PowerPoint Games - Improving Your Questions

9:30 class - please email your WebQuest address to me by the beginning of class today.

11:00 class - please email an electronic copy of your final WebQuest reflection if you have not already done so. All WebQuests should be saved to the dropbox.

As you continue work on your PowerPoint games -- it is important to focus on the instructional value of your game -- and value is added through good questions. Bloom's Taxonomy is an easy way to learn more about various levels of questioning. The class handout will show you the levels. Test your knowledge of Bloom's with this online quiz.

Even young children can use Bloom's Taxonomy to improve their work. Here's a video of a class of children who use it to design literature units. Learn even more about this project here.

Using the handouts on Bloom's Taxonomy and question development, work with a partner to take your 3 sample questions "up a level" on Bloom's Taxonomy. Use these improved questions as a model for all 25 questions to be included in your game. Don't forget that you can checkout textbooks from the Curriculum Materials Center in rm 207 for more ideas for questions (just make sure you're not plagiarizing!)

Continue working on your game outside of class (it is due Thursday, April 7)-- you have a handout on scanning in gameboards if you choose to draw yours by hand. Many students will choose to use the drawing tools in PowerPoint to create their boards. As you work -- review student samples and the PowerPoint Games Project Rubric to ensure that you are meeting the expectations of the assignment. You can earn additional "wow" points by packaging your game. This would include a professional-looking game box with all of the materials necessary to play the game included in the box.

For Tuesday:
1. All text-based slides should be completed (i.e. story, game directions, etc.)
2. 3/4 of your question slides should be completed
3. If you are drawing a board by hand - it should be ready to be scanned.
4. Have someone "play" your game - to double-check your game directions.

Tuesday's class is an optional / attendance make-up day. If you need help with or time to work on your game you should attend class. If you have missed 2 days of class or more - you should attend class.

PowerPoint Games - Using the Template

For more information about EDIT 4160 (offered fall semester) and the undergraduate certificate in instructional technology - go to this link.
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9:30 class: Your WebQuest is due on Thursday. You will need to "publish" your WebQuest within the Quest Garden site and send me an email with the web address for your WebQuest by 9:30 am Thursday, March 30.

11:00 class: Turn in a printed copy of your final reflection to the table by the door. Save a copy of your student and teacher portions of your WebQuest to the dropbox. Create a folder with your name on it within the dropbox and save your files in your folder.

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By now you should have a story idea and you should have selected the standards you'll be addressing with your game. Make sure that you are not creating a game that will review multiple standards. Your game should be designed to introduce content or to provide practice for student understanding. If your game is designed around basic factual recall -- think of another game!

After sharing our story and game ideas, we'll review the project assignment and begin working on the template. Most of the technical skill you need was acquired when we created seating charts during the Productivity Tools Assignment. Using the drawing toolbar in PowerPoint will allow you to customize your game template.

Action buttons are easier than they seem. Being slow and methodical makes it easier to create action buttons that direct the user to the correct feedback.

Here are some links that will review what we learned in class today:

Creating question slides
Creating the headquarters to access your question slides

There are two parts of your game that ensure students will want to use it for learning: the story and the level of questions. You want to make sure that you have an engaging story - and you also want to make sure that your game is the right level of challenge. Factual level questions are too easy (and boring) regardless of the grade level you are targeting. We'll spend time in class on Thursday working on your game design and learning how to write good questions.

For Thursday's class:
1. Begin customizing the game template
2. Write your game directions
3. Finish the basic slides: objectives, game pieces, copyright notice, credits, etc.
4. Write 3 questions to use in your game (on scratch paper) and bring to class.