
I've seen a couple which are, at best, pretty weak but thats the way it goes. I gave the kids a choice inthe last mission - to save the samurai or to let him die and make heaps of cash....welll thats what they thought.
They were offered 'half of all the profits' - but as some of the students realised...half of zero is zero.....
We had a few interuptions to our term which made the focus on the ARG blurry at best but that is something that is unavoidable in most schools. The ARG format would be better with dedicate time being allocated - likewise for the teacher who has to check student work all the time.
Sorry it has been a while.
The ARG ended and I've started to assess the wetpaint wikis that my year 9s and 10s created. So far the first few I've looked at have been excellent. The students researdhed well and used the technology of wetpaint effectively - which is great.
I've seen a couple which are, at best, pretty weak but thats the way it goes. I gave the kids a choice inthe last mission - to save the samurai or to let him die and make heaps of cash....welll thats what they thought.
They were offered 'half of all the profits' - but as some of the students realised...half of zero is zero.....
We had a few interuptions to our term which made the focus on the ARG blurry at best but that is something that is unavoidable in most schools. The ARG format would be better with dedicate time being allocated - likewise for the teacher who has to check student work all the time.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Mission 4 and Player Choice
Right chaps (a gender non-specific term these days I am told)
I launched the fourth and final part of my ARG today. We had a bit of a pause in activity because of some visitors from Nagasaki to the school.
Part four asks the students to choose between two missions.
(a) help the mad scientist and get rich AND in the process complete the last learning task
(b) help the reporter thwart the mad scientist, repair the time-line AND complete a slightly different learning task.
I've attached the files (with the unfortunate typos my students made me aware of)
For those of you not able to read Japanese, option A asks the kids to 'look at "66" on the institute of traffic webpage and click' See here: http://institutefortraffic.wetpaint.com/
Option B asks them 'who sits at the front of the school. Please talk (to them)'. It was the front office staff at our school who had been asked to (once given the right phrase) send them back to me (mwahahahahahaha) for the mission. Annoying! here is the mission they get
I need you to complete write 500 words on wiki about why Musashi is important in Japanese history using the themes you have already researched as reference points. Once he understands his role in Japanese history he will be able to overpower Dr Tonkin and return to fulfill his destiny.
The term ends on Friday next week and I need to get this all wrapped up soonish.
The interuption by the Nagasaki visitors though welcome, was a bit of a speed bumb for the ARG - something I should have thought about sooner.
One of my students asked today if all the Japanese assignments could be done in the ARG style (not exactly her words but that was the gist). I want to say 'yes' but bugger me if this isn't a lot of work - and I am a little worried that kids who normally would do an essay and be content...are a little put off by the layers of complication (the wiki...email...twitter) that in their eyes is an encumbrance.
Comments are VERY welcome.
I launched the fourth and final part of my ARG today. We had a bit of a pause in activity because of some visitors from Nagasaki to the school.
Part four asks the students to choose between two missions.
(a) help the mad scientist and get rich AND in the process complete the last learning task
(b) help the reporter thwart the mad scientist, repair the time-line AND complete a slightly different learning task.
I've attached the files (with the unfortunate typos my students made me aware of)
For those of you not able to read Japanese, option A asks the kids to 'look at "66" on the institute of traffic webpage and click' See here: http://institutefortraffic.wetpaint.com/
Option B asks them 'who sits at the front of the school. Please talk (to them)'. It was the front office staff at our school who had been asked to (once given the right phrase) send them back to me (mwahahahahahaha) for the mission. Annoying! here is the mission they get
I need you to complete write 500 words on wiki about why Musashi is important in Japanese history using the themes you have already researched as reference points. Once he understands his role in Japanese history he will be able to overpower Dr Tonkin and return to fulfill his destiny.
The term ends on Friday next week and I need to get this all wrapped up soonish.
The interuption by the Nagasaki visitors though welcome, was a bit of a speed bumb for the ARG - something I should have thought about sooner.
One of my students asked today if all the Japanese assignments could be done in the ARG style (not exactly her words but that was the gist). I want to say 'yes' but bugger me if this isn't a lot of work - and I am a little worried that kids who normally would do an essay and be content...are a little put off by the layers of complication (the wiki...email...twitter) that in their eyes is an encumbrance.
Comments are VERY welcome.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Pacing
Hello.
High school is a busy place - and I am still dealing with the idea of never having 'lunch' like I used to before I became a teacher - but ARGs take a lot of time to manage. Even for the 40 or students in my ARG, it takes a lot to monitor and provide feedback individually on a regular basis.
The other issue is that the school itself has a lot going on; swimming carnivals, excursions and (next week) a visit by 23 students from Nagasaki. In terms of my ARG it has really affected the pacing of the story/missions because the kids have a lot on their plate, as do I.
Many students are at least one mission behind the pace and it is not because they haven't cracked the code. The kids who have fallen behind either haven't prioritised the ARG as high as other work, or, worse, forgotten about work. It is a problem.
On the one hand the G in ARG is important but at the end of it we all know there is an assessable product. There is a great deal of tension between these two factors and I am not sure, at this moment I know how to untangle it.
So, I need to come up with a new mission for the coming week that involves our Japanese visitors which, though probably confusing, will force my students to communicate in a new and strange way!
High school is a busy place - and I am still dealing with the idea of never having 'lunch' like I used to before I became a teacher - but ARGs take a lot of time to manage. Even for the 40 or students in my ARG, it takes a lot to monitor and provide feedback individually on a regular basis.
The other issue is that the school itself has a lot going on; swimming carnivals, excursions and (next week) a visit by 23 students from Nagasaki. In terms of my ARG it has really affected the pacing of the story/missions because the kids have a lot on their plate, as do I.
Many students are at least one mission behind the pace and it is not because they haven't cracked the code. The kids who have fallen behind either haven't prioritised the ARG as high as other work, or, worse, forgotten about work. It is a problem.
On the one hand the G in ARG is important but at the end of it we all know there is an assessable product. There is a great deal of tension between these two factors and I am not sure, at this moment I know how to untangle it.
So, I need to come up with a new mission for the coming week that involves our Japanese visitors which, though probably confusing, will force my students to communicate in a new and strange way!
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Behind the curtain
A strange and funny development that I can laugh about now....just.
The last mission involving the funny code got the kids working hard. I had set up another teacher to be the source of the crack of the code but I underestimated how smart my students are.
The code was a simple caesar cypher - all the letters moved forward 14 places. My kids started working on the code by using a number of interesting strategies:
(1) Pick the common letter
(2) Guess a word from context
(3) pick small words
As it turned out not one student needed to talk to the teacher I had set up to play a role in the ARG - and he was very disappointed because he likes that sort of caper. They all worked it out in teams using their own intellect. To be honest I was really proud of them - and I am trying not to be bitter about the time it took me to plan that puzzle. Still, I'd recommend it to other designers of ARGs in schools.
The mission itself involves the kids finding 3 pictures from the web that are at least 150years old and epitomise the bushido code as they understand it. I am trying to wed a bit of visual literacy to their comprehnsion of the code by which the samurai lived. It has been great to see how they are attempting this; some through art, some through photos (rare) others by sculpture. Intriguing!
Now, the BIG news. One of my students found THIS blog.
Bugger. They were pretty proud of themselves, I can tell you! They now know EVERYTHING about the ARG and although my last post said that in a way them knowing this is all a game doesn't make it less fun, I can't help but feel a little disappointed. But, that student has promised to keep quiet until it is all over but if I had my time again I would have hidden this blog a little better to prevent this. How did he find it? Via Classroom 2.0? no. He googled "Dr Frank Tonkin" - and because I made that name up - this is where google took him.
If I was doing this again, I would call one of the NPCs a name like Brad Pitt or somesuch; somthing that google will have a few million options for!
So, has the game changed at all because of exposure? I can't say yet, but it is an interesting development!
The last mission involving the funny code got the kids working hard. I had set up another teacher to be the source of the crack of the code but I underestimated how smart my students are.
The code was a simple caesar cypher - all the letters moved forward 14 places. My kids started working on the code by using a number of interesting strategies:
(1) Pick the common letter
(2) Guess a word from context
(3) pick small words
As it turned out not one student needed to talk to the teacher I had set up to play a role in the ARG - and he was very disappointed because he likes that sort of caper. They all worked it out in teams using their own intellect. To be honest I was really proud of them - and I am trying not to be bitter about the time it took me to plan that puzzle. Still, I'd recommend it to other designers of ARGs in schools.
The mission itself involves the kids finding 3 pictures from the web that are at least 150years old and epitomise the bushido code as they understand it. I am trying to wed a bit of visual literacy to their comprehnsion of the code by which the samurai lived. It has been great to see how they are attempting this; some through art, some through photos (rare) others by sculpture. Intriguing!
Now, the BIG news. One of my students found THIS blog.
Bugger. They were pretty proud of themselves, I can tell you! They now know EVERYTHING about the ARG and although my last post said that in a way them knowing this is all a game doesn't make it less fun, I can't help but feel a little disappointed. But, that student has promised to keep quiet until it is all over but if I had my time again I would have hidden this blog a little better to prevent this. How did he find it? Via Classroom 2.0? no. He googled "Dr Frank Tonkin" - and because I made that name up - this is where google took him.
If I was doing this again, I would call one of the NPCs a name like Brad Pitt or somesuch; somthing that google will have a few million options for!
So, has the game changed at all because of exposure? I can't say yet, but it is an interesting development!
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Losing the plot
I have been tearing myself apart trying to make this ARG engaging AND educational and struggling to make the connection. Too much engagement, Ithought, would involve making a complex plot the kids read about or were into without necessarily producing any indication of the learning about samurai. Too much on the 'educational product' side and I might as well have asked for an essay and saved myself the effort.
But then I thought....
People (even hormone-addled teenagers) read books, play MMORPG and KNOW that they are not 'real' and enjoy them no less AND...even better...they learn and reflect on those experiences. So why am I killing myself trying to fool my students when the plot is FAR more important.
So I introduced a newish character who sent them the letter below:
Dear Agent,
My name is Dr Simone Schama and I am a reporter for the Mainichi Canberra Newspaper. I have some important news for you about the storm two weeks ago that you probably won't believe - but I need you to trust me. I believe that the Institute for the Study of Traffic is just a front. I know this because I hacked their IT system - and that is where I learnt about the experiment....and about your helping Dr Frank Tonkin. Please read on so I can explain.
I have been doing some digging around with sources at the Australian Bureau of Meteorology about the storm and none of them can explain it. It seems as though it wasn't actually a storm at all but really a electrical discharge of some kind. Now, I am not a scientist but I started to hear rumours about a secret government organisation doing experiments with temporal shifting - or time travel.
There was something strange about this story so I decided to ask someone at the Australian National University. No one was really able to help me but I was referred to a man called Dr Frank Tonkin. I looked him up and he appears to have a long and prestigious background in high-energy physics before taking a job at the Institute for the Study of Traffic.
From talking to people at your school I have learnt that officers claiming to be from the Institute took away a strangely dressed man in the morning following the electrical disturbance. As strange as it sounds, I believe that man has been dragged from someplace and sometime in history. He is probably a 'samurai' but more than that, I do not know.
I can't risk Dr Tonkin finding out about me before I know more so I've convinced Agent Yoda to give you a mission to learn more about this Samurai. Secrecy is vital so follow these instructions carefully.
アルフレッド・ディーケン・ハイ・スクールの せんせい コード がわかります。
だれ？ わかりません。よくきいてください
TWBR HVFSS DWQHIFSG OH ZSOGH 150 MSOFG CZR. KFWHS 350 KCFRG CB VCK HVSM SDWHCAWGS HVS PIGVWRC QCRS.
But then I thought....
People (even hormone-addled teenagers) read books, play MMORPG and KNOW that they are not 'real' and enjoy them no less AND...even better...they learn and reflect on those experiences. So why am I killing myself trying to fool my students when the plot is FAR more important.
So I introduced a newish character who sent them the letter below:
Dear Agent,
My name is Dr Simone Schama and I am a reporter for the Mainichi Canberra Newspaper. I have some important news for you about the storm two weeks ago that you probably won't believe - but I need you to trust me. I believe that the Institute for the Study of Traffic is just a front. I know this because I hacked their IT system - and that is where I learnt about the experiment....and about your helping Dr Frank Tonkin. Please read on so I can explain.
I have been doing some digging around with sources at the Australian Bureau of Meteorology about the storm and none of them can explain it. It seems as though it wasn't actually a storm at all but really a electrical discharge of some kind. Now, I am not a scientist but I started to hear rumours about a secret government organisation doing experiments with temporal shifting - or time travel.
There was something strange about this story so I decided to ask someone at the Australian National University. No one was really able to help me but I was referred to a man called Dr Frank Tonkin. I looked him up and he appears to have a long and prestigious background in high-energy physics before taking a job at the Institute for the Study of Traffic.
From talking to people at your school I have learnt that officers claiming to be from the Institute took away a strangely dressed man in the morning following the electrical disturbance. As strange as it sounds, I believe that man has been dragged from someplace and sometime in history. He is probably a 'samurai' but more than that, I do not know.
I can't risk Dr Tonkin finding out about me before I know more so I've convinced Agent Yoda to give you a mission to learn more about this Samurai. Secrecy is vital so follow these instructions carefully.
アルフレッド・ディーケン・ハイ・スクールの せんせい コード がわかります。
だれ？ わかりません。よくきいてください
TWBR HVFSS DWQHIFSG OH ZSOGH 150 MSOFG CZR. KFWHS 350 KCFRG CB VCK HVSM SDWHCAWGS HVS PIGVWRC QCRS.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Day 6 - Suspicious Minds
When I started designing (is that too strong a word?) this ARG I had imagined my 15 and 16 year old students getting right into the 'vibe of thing' without a shred of typical teenage suspicion.
I was only partly right. As obsessed as they are about solving the puzzles for codewords, they are probably just as excited about how the exercise is running and WHO is running it. I am embarassed to say that I have been making up the most ridiculous reasons for how Dr Tonkin and I communicate.....bordering on lying.
If you know your Star Wars (and frankly, everyone should when it comes to Episodes 4,5 and 6) Obi Wan claims that Darth Vader killed Luke's father. When Luke finds out the truth Obi Wan's response is something along the lines of 'it was true - in a manner of speaking'. That is about how close to the wind I am sailing!
To make my web of misleading statements all the more complicated, I have arranged for a co-educator friend of mine in another state to call me during class time and pretend to be Dr Frank Tonkin. And even then I doubt I'll throw them off the scent.
All this distracts from the important stuff of engagement, knowledge building, skills development and experience that should be at the core of the ARG.
Any advice or help VERY welcomed.
Be well.
I was only partly right. As obsessed as they are about solving the puzzles for codewords, they are probably just as excited about how the exercise is running and WHO is running it. I am embarassed to say that I have been making up the most ridiculous reasons for how Dr Tonkin and I communicate.....bordering on lying.
If you know your Star Wars (and frankly, everyone should when it comes to Episodes 4,5 and 6) Obi Wan claims that Darth Vader killed Luke's father. When Luke finds out the truth Obi Wan's response is something along the lines of 'it was true - in a manner of speaking'. That is about how close to the wind I am sailing!
To make my web of misleading statements all the more complicated, I have arranged for a co-educator friend of mine in another state to call me during class time and pretend to be Dr Frank Tonkin. And even then I doubt I'll throw them off the scent.
All this distracts from the important stuff of engagement, knowledge building, skills development and experience that should be at the core of the ARG.
Any advice or help VERY welcomed.
Be well.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Day 4
By now most of the students have built their wikis successfully although a few have access issues at home. Some have limited internet, some have creaky machines and some have been banned from using the PC because they have been on MSN Messenger all night. The content so far has been of good quality - especially by those students collaborating in some way or another.
The engagement factor is still very high and tomorrow I have another mission for them. We have our swimming carnival and while their they have to find a teacher based on these instructions:
せんせい の なまえ は わかりません。 せんせい は 日本語 が はなします。
When they work out who it is AND use the correct phrase they will get this codeword clue:
495.6 HAL 刀
This will lead them to the next area of research and reporting. None of them have found the twitter account yet despite it being in the sig block of Dr Tonkin in every email they have received.
Be well!
The engagement factor is still very high and tomorrow I have another mission for them. We have our swimming carnival and while their they have to find a teacher based on these instructions:
せんせい の なまえ は わかりません。 せんせい は 日本語 が はなします。
When they work out who it is AND use the correct phrase they will get this codeword clue:
495.6 HAL 刀
This will lead them to the next area of research and reporting. None of them have found the twitter account yet despite it being in the sig block of Dr Tonkin in every email they have received.
Be well!
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Day 2
Hello. The risk of this game with 14-16 year olds is that their BS detector is pretty accurate. The 'reality' of the game is reduced and the 'game' part of the game is accentuated. The kids all know that this is an assignment with make-up on BUT because it is a game they have thrown themselves at the tasks.
Today dd bring up a couple of funny (peculiar) aspects. Wetpaint is being used by the kids to build their samurai wikis - but wetpaint is problematic. On the one hand I want the learning product of the students to be viewable to the world. On the other hand it seems to allow people to edit their wikis. I've already had a problem with spam on one of the sites, unfortunately.
The other problem is my alter-ego, Dr Tonkin. The students suspect me of being Tonkin and I am doing my best to convince them otherwise but I think I am failing.
The students have until Monday to have stuff up on their wiki although if they complete the task before that I will release the next clue.
Today dd bring up a couple of funny (peculiar) aspects. Wetpaint is being used by the kids to build their samurai wikis - but wetpaint is problematic. On the one hand I want the learning product of the students to be viewable to the world. On the other hand it seems to allow people to edit their wikis. I've already had a problem with spam on one of the sites, unfortunately.
The other problem is my alter-ego, Dr Tonkin. The students suspect me of being Tonkin and I am doing my best to convince them otherwise but I think I am failing.
The students have until Monday to have stuff up on their wiki although if they complete the task before that I will release the next clue.
Purpose, Background and Day 1
Trawling the web on a school night I came across classroom2.0. Being a bit of a nerd-burger I signed up and had a look around at all the cool toys....er...learning tools that other teachers had trialled. ONE of those cool ideas was, in many ways, really low-tech. The Alternative Reality Game. Posts by Kev (go to classroom 2.0 and look at the Forum) intriguied me - although like many people I had never heard of them before.
After reading everything I could find and staying up way too late I started to think about how I could use this for my Japanese classes in High School. The cool aspect of ARG is that the student is immersed in the game...and the cool thing about gaming generally is that it is purposeful learning. What I mean is that working from a text book or puzzle-style worksheet rarely (if ever) becomes an experience that STICKS with students. I can't think of a time when my eyes misted over as I got lost in the nostalgic reverie of old worksheets I completed in high school! The ARG gives the learning task PURPOSE and CONTEXT. Now, the debate, as I see it, with ARG (and by inference things like Second Life and WOW) is that the ARG is NOT real life. Or worse, it is OBVIOUSLY not real life and hence nothing better than a worksheet afterall. I think that opinion is in error.
OK, so philosophical rant over (for now) on to the fun stuff.
The learning area for this assignment is Samurai of the medieval period of Japan. The students are Y9 and Y10 (oblivious for now of the other's participation) of both gender. Specifically, I want the students to learn about :
Dr Frank Tonkin is an evil genius working for the government in Canberra. Although his job title is Director of the Institute for the Study of Traffic, he has been secretly building a machine to transport himself back in time to any place in the world. Late at night on the 25th of February 2009 he activated his machine. But something went wrong. Instead of being sent somewhere - a man from the past was dragged into our time. Media reported a high localised lightning storm over the school and also of a mysterious government agency 'cleaning' the scene before most staff and students arrived. Rather than arouse suspicion, Dr Tonkin has recruited students to investigate the scene and determine who was zapped into 2009.
The plot will reveal that the man zapped into our time has no memory and needs to be taught who he is (Miyamoto Musashi). Tonkin will be discovered and thwarted by the noble and wonderful Dr Rogers, who acting on the instructions of students will send Musashi back to his time and have Dr Tonkin arrested for perverting the course of time.
Day One:
Before school started but while most of the kids were milling around I made an announcement over the PA saying "Goodmorning, just to let you all know, the lightning storm last night that hit our school has damaged nothing and all our IT sytems are working fine". The irony being that in a drought we rarely get storms (or rain) and our IT systems are rarely fine. First period with my genki Y9 kids started with regular roll marking and I casually asked if anyone living near the school heard the storm. There was no storm here last night as it turns out but one kid claimed to have heard it all! It made me look very trustworthy!
I told the kids that as it turned out I had a media release about the storm at our school and that they should read it......which made them all a little uneasy. Then I gave them the CLASSIFIED material with the beginning of the scenario. The material was from Dr Tonkin who, it was said, required them to set up an email account and wetpaint site. The first 'mission' was in Japanese. It told them to ask a teacher (after a code phrase) for instructions - which was to go to the tennis court. Now, my kids are pretty keen at the best of times but this HAD them completely! All of them, even the somewhat sullen with incredibly enthusiastic.
They ran out to the tennis court where they found the word 'samurai' (I wrote it that morning) in chalk on the ground in Japanese.
The rest of the class they set up their accounts on wetpaint and mail and at recess they could wait to ask staff for more instructions/information. I had talked to our very excellent but somewhat surrly janitor that morning about being a part of the conspiracy - something he agreed to. This made it all so much more convincing because they asked him about the storm and he confirmed my silly story.
They have to email Dr Tonkin with the code word, wiki and email. Dr Tonkin then instructed them to write about what exactly the word 'samurai' means on their wiki. Hopefully, by the time we finish with the game the kids will have a full wiki about samurai.
So, that is today. I'll post docs and links on this blog ASAP but I ask you not to join our game at this time. The inspiration, Kev, will recognise some of his fine work but the rest is my gumf.
Be well!
After reading everything I could find and staying up way too late I started to think about how I could use this for my Japanese classes in High School. The cool aspect of ARG is that the student is immersed in the game...and the cool thing about gaming generally is that it is purposeful learning. What I mean is that working from a text book or puzzle-style worksheet rarely (if ever) becomes an experience that STICKS with students. I can't think of a time when my eyes misted over as I got lost in the nostalgic reverie of old worksheets I completed in high school! The ARG gives the learning task PURPOSE and CONTEXT. Now, the debate, as I see it, with ARG (and by inference things like Second Life and WOW) is that the ARG is NOT real life. Or worse, it is OBVIOUSLY not real life and hence nothing better than a worksheet afterall. I think that opinion is in error.
OK, so philosophical rant over (for now) on to the fun stuff.
The learning area for this assignment is Samurai of the medieval period of Japan. The students are Y9 and Y10 (oblivious for now of the other's participation) of both gender. Specifically, I want the students to learn about :
- a samurai's role
- A samurai's weapons and armour
- A samurai's religious inclinations
- A samurai's home and source of income
- General Japanese medieval history when Samurai were rel event.
Dr Frank Tonkin is an evil genius working for the government in Canberra. Although his job title is Director of the Institute for the Study of Traffic, he has been secretly building a machine to transport himself back in time to any place in the world. Late at night on the 25th of February 2009 he activated his machine. But something went wrong. Instead of being sent somewhere - a man from the past was dragged into our time. Media reported a high localised lightning storm over the school and also of a mysterious government agency 'cleaning' the scene before most staff and students arrived. Rather than arouse suspicion, Dr Tonkin has recruited students to investigate the scene and determine who was zapped into 2009.
The plot will reveal that the man zapped into our time has no memory and needs to be taught who he is (Miyamoto Musashi). Tonkin will be discovered and thwarted by the noble and wonderful Dr Rogers, who acting on the instructions of students will send Musashi back to his time and have Dr Tonkin arrested for perverting the course of time.
Day One:
Before school started but while most of the kids were milling around I made an announcement over the PA saying "Goodmorning, just to let you all know, the lightning storm last night that hit our school has damaged nothing and all our IT sytems are working fine". The irony being that in a drought we rarely get storms (or rain) and our IT systems are rarely fine. First period with my genki Y9 kids started with regular roll marking and I casually asked if anyone living near the school heard the storm. There was no storm here last night as it turns out but one kid claimed to have heard it all! It made me look very trustworthy!
I told the kids that as it turned out I had a media release about the storm at our school and that they should read it......which made them all a little uneasy. Then I gave them the CLASSIFIED material with the beginning of the scenario. The material was from Dr Tonkin who, it was said, required them to set up an email account and wetpaint site. The first 'mission' was in Japanese. It told them to ask a teacher (after a code phrase) for instructions - which was to go to the tennis court. Now, my kids are pretty keen at the best of times but this HAD them completely! All of them, even the somewhat sullen with incredibly enthusiastic.
They ran out to the tennis court where they found the word 'samurai' (I wrote it that morning) in chalk on the ground in Japanese.
The rest of the class they set up their accounts on wetpaint and mail and at recess they could wait to ask staff for more instructions/information. I had talked to our very excellent but somewhat surrly janitor that morning about being a part of the conspiracy - something he agreed to. This made it all so much more convincing because they asked him about the storm and he confirmed my silly story.
They have to email Dr Tonkin with the code word, wiki and email. Dr Tonkin then instructed them to write about what exactly the word 'samurai' means on their wiki. Hopefully, by the time we finish with the game the kids will have a full wiki about samurai.
So, that is today. I'll post docs and links on this blog ASAP but I ask you not to join our game at this time. The inspiration, Kev, will recognise some of his fine work but the rest is my gumf.
Be well!
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