#csk8 Archive
This chat includes a discussion of topics of interest to K-8 teachers who teach and/or integrate computer science.The Computer Science Teachers Association is a membership organization that supports and promotes the teaching of computer science and other computing disciplines. CSTA provides opportunities for K–12 teachers and students to better understand the computing disciplines and to more successfully prepare themselves to teach and learn.
Wednesday October 19, 2016
The CSTA K-8 Task Group welcomes you to tonight’s chat. Our moderators tonight are &
Our topic tonight is Teaching Computer Science Through Game Creation
Don’t forget to include the hashtag on all tweets during the chat so that everyone participating in the chat sees your posts.
Before we start, who’s joining us tonight? Please introduce yourself.
Hi all, I'm Vicky, a K-8 technology teacher in the Los Angeles area and my students love to make games!
I am Sheena, a CS teacher in California for 5+ years, CSTA K-8 board member.
Hi all. Natalie, Instructional Technology Resource Teacher from VA.
Time to start the discussion. Question #1 is coming right up.
The chat is a structured chat which means questions will be numbered Q1 for Question 1, Q2 for Question 2, etc.
Answers should start with A1 for the answer to Q1, A2 to answer Q2, etc. matching the question being answered.
Q1: Why would you want to teach computer science through game development? Advantages?
A1: Game projects engages all (or most!) students. Games allows creativity and collaboration
Opposing views are welcome as well, if you have one. :)
Hi, Mark Miller here from https://t.co/LP2bL8AMzE . Sorry to join a few minutes late. So pleased to be part of this exciting group.
Agreed, most of my students are very engaged when creating games. https://t.co/Cm9oEQCGqc
A1: Game projects engages all (or most!) students. Games allows creativity and collaboration
Hi Mark, glad you are here.
Welcome, Mark. We're on Q1 Why would you want to teach computer science through game development? Advantages?
Myra from Southern CA HS CS Teacher
A1 I'm interested in moving kids beyond mundane coding tasks into more realistic and fun programming experiences.
A1: I also find that iteration is an easy sell with games. Ss want to improve their games.
Welcome, - glad you could make it, Myra.
A1: It is engaging for my students. They have all played games.
enjoyed your session at CDE STEM conference in Anaheim!
Great point. Games provides students a real coding challenge they can understand.
Thanks Mark, was good to see you there as well.
A1: Game development is engaging and allows the students to be creative
Definitely and it's an eye-opening experience when they realize that creating a good game is hard work.
A1: Students want to create games because it is something their peers understand. Nothing like asking friends to test your game
Yes, getting testers for game projects is usually easy. :)
Yes, it is the game testing part that is the highlight of all these classes. Students love getting real time feedback
A1: Games are a natural way of introducing variables even in younger grades. Ss want to keep score!
Be watching for Question 2 & prepare your recommendations.
Q2: What tools, apps, websites would you recommend for teaching CS through game creation? Links, please.
A2: Scratch https://t.co/zj99DvKarM for K-8. Ss create characters, learn from millions of other games. low floor, high ceiling.
A1: For younger Ss Kodu can be really good. It uses images as well as words for programming. https://t.co/KSo0xCW5ud
A1: For younger Ss Kodu can be really good. It uses images as well as words for programming. https://t.co/KSo0xCW5ud
Is this for a dedicated games class or part of your CS class. Where do these games run?
A2 Even though Google CSFirst was designed for after school clubs, it has good resources for use in class https://t.co/rEsTQzSg2q
A2: Has anyone tried to use Unity in their classes?
They run on any device and Touch Develop is in the cloud.
I've been looking at that maybe for 8th grade.
. TouchDevelop is web. Games run on any modern web browser so just about any device. A big plus for sharing
Have been thinking of testing this... may work for a Games elective at 7/8 grades?
A2: Depends on context (in-school vs OST), kids. I like Snap for kids >Scratch but
I use the curriculum as part of a fundamentals of programming class.
Hack the Future offers a table on that usually. Less accessible but kids like cool results
BTW I'm a HS CS teacher in Monterrey Mexico
Q2: Python -> Pygame is good on some platforms (Raspberry Pi) but not others (no Mac or Chromebook support)
Apps Lab isn't meant to be used on phones, etc. for writing code. You can use those w/TouchDevelop.
. Apps lab is pretty cool. I like TouchDevelop because it is sort of between drag/drop and text based languages
A2. Working with the little ones. They like the games they make in lessons. They've stepped their game up.
Yes I found that there is some way to install on mac but could not make it work. I use tkinter to do simple Python games
A2: There is now a Chromebook-friendly version of Logo, eager to have a look
Those are fun. You can create some games in ScratchJr as well.
A2: Robot soccer is a great project. We've also done tic-tac-toe including actually moving markers on a board
Robot soccer sounds fun. With real robots?
I will definitely try to use Kodu in my classroom! Thank you for the recommendation!
Have not seen this before - thanks for sharing. Seems less on coding, but may work well with a game design type of class.
i think it stopped working on newer versions of OS
A2. I liked Tynker when it was free and I think the sets are a good start....I'm still looking for the next level.
A2: we used to use Alice (for 3D and Java-light) but it has been very buggy in our experience, kids lose work
jumping in the conversation late! hi everyone, Alexis from South Florida!
Q3: How can a game creation course teach CS concepts that are not related to algorithms & programming?
Hi, nice to see you again. We are on Q3 now
If you have suggestions for tools, apps, websites for game creation, that was Q2 - feel free to share!
likewise! This is the only chat I can manage to keep up with!
StarLogoNova seems viable as a 3D gaming platform but have only done modest trials of it
It does! I use it in a game design unit in an intro to CS class
I haven't ever tried it for that. Maybe need to think about that.
A3: Example would be teaching "AI" and "heuristic programming" by having the computer be a player
A3: game creation teaches about digital design, the iterative process, debugging.. so much more than just algorithms and programming!
A3: We can teach communication/collaboration through games creation, and maybe other concepts - like collect and study data on games?
How can things like computing system, networks & the Internet, be integrated w/o just a "lecture".
I'm sure you can guess what I will say... I teach exclusively for game creation!
What platforms could be used to collect data on games especially for younger grades? I like this idea.
No idea, I just made it up!.was thinking on how to hit all K-12 framework concepts and Data seemed a good one
Mainly what I use as well though trying to move into JavaScript and/or Python in older grades.
We need to think on this one. :)
Scratch good as starter after https://t.co/cHG7pKIxmx , but lack of functions,1st class citizens limits CS ideas. SNAP!
A3: I think that using "games", like those in CS Unplugged, could be a way to teach some of the concepts even though it's not creating
A3: Game creation places an emphasis on communication, digital design, and having students become empowered learners
Snap is good but not my go to for elementary students b/c there are no sprite/background libraries.
Question 4 about assessment coming right up.
Yes the sprites are a big draw to games.We do text based games in Python but kids want graphics
Q4: What are the challenges with assessing a game project?
And, especially elementary age students. Sprites & the ability to draw in the app.
Also Alice from is great for 3D game creation.
A4: you really have to set clear standards for game projects. A rubric is essential and should be shared with students early.
Some were saying it's glitchy though. Haven't tried it recently myself.
A4: Not all games are the same level of complexity. Hard to determine how much is remixed, who did what in a group project
One of my first handouts is how to grab costumes from Scratch and add to Snap. ;-)
Do we assess the game or are we assessing the CS concepts included in the game?
I'm personally not a fan of Alice, but it is a 3D alternative until decides to add that ability!
I would hope both depending on context. One question is, "Can you win your own game? If not, it is too hard"
A4: I tend to assess the CS concepts and not the actual game itself.
. I think it important that we assess the CS concepts. The game may be part of the grade but not the main part.
I'm a fan of Randy Paush's last lecture for HS CS students. Alice was a work in progress cut short, alas.
A4: The challenge comes for classroom T who wants an "in the box" alignment. Need to have a when creating rubric
. A student has to demonstrate that winning is handled as correctly as losing. Testing is important.
what cs concepts might be useful to explore and assess in a game project for pre-Uni students?
A4: Making sure that CS concepts are being assessed in the project
A4: It's not just about CS Standards in assessment; hopefully there is curricular connection through and content needs to align
Question 5 is coming right up. Watch for it.
. I find that more CS concepts are necessary for games than just about any other kind of application
Q5: Not all students are gamers. What can we do with a game creation curriculum to involve all students?
True, depending on the focus of the class.
. Absolutely. It helps them to understand why you are asking for specific things. Students want to know why.
for sure. was just curious about which kinds of cs concepts you'd explore with high school kids
actually, it never depends for me. The content drives the instructions and the gaming teaches the skill.
. A5. Some students who don't see themselves as gamers like puzzles which only look different from games.
We will wrap up a few minutes early today..
Thank you for coming to tonight’s chat about Teaching Computer Science Through Game Creation.
If you are a CS elective, you may not be tying into a PBL unit or a curricular area.
We encourage you to continue the conversations on Google+ at https://t.co/5WMiomKEV6 & here on Twitter using the hashtag.
So glad I got to participate in the chat tonight. Have to leave early but will watch the hashtag later.
I am thinking of a Wittgenstein quote about what is or is not a game...
An archive of this chat will be posted in the K-8 Computer Science Teachers g+ Community at https://t.co/Pun3ZoWtgN
A5: Apply to real life experiences. Start with how to tell a story, that is at the heart of all video games!
Great question ... we may have a definition we should use
A5:By finding ways to relate game creations to their interests, those Ss will be motivated&engaged to learn about game creation
Join us in 2 weeks on 11/2/16 for the next chat. We’ll announce the topic soon! Suggestions, anyone?
I guess, but even our elective teachers connect to core curriculum. Integrate any chance!
Thank you all for joining us folks... we will see you in 2 weeks.
