This panel at Games For Change 20011, OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM: YOUTH DESIGNING GAMES, featured four case studies of afterschool games-design programs (GirlStart, Boys and Girls Clubs, MOUSE and Global Kids!) More at: http://www.olpglobalkids.org/2011/06/global_kids_at_games_for_chang_1.html

1. Outside
the
Classroom:
Kids
Designing
Games

2. SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY ENGINEERING MATH

3. GIRLSTART: WHAT WE DO
• STEM Education for girls (K-12, primarily 3rd-10th grade)
• Programs:
• Girlstart Summer Camp
• Girlstart After School
• Girls in STEM Conference
• Public STEM Education
• Teacher Professional Development
3

4. OPPORTUNITIES
• We have leveraged these extant resources to create something new:
• STEM Integration = Organizational Flexibility / Acumen
• Toolbox of Varied Game Development Resources
• Collaborations
• Corporate Support
4

5. CHALLENGES
• A toolbox of varied game dev resources demands more resources to support it
• Managing expectations
• Staff time investment in training
• Mutable external environment
5

6. TOOLSETS
• Agentsheets
• GameSalad
• Gamestar Mechanic
• Open source creative tools
• Tools that arise out of collaborations (eg NGCP, Austin Film Society, corporate)
• Other STEM tools and resources
6

7. EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES
• Creative problem solving
• Immersion in the complex and multifaceted work of game development
• Connect game development with STEM subjects, majors
• Connect game development to careers / esp women working in STEM
7

9. MOUSE
Serious
Game

10. Key
Opportuni5es
• engagement
• web
infrastructure
• organiza5onal
partnerships
• curiosity
of
educators

11. Most
Significant
Challenges
• applying
engagement
to
social
issues
• designing
for
a
minimally
guided
instruc5onal
environment
• forma5ve
assessment

12. Primary
Toolsets

14. Objec5ves
• the
mechanical
and
conceptual
literacies
of
MAKING
and
DOING
• exposing
the
underbelly
• design
&
systems
thinking
• affect
the
aMtudes
of
young
geeks
about
their
role
in
change

15. Juan
Rubio
Global
Kids
Outside
the
Classroom:
Kids
Designing
Games
NYC
Haunts

16. Key
topics
 Key
opportunities
leveraged
in
developing
and
running
the
program
 Challenges
faced
during
implementation
 Primary
toolsets
used
and
why
they
were
chosen
 What
were
the
primary
educational
objectives?

17. NYC
Haunts
 Location-­‐based
game
designed
by
middle
school
students
from
MS
391
in
the
Bronx
 Partnership
between
Global
Kids
and
The
New
York
Public
Library
 Using
the
game
location
based
platform
SCVNGR
and
QR
codes

18. Opportunities
 Willingness
and
interest
from
students
to
work
on
game
design
 New
York
Public
Library
desire
to
collaborate
in
a
digital
media
project

20. Key
challenges
faced
during
implementation
 Technology
challenges
 Program
challenges

21. Technology
challenges
 Firewall
restrictions:
access
to
websites
and
applications
 Youtube,
SCVNGR
 Equipment
availability
 Care
of
equipment:
student
broke
an
iPad

22. Program
challenges
 Working
outside
the
school
system:
student
attendance,
recruitment
 Play
testing:
coordinate
field
trips
 Maintaining
line
of
communication
while
offsite
 Ambitious
Design
 Incorporating
student
decisions
as
time
afforded

23. Primary
tool
sets
 Mobile
technology:
iPad
2’s
 Game
location
based
application:
SCVNGR
 QR
Codes
 Websites
 Book

24. Primary
Educational
Objectives
 Serious
game
design
literacy
 Increased
technical
proficiency
and
digital
literacy
 Community
leadership
skills
 Increased
knowledge
of
their
neighborhood
history

26. Global Kids Online Leadership Program
olp.globalkids.org

27. Opportunity Offered funds to
Youth interest in
game design;
STEM Integration; existing Offered funds; Youth
advance their technical
toolbox, collaborations, interest in game
current use of infrastructure;
and corporate support design
technology. collaborations;
educator interest
Challenges Using a wide variety of Part-time staff;
Engaging youth in
serious issues;
Firewalls; care of
equipment; public
game dev tools; High youth designing for school limitations;
managing youth expectations for minimal instruction; ambitious design;
expectations; training time game design formative balancing youth
assessment voices vs. schedule
Tech
Tools Agentsheets, GameSalad,
Gamestar Mechanic, and Mousesquad.org, iPad2, SVNGR, QR
more Scratch Gamestar Mechanic, Codes, web site and
video, and more books
Educational Building literacies of
making and doing;
Serious game design
literacy; technical
Creative problem solving; understanding game proficiency and
STEM skills and
Objectives Game design literacy;
STEM skills and careers
careers
design and field;
design & systems
digital literacy;
leadership skills and
thinking; geeks as community
27 change agents knowledge