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Week Sixteen

12/22/2017

Game On

Video game design is something we have worked on in the past, but I think this year may have been the most organized rollout of it yet. For our second STEAM collaboration, the STEM teacher and I wanted our students to fuse their art and coding skills by using content from other classes to create games.

To help get students used to the programs, we did mini workshop days where students had a chance to created animated GIFs on Piskel and code using Scratch. This gave them some base-level ideas of how to create their work and make it move the way they wanted. This year we wanted student games to focus on some of the content covered in other classes, so we asked teachers to come up with three items they cover in class that students then signed up for as the theme for their game.

Students then used a series of design prompts and storyboarding to help them come up with characters and purpose for their game as it relates to the content they selected. Over the last two weeks, our students worked together to create the games and then shared them and gave each other feedback. In addition to the games, students also created cover art to promote it.

I am really proud of what students accomplished in such a short period of time. It was fun to see them work through the problem and find so many different solutions. It was inspiring to see students helping each other out and being their own best resource to research and discover solutions. What has best yet was seeing how excited they were to share their products with others and the encouragement that was exchanged as students completed feedback forms.

Click on the images below to view/play some of the games:

This was a great way to complete our time left in the classroom for the calendar year. When we return from break, we will only have about two weeks before switching electives and starting new with a different group. It will be fun to see how these students tackle our last major project and I am excited for what 2018 will bring!

Week Sixteen

12/21/2016

Play On

Students finished up their video game design projects this week and had a chance to see what each other did. In addition to going around to each other's games and get feedback, students also had a chance to hear from the High School Visual Arts teachers who connected the learning happening at WMS with what is expected at the HS and beyond.

It was really exciting to see what students did with their games using Scratch. We stressed that there had to be some sort of educational aspect to their games, and some had stronger connections that others, but all tried and created something using tools they had little experience with before starting this project.

I was first inspired to do this project after hearing Steve Ciampaglia from the Plug-in Studio at the NAEA Convention a couple of years ago speak about using video game design with students.

Here are some games that resulted from our STEAM collaboration:

After the video games were shared, students had a chance to complete a self-assessment using Google Forms and in that assessment they were asked what their favorite part of the project was. For many, it was the fact that they could work with a partner to create a game. For others, it was hearing from Ben Lambert and the High School Art teachers and getting feedback from them.

This was a fun way to lead into break and something I know we will do again next year (hopefully with more time)!

I hope everyone enjoyed their last days before break with their students and finished 2016 with much success!

Week Fifteen

12/16/2016

Game On

The second STEAM collaborative started at the end of last week. Even though we had a snow day and a two-hour delay this week, students stormed full force into their projects and worked to make playable games.

As a part of the design, students needed to work in pairs and come up with a concept that linked to education and create all of their original art for the game. Students used Scratch to create their games and many used Piskel App to create sprites and even some backgrounds.

Games will be playable next week and we will be having a mini Game Con so that students can experience each other's creations.

Students took a break from programming to hear from Ben Lambert, an iPhone Developer and Designer at (i)collective idea out of Holland, MI.

Ben got his start in 2D animation and graphics and began programming games after teaching himself. His game, Hungry Munchers, is available on the App Store and he is currently working on a game that should be available within the next year.

He shared a lot of tips on how to get started with developing games and students enjoyed the time he spent working with them on their games.

Scholastic Submissions

This week was the FINAL week for students to create and upload work for the 2017 Scholastic Art Awards. Here are some of the worsk we hope to do well this season. Good luck to everyone who submitted work this year!

Final Projects and Chances to Play

5/28/2014

One of the best parts of my job is the amount of time I get to play around with materials, experimenting with solutions before coming up with which solution works best and acting on it. It is even better when I give my students the chance to do the same thing. For their final projects, students are given a variety of choices in demonstrating the concepts and skills they have learned over the course of the term.

For 7th grade, students can select to create a video, video game (using Gamestar Mechanic), or comic that covers art concepts and skills learned over the course of the term. Mid-way through their projects, students used a peer critique sheet to check on a partner's work and get feedback on their own. They then used the feedback to make their projects better.

8th grade students are creating a reflection video where they select two works that demonstrate the most growth over the course of their experiences in Art. It is awesome that they can use their Artsonia gallery and go back years to compare projects and skills over time. They are also explaining the process in which they used to create their work and artists who use similar materials or concepts.

In my After School Art class, we have been taking advantage of the sun by creating the Cyanotypes you see below. We are using NaturePrint Paper and any objects we can find to create the images below. Students are also experimenting with Gelli Arts printing plates to create a variety of images before we finish out the school year.

Below is an example of the print made with Puffy Paint, bubble wrap, and some number cutouts from a Cricut machine. You have the print and the ghost, which shows how you can get more than one image from this mono print method.

Lots of Choices

11/26/2013

For the past two weeks, students in both 7th and 8th grade classes had a lot of decisions to make as they worked through their projects. 7th grade students focused on story-telling as they worked on creating videos, video games, or comics. 8th grade students worked with form as they decided what to create with paper. You can see all of the results on our online gallery, but here is a peek into the process below:

7th grade students used the website www.gamestarmechanic.com to create their video games. They focused on telling a good story and weaving in other class content in their games.

Some students chose to tell their story through a comic.

Other students created their videos for the Meijer Great Choices Video Competition to focus on Healthy Choices, Character, or Diversity.

Here are a few of the finished sculptures created by 8th grade students. You can see more on our Artsonia gallery.

Please Play

3/5/2013

Check out this game one of my After School Art students made earlier this year. Please play it, rank it, and leave a comment for the creator! Thanks!

http://gamestarmechanic.com/game/player/1238043

back from break

1/7/2013

Students work on their Video Games in the background as others use traditional media to portray space travel.

When coming back from two weeks off, I am always a little nervous if we will be able to get right back at it in the classroom. Without fail, my student consistently come ready and wanting to do their work and anxious for finishing up various projects before our time runs out next week. This is the last full week I will see my first semester students and they are working like crazy to create the best final projects they can.

7th grade students are working on a variety of choices ranging from Video Game Design to producing Videos and using traditional art media to capture the essence of Space. 8th grade students are working on their final informational videos that they will use to help study for their final.

I am really proud of this group of students and look forward to meeting my new batch in a couple of weeks.

art camp day 3

6/13/2012

Video Game Design on Prezi

Today in camp, we focused on the art of a what makes a good and engaging video game before students decided which program they would like to use to design theirs. After designing their games, students will be able to play and test each others' creations. Only one more day left of camp!

STEM challenge

3/7/2012

Students presented their competition pieces. Among the videos, prints, and games were students who worked really hard to meet the requirements of their chosen competition and have it qualify for each challenge. Above is a video recap of some of the presentations on the video games students designed for the STEM challenge.

testing out games

3/5/2012

As we finish out our entries for various competitions, students are testing out others' games for the National STEM challenge. Students can create and submit their game using various open source programming systems like the one above, Gamestar Mechanic. The competition entries are due on Wednesday for this class, but students can submit games up until the middle of next week.