We Play, We Design, We Learn – Info Session

At our GAME On: Community Video Game Festival, you will have the opportunity to listen to four innovative teachers who have integrated games and game design into their classroom practise. Hear about why they think video games are relevant in 21st century learning, what they are doing and have the opportunity to ask questions.

When: Saturday 29th October, 2011

When: 10:00am

Where: Macquarie University Library Foyer

 Click here to register for this session.

More about the teachers . . . 

Joanne Cologon, De La Salle College, Caringbah

My Year 9 and 10 Elective classes have been using Gamestar Mechanic and serious games from Games for Change to investigate game design and the game space. The aim is to improve the students’ understanding and use of the Design Process in Technology and Applied Studies and in turn produce higher quality products.

Simon Hutchison, Gordon East Public School

I am a primary school teacher with 17 years experience and a computer coordinator for 10 years. I am a gamer to the core with a passion for finding ways of making teaching and learning more engaging and relevant to students in the 21st century. I am currently teaching students to design games with an environmental message.

Alice Leung, Merrylands High School

Merrylands High School students play Xbox Kinect and iPod games in the classroom and design their own games with Kodu and Aris. Games based learning is currently embedded into the science and PDHPE curriculum as well as Boys Education initiatives. Games design is integrated into the school’s Student Technology Team, a team of 22 students from Years 9-12 who help lead professional learning on 1:1 laptops and games based learning for staff and students.

Peter Robson, Northern Beaches Christian School

At Northern Beaches Christian School, students can sign up to join our online communities in Second Life and/or Minecraft. Both communities are student driven with little input from teachers. These worlds give students the opportunity to be creative, collaborate across the school community and develop interpersonal skills.

We have a number of students, across the year groups, who are leaders in the communities. These students monitor and engage regularly with the virtual worlds. Both communities are considered extensions of the playground and so behaviour expectations are clear. It is amazing to see the creations that students build and the way that these students protect their communities.