let the games begin

an amazing etwinning project 2016-2017 1st General Lyceum of Ilion, Athens,Greece

Let the games begin

Click on the button if you want to listen to music while navigatingSuper Mario will guide you in a magnificent journey!!!! Come with us!!!!

Greece Bulgaria

Italy Turkey

index

Goals/mission

team 1

Definition of a game

video lesson

story telling

kind of games

serious games

refugee lesson plan

survey

Dont forget looking for the flashing buttons!!!!!Dont forget playing your mouce in all over the pages!All the hidden answers are behind these symbols!

team 2

team 3

survey

There's no creativity without fun, No innovation without creativity, No success without innovation. Are you ready to do awesome things?

GOALS

MISSION

The hidden agenda of games and play is to teach. We are going to use «Game-based learning» or learning through play.The aim is to develop skills of students with emphasis on critical thinking, analysis, decision making.• ability solving problems• sociability• improving self-esteem, perseverance, effort,• creativity of accountability, responsibility and compliance with regulations, both in the virtual world of games and reality.And equally important is the fact that the student experiences in the alternate mode of win-lose, important for the development of his character. Also,• Promoting collaboration between students from different countries. • Developing communication .• Exchanging experience in teaching among teachers.• Improving the Web 2.0 tools and English language both, teachers and students ,with an interactive and fun way.

There's no creativity without fun, No innovation without creativity, No success without innovation. Are you ready to do awesome things?​

Please click the buttons and find out the hidden treasures!

in the end

Last year during our Erasmus+ project our students created a board game: “Snaketriv”. This year using their experience students from Greece, Turkey and Italy ,as a follow up Erasmus+activity, keep collaborating ,playing and for first time designing new games. We, as teachers, how do we make learning more engaging and how do we increase motivation? By games! We all know that students use games in their life for entertainment, play and enjoyment. We have a long list to choose from: educational games, serious games, games in the school yard and at last creating computer games.There will be an exchange of argument for and against games: traditional games vs digital games.Game-based learning could bring us a step closer to John Dewey’s call for “learning by doing.” Games are just one of the many tools that teachers can use in the classroom.

PROJECT'S AIMSThe hidden agenda of games and play is to teach. We are going to use «Game-based learning» or learning through play.The aim is to develop skills of students with emphasis on critical thinking, analysis, decision making.• ability solving problems• sociability• improving self-esteem, perseverance, effort,• creativity of accountability, responsibility and compliance with regulations, both in the virtual world of games and reality.And equally important is the fact that the student experiences in the alternate mode of win-lose, important for the development of his character. Also,• Promoting collaboration between students from different countries. • Developing communication .• Exchanging experience in teaching among teachers.• Improving the Web 2.0 tools and English language both, teachers and students ,with an interactive and fun way.

What is this project about? This project is nothing but a small approach to the use of games in education.We will try leave behind us( just for a while) traditional/classic teaching methods and our students will explore knowledge in a new and free environment, far away from the tension and anguish of rigorous learning assessments. We will try to implement games for learning approaching our students as games are familiar and pleasant to them.Our students will be motivated in new educational issues, will increase their interest in learning process and there will be a different way of interaction and communication.They will learn by playing. Traditional games. Serious games.They will design their own games.

After the end of this project :Students should have realized that tools and applications they worked on can be used in learning process.There will be a contribution to increase their ability to take complex concepts.Students with different learning styles (according Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences ) will obtain better learning.Cooperative activities and communication among students of a group and cooperation between countries’ groups will have facilitated.They will establish their European citizenship and realize there are no knowledge boarders.

Maria Pit

Dimitris Pro

Sofia Mit

Dimitris Rig

Athina Antz

Aris Salt

1st General Lyceum of Ilion MEET THE TEAM

activity 1: Lets know each other

Christina Ra

Johnny Pisp

Kostas Pal

Spyros Taf

activity 1b : Two Truths and a Lie

Bora Brach

Aggelos Spy

Andrianno Sk

Theo Mpech

Nikos Big

Activity 1c: I am a super hero because....

definition of a game

what is a game? activity 2

Activity 2: What is a game? Definition of game What is, however, a game and how to interpret? There is no a clear definition nor a single theory that can explain the role of game in learning and child development.It is a complex and diverse phenomenon involving different instruments, guidelines and events. Several scientists, trying to explain the nature, extent and location of the game in the child's life have developed different interpretations:"Game is the activity through which children covering all their development needs" (Maxim, 1989)."Game is exciting activity involving healthy children with enthusiasm and carelessness» (Scales et al., 1991).Meckley (2002), summarizing the above considerations redefined the definition of game/play as an activity which should include the following characteristics:

• be a free choice of children,
• be a driven by internal motivation,
• provide pleasure and satisfaction,
• actively involve the players,
• be self-directed,
• be meaningful for the child.

the value of a game

The value of a gameTeachers who consistently observe children when playing, can describe a lot of positive points of the game. Through play children enhancesocial interaction, expression and communication, thus structuring the image for themselves, others and the world.Its role is essential to mental development and learning of children because it offers stimuli for observation, experimentation, investigation, forecasting, planning, interpretation, hypothetical, produce questions, understanding, fulfilling goals and problem solving.Moreover, playing, perceive their body, the limits and capabilities, develop their body orientation and adaptation skills to traffic needs and the objects and persons that surround it (Sivropoulou, 1998).All these influences play unifying function as a holistic learning and development mechanism after an activity: · integrates cognitive, emotional and social stimuli. · Provide meaning for the recruitment of new connections and relationships between ideas, experiences, skills and knowledge. · Facilitate learning exposing children to new experiences, activities and ideas. · Allows children to construct meaning from their experiences.The educational value of a game have recognized by various international organizations concerned with the education of young children, adopting curricula-based games.

What are the benefits of playing games?

benefits of games

Traditional gamesAll around the world, children love games/sport. It gives them the chance to have fun and be active.Yet sport is also a way of learning important values and life skills, including selfconfidence, team work, communication, inclusion, discipline, respect and fair play.For this reason, sport is an important part of childhood. Although some sports are universal, some are specific to a culture or country. In this pack are some great games that children play around the world.Unicef“Traditional games are motor activities of leisure and recreation which can have a ritual character. They are part of the universal heritage diversity. They are practiced in an individual or collective manner, deriving from regional or local identity; they are based on rules accepted by a group that organizes competitive or non-competitive activities. Traditional games dispose of a popular character in their practice and in their organization, yet if turned into sport tend to be uniform and institutionalized. The practice of traditional games promotes global health.” (UNESCO, 2009).What are the benefits of participating in a game/sport?

• Students/teenagers will have fun and be active, so that way throughr games/sports they adopt a life long life style full of physical activities and improve quality of their life.
• Strengthen and promote their local, national and European identities.
• Develop abilities like social behavior, respect for others, awareness in different cultures.
• Bridging the gap between generations: elderes can play a game the same like a teenager
• Discover traditions of the world.

traditional games

digital games

board games

brainstorming

Dear students. Write below words that describe games. Nouns or verbs or adjectives. Τhere are many words. Υou can write words that can be relevant to the games rules,where is played, your feelings etc..And here is some help:competitive,spectacular,strategic,game score,time, team etc <p><a href="https://answergarden.ch/349793">Go to AnswerGarden</a></p>

super

powers

story telling

what is a story telling

action

our stories

date

• a story telling is...

Truth, naked and cold, had been turned away from every door in the village. Her nakedness frightened the people. When Parable found her she was huddled in a corner, shivering and hungry. Taking pity on her, Parable gathered her up and took her home. There, she dressed Truth in story, warmed her, and sent her out again. Clothed in story, Truth knocked again at the villager’s doors and was readily welcomed into the people’s houses. They invited her to eat at their table and warm herself by their fire.Jewish teaching storyStories, like games, have been here for a while as forms of human entertainment. From their first appearance as picture stories on the cave walls of pre-historic men to the ever present fairy tales that parents and grandparents tell their youngsters, stories have taken many shapes and sizes and they have served many purposes. Evidently, everyone likes to tell, read, listen to a good story.Stories, like games, were invented not only to entertain people but also to help them understand their world better. “…[storytelling] promises a kind of holistic view of the world: […] we use narratives to make sense of our lives, to process information” (Juul, para. 7). Stories helped people overcome moods, characters, wars, natural disasters. Stories were attentively heard by kings and queens, rich and poor, young and old because they have this magic power to explain everything. “A good story simplifies our world into something we can understand” (Simmons, 2000:30).Stories and games were also used to help people maintain the aspects of their lives that were and are still considered important: language, ethics, customs, culture. That is, they have been used as a “pedagogical tool” (Τζήκα, Τσιώνας, 2010, Mood, Sprecht, 1954)), because they both share this disarming ability to be accepted by all the participants, to engage everyone to their environment, to persuade, to show what is right and what is wrong, who is bad and who is good, what they should do and what they should avoid. Ideas like democracy, tyranny, love, hate, logic, absurdity have been promoted and condemned in thousands of stories throughout the years. Roles like the good, the bad, the triumphant winner, the dignified loser, the censurable cheater have been undertaken by thousands of players worldwide.What is more, both stories and games help people develop and exercise basic functional and mental skills like speaking, listening, moving, observing, memorizing, following instructions, reasoning, leading, testing trial and error, creating rules, solving problems (Plummer, 2009, Τζήκα, Τσιώνας 2010). That is why they have both been widely used in education as teaching tools. One of the most effective of these tools is their combination: stories like games or game stories where “two or more persons collaborate on telling a spontaneous story” (Wikipedia.org). They can cover a vast area of knowledge and they come up in a variety of activities: Liar-liar, Silly sentences, Group-circle story, Storytelling on long roll of paper, Continuing story. They even exist in the form of board games like The Storymatic Kids, Rory’s Story Cubes, Story Play Cards.Good stories, like good games have their own style since it is not enough to know what to say but to “know how to say it” (Freese, 1926: xl). That is why good stories, like good games are “subject[s] to their own rules” (Fuller, 2000:44). The participants whether storytellers or players agree upon them. Good stories and good games have their own place and time, they combine elements of truth, elements of fiction and elements of chance and even though they cannot definitely define their outcome every time, they most certainly can ensure personal enjoyment.LIST OF REFERENCESBOOKSFreese, John, Henry, The Art of Rhetoric by Aristotle, Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press; London: Heinemann, 1926Fuller, Steve, Thomas Kuhn: A philosophical history of our times, University of Chicago, Chicago, 2000Plummer Deborah, Παιχνίδια διαχείρισης θυμού για παιδιά, εκδόσεις Πατάκη, Αθήνα, 2009Simmons, Annette, The Story Factor: Secrets of Influence from the Art of Storytelling, Pegasus, 2000Τζήκα, Χρυσή, Τσιώνας, Γιώργος, Παιχνίδια του παππού και της γιαγιάς, Grafo Α.Ε., Θεσσαλονίκη, 2010ARTICLESJesper, Juul, “Games Telling Stories – A brief note on games and narratives” found in www.gamestudies.org/0101/juul-gts, accessed on 1.11.2016Mood, A., M., & Spercht, R. D., “Gaming as a technique of Analysis” Rand Corp. 1954, found in www.instituteofplay.org, accessed on 1.11.2016

• There's no creativity without fun,
• No innovation

• There's no creativity without fun...games based on movies .
• And the oscar goe s to

Young writers...creativity in our heart

more...

let's talk about serious games

what is serious games?

Theory on serious games

Write the difference between a serious game and an entertainment game

serious gamesVS fun games

YOUR competence

Activity 6: Let's talk about Serious gamesDear students . Read the following article and answer in the given question.​Because games are fun, but they can be also educationalA game, formally defined, is a goal-directed and competitive activity that involves some form of conflict ,conducted within a framework of agreed rules . It is played by an individual or group of individuals who take the role of decision makers in that context. By form of conflict it’s understood the set of obstacles that the player has to overcome in order to succeed. Rules mean the set of guidelines that describe the relationship between the player and the environment.There are mainly two kinds of games: fun games, where the fundamental design of games is of less importance andconsumer-driven games, where the designer takes in close consideration the audience’s preferences. Ideally, a game would offer a continuous, intelligent, smooth and seamless experience to players. Games are used now and everyday more to other means than pure entertainment. The serious games concept is introduced.Serious games are applications of interactive technology that extend far beyond the traditional video-game market, including: training, policy exploration, analytics, visualization, simulation, education, and health and therapy.This kind of approaches reveals some advantages in opposition to real-world approaches. The audience denotes more attention to the issue; the learning is implicit and fun, taking less time to achieve the same results. Serious games induce some kind of affective or motor learning (understood in very broad sense) at any level. Put more simply: serious games are used for more than entertainment. (Susi et al. 2007, Breuer & Bente, 2010). According to Susi et al. (2007) serious games are games that “engage the user and contribute to the achievement of predefined objectives”. In other words, serious games are also being used for other purposes than education. ​The main purpose of serious games is education and training. Within education, there are many different subtypes, e.g. drill and practice games on one end and so-called "epistemic games" that help players learn to think like professionals on the other.Other areas of serious gaming use include advertizing, political and religious propaganda, health (helping people in various ways with health issues), military, etc.Aldrich (2009b) presented a diagram that defines serious games as a games genre that can include educational simulations.Serious games must be games, following the gameplay and playability principles.

1. Scenario exposition
2. Problem Setup
3. Offer Challenge/Choice
4. Provide Direction
5. Elicit Action/Decision
6. Discernable Outcomes
7. Success/Failure Screens

The difference between games and serious games in a perspective of design and development. The hardware used in serious games is years old, contrary to the hardware used in entertainment games. Also the market in serious games includes also possible first-time players and the games must be accessible to them too. Hardcore gamers usually go for the rich experience in a game whilst serious game players find it more important that the game can be used to solve a problem. Another thing which is very important when designing serious games is the control of the user on the game instead of chance, so randomness may be important. In the following table the differences between serious games and entertainment games are displayed.REFERENCEShttp://edutechwiki.unige.ch/en/Serious_game#Introductionhttp://paginas.fe.up.pt/~aas/pub/Aulas/DiCG/NunoFerreira.pdfhttp://www.cs.vu.nl/~eliens/sg/local/essay/12/09.pdf

serious games on refugees

lesson plan.scenario

Name: «Children who shipwrecked on the shore»Developing solidarity through Serious Games at school.Scenario:Mediterranean : the sea that unites us . The sea of light, traveling and exile Mediterranean Sea…the Sea of poets and writers , of religions and philosophical thoughts , of art and beauty , of music and cultures…The sea that hosted some of the greatest civilizations that appeared on earth. The sea that kept in her arms ships and gave life to travel adventures from antiquity until today, the Mediterranean Sea is the most important road of communication between peoples and their cultures.But…This sea today groans from the crowd of persecuted from their homes people : are they looking drops of freedom and hope in European countries. With old tubs and cheap boats with inflatables and unscrupulous smugglers , take risks for an uncertain future.The Migration is a social phenomenon which differs from society to society and from season to season while constructing and particular attitudes of the population towards immigrants.When we talk about immigrants and immigration, the media usually referred to illegal immigrants and threats faced by the host country and not for the benefits that the country has. So, the question to our students are: Why happens migration ? Why people migrate? Is it because of poverty? Uneployment? War? Political Situation?Natural couses?How do we handle all these people , who are so different from us ? How do we handle our people, our family , when they are immigrants to other countries?How our students handle these students that their family comes from an other country?Our society becomes more multi-cultural and we need to raise awareness and promote understanding people who choose or are forced to leave their own Students will be face prejudices and stereotypes, which should address. They have to understand different attitudes.Topic: human rights, refugees, immigrants, history, civil rights, sociologyMaterials: tablets, smartphones,pcLearning time:90minDesigning time:230minNumber of students : 20

aims

AIMS: Games in school are designed to foster the learning of 21st century skills of students which are:

• critical thinking
• creativity
• communication
• collaboration
• ICT literacy
• problem solving.

questions

If you play a serious game on refugees please answer in the following questions:1. define the difference between an immigrant and a refugee2. if you were you a refugee, what items you take with you? Something useful or something with emotional value; Is there in your family history in immigrants or refuges?3. Almost all refuges see Europe as an "El Dorado" or do they believe that it is the "Europe-fortress? Think about the reasons that push migrants and refugees leave their country and their reasons why they are so attracted to Europe.

educational learning- outcomes

Basic idea of this lesson plan, based on serious games, is students approach experiential and interdisciplinary identity of immigrants and refugees , realize that we are all potential refugees or immigrants and thus remove prejudices and divisions , initially within the school environment and then to our city and people we know. OUTCOMES Comprehension: Students will be able to define the terms «immigrant», «refugee», «xenophobia», ‘ and may use it in the debate, to argue about issues around them. Be able to show, without bias, the new conditions shaped by immigration in the economic, employment, cultural and educational level. Synthesis: Students will develop their critical thinking. Build knowledge through the composition and organization of information, and finally generate different genres. Psychomotorskills: Cultivation of empathy. Bringing in externalizing their feelings Gaining the ability of conflict management within the school environment with their classmates and then to community. Knowledge: Develop the 21st century skills. Critical thinking, creativity, communication, collaboration, global awareness and citizenship. Develop their ICT skills. Evaluation: The project will be announced in the school newspaper and webpage, at school’s facebook group. Description: This lesson plan describes how can we use educational serious games and interactive, virtual worlds in our lesson and how can offer engaging , effective, innovative and alternative teaching and learning methods in our school. Both games are very well designed in a way that can foster students’ critical thinking skills which are needed for problem solving, decision making and creative collaboration. I have upload our lesson plan on serious games but its in greek .In a few days I will upload the english version ,so you can read it and use it if you like.

• critical thinking
• creativity
• communication
• collaboration
• ICT literacy
• problem solving.

a

b

d

c

Playing a game This must be a world of democracy and respect for human rights, a world freed from the horrors of poverty, hunger, deprivation and ignorance, relieved of the threat and the scourge of civil wars and external aggression and unburdened of the great tragedy of millions forced to become refugees. Nelson Mandela

our questions and answers -our survey

what is your favorite digital game?

Do you think that traditional games will be replaced by video games in the future?

Are you readyto read our questions on games?

what is your favorite hero?

How long time do you play games?​

Charts

Survey results

Communication

Dissemination

However, a big percentage (69,7%) believes that the serious games they played at school help them raise their awareness on social and cultural issues (e.g. refugees) and that the educational environment at school is improved through the fun offered by games (66,7%). In the second part of the questionnaire students replied to questions concerning their relations with computers and free time management. They do not neglect their homework in order to play a game (51,5% - 17 students), sometimes (36,4% - 12 students) they do and only 4 students (12,1%) do not study in order to play. Due to homework and limited free time they use the internet to communicate with their friends (39,4%), they login to Facebook (21,2%) and they play online games (30,3%). They do not use the internet to be informed (3%) and to do their homework (6,1%). As mentioned, they like action and adventure games but they do not believe that a violent game can change their behavior. Almost half of the students (15) replied negatively (45,5%), 9 replied maybe (27,3%) and 9 replied positively (27,3%). They do not feel frustrated if they do not play on the computer (36,4%) and they do not believe that their sociability is improved through computer games (51,5%). There are always friends who play more than they do (51,5%) and the answers to the question whether they stay up at nights to play were mostly negative (42,4%). Questionnaire design and data analysis by the students and the teachers of the 1st General Lyceum of Ilion and the 2nd General Lyceum of Kozani.

RESULTS Thirty three (33) students answered the questionnaire. They were 21 boys (63,6%) and 12 girls (36,4%), aged 15-17, from Greece, Turkey and Bulgaria. As it has been anticipated, the number of children who like playing games was very big 84,8% (28 students) and only 5 children answered that they play occasionally (15,2%). It is impressive that although students like traditional games (42,4%) and they think they help in the continuation and the reservation of culture and knowledge, they do not play traditional games because they think they are boring (21,2%) and a waste of time (21,2%). An important notice of the modern lifestyle in big cities is also the students’ answering that they do not know how to play traditional games and none of their friends do (6,1% and 6% respectively). Computer games come first in their preferences (42,4% - 14 children), while board games were selected only by 8 students (24,2%). Both were selected by 10 students (30,3%). The specific computer games they like playing are ΜΟΒΑ games [Multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA), also known as action real-time strategy (ARTS), a genre of strategy video games that originated as a subgenre of real-time strategy, in which a player controls a single character in one of two teams] that reached the percentage of 51,5% (17 students) and Survival Horror games (48,5% - 16 students). Adventure games come next (45,5%) and FPS (First-Person-Shooter) and RPG (Role-Play Games) follow (36,4%). Students use their smartphones / tablets to play (39,4%) and their computers (36,4%). They play daily for 1 hour (33,3%), for 2-3 hours (30,3%), for more than 3 hours (12,1%) and only during weekends (24,2%). Students think serious games may assist knowledge (48,5%) and that is why their basic aim is the improvement of skills (42,4%) and of delivering a lesson (51,5%) but not of the lesson as such (18,2%).

The questionnaire is the fundamental element in every sample survey as well as in other activities needed for the gathering of information and data. Our data analysis was determined in advance based on the considerations we posited our students. They liked the theme very much. Traditional games compared to digital games. Even though almost all our students use their computers and mobile phones to play, they had not thought up till now, that a game could be used during the lesson and they could learn something new out of it. The questionnaire was created by the students who freely wrote the questions they liked on a Padlet. The only hint given by the teachers was “What was the basic question of our research ?” “Which are the information we should have at the end of our research ?” The students finally created a closed type questionnaire using the questionnaire Google form.

game is over

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1st General Lyceum of Ilion, Athens, Greece