Education Projects
NEWS: Click here: MCAA - SPSU Gaming Social - Oct. 15, 2009
OCEAN QUEST
An SPSU/MCAA Collaborative Project
Coordinated by Tech Matters
October 1, 2009
Tech Matters is dedicated to creating collaborative projects that promote active experiential learning, with organizations that support authentic, experiential learning with a focus on the STEM subjects. The SPSU/MCAA’s educational game, Ocean Quest is the product of a synergistic relationship between Tech Matters, Southern Polytechnic State University (SPSU), and the Marietta Center for Advanced Academics (MCAA). MCAA, a 3rd – 5th Grade Magnet school, focuses on STEM subjects and knows learning does not occur in a vacuum.
Ocean Quest was a combined effort in which the MCAA fifth grade gifted students and a group of SPSU computer programming students worked together to develop an educational video game to enhance the MCAA’s Spring Oceanography Curriculum. Marka Ormsby and Robin Daniel from Tech Matters, LLC., facilitated the project.
Background
In fall, 2008, SPSU unveiled the School of Computing and Software Design’s new video game development lab. Recognizing that designing a video game for a real audience would be a great opportunity for computer programming students, Jon Preston, Associate Professor of software development at SPSU agreed to work with Tech Matters and MCAA to develop a useful serious game that would enhance the 5th grade gifted student curriculum.
The joint venture provided educational benefits for SPSU and MCAA students beyond programming and use of a custom game. The collaborative project was an educational experience that involved students at both schools working together throughout the design and testing phases of game development.
Ocean Quest rolled out in the spring of 2009, and the 5th gifted students to it use to help fulfill curricular requirements for their oceanography section. It provided the players the opportunity to build a submersible, explore the ocean depths, and capture fish (requiring species identification).
Project goals for 2009-2010
With success of the Ocean Quest collaborative game development, SPSU and MCAA will continue to collaborate to enhance Ocean Quest and develop a new Economics Game. SPSU’s Jon Preston and Briana Morrison will sponsor and mentor the SPSU game developers students, and Tech Matters will help MCAA coordinate their student collaboration through Gaming Socials and the MCAA Tech Club.
Fall 2009
The collaborative effort will kick off in October with a return of the very popular and successful Gaming Social. MCAA 5th grade gifted students and their parents are invited to the Game Development Lab at SPSU to see enhancements to Ocean Quest. Students can play the game and provide valuable feedback to the SPSU game developers. Also MCAA students and their parents have the opportunity see the SPSU commitment to the new Game Development Degree program and to computer software development in general.
Following the Social, SPSU game developers will incorporate MCAA student feedback and “fine tune” Ocean Quest for installation on the MCAA laptops. The MCAA students will use the game in their Oceanography curriculum this fall.
Continued MCAA student involvement in Ocean Quest will continue through the Tech Club in which 3rd-5th grade members will provide mission concepts and make recommendations for addition simulations. Tech Matters will work with the students in this area.
Also this fall, SPSU and MCAA will begin design and development of an Economics Game. Using the experience from last year, SPSU game development students will design an educational game to facilitate the learning of marketing and cost analysis. These are two difficult concepts for students at this age to grasp.
Spring 2010
The Economics game will roll out for the MCAA 5th grade gifted students to use in the Economics section of the Spring Semester.
Tech Matters Offers Expanded Learning Opportunities:
The hallmark of collaborative projects is communication. 21st Century Web 2.0 skills are communication skills. To get the most benefit from this project, faculty and students have the opportunity to “Learn While Doing” using accessible, universal Web 2.0 tools such as:
- Google Sites - common custom web sites which can be limited to project participants where all members can collaborate. (Similar to a wiki).
- Blogs – A free custom web site where the project team can chronicle their work to share what issues arise and how problems are solved.
- Email - direct communication. Using authentic tools under the guidance of teachers the SST develop teamwork, collaboration, leadership, and communication skills. SPSU programmers not only develop teamwork, collaboration, leadership and communication skills, but also, the much needed soft skills working with clients, project planning, and time management skills.
We are hoping to use more of these tools this year, now that we have the collaboration process better defined.