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.
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