Shall We Play a Game? Shall We Play a Game? Epic Learning in Epic Learning in Literacy SpacesLiteracy Spaces

Peter Kittle @pkittle Peter Kittle @pkittle Kim Jaxon @drjaxon Kim Jaxon @drjaxon

Northern California Writing Project Northern California Writing Project California State University, ChicoCalifornia State University, Chico

NWP Annual Meeting November 2015NWP Annual Meeting November 2015

Let’s Read…

As you play games, what

principles of gaming do you notice? What

makes something a game?

Let’s play…

Let’s make…Let’s make…

Make a game out of the materials from your Make a game out of the materials from your packet (perhaps a game for newcomers to packet (perhaps a game for newcomers to the NWP!). the NWP!). Or make an Or make an ““extension packextension pack”” for the game for the game you played. you played. Or create quests for participants at the Or create quests for participants at the NWP meeting!NWP meeting!

If your table group has more orange than blue tokens, then take 1 “word” constraint card.(More blue than orange, no word constraint card. Yay!)

If you table group as more dog than alien tokens, then take 1 “presentation” constraint card.(More alien than dog tokens, then no presentation constraint card. Yay!)

*If you have a Sparklepony, you can skip one constraint card and give that card to another table. But you have to give them the Sparklepony too!

Let’s apply these ideas…Kim’s example

Let’s reflect…

Implications for classrooms? How can game principles infuse

classrooms without playing

games explicitly?

“And the chance to do something you’re good at as part of a larger project helps students build real

self-esteem among their peers”… “Not empty self-esteem based on nothing

other than wanting to feel good about yourself, but actual respect and high regard based on contributions you’ve

made.” (McGonigal, Reality is Broken, p.

130-31).

http://tinyurl.com/NWPAMgaming

Thank you for playing.