Bill MacKenty

Technology strengthens, deepens, and broadens our learning...

part 1 part 2 part 3

We began our explorations of MUSHes today.  In a nutshell, the activity was slightly disappointing, but I learned something important (especially at the end of the class).

We logged into a world war 2 mush and began character generation.  This was the first difference the kids noticed - interactive fiction had no CG and the mud we played had a minimal CG process.  The kids chose skills, attributes, nation of origin, looked at descriptions, and backgrounds. After about 10 minutes of character generation, the kids started to complain “I just want to play!”.

We continued, though, and they enjoyed looking and choosing the skills. There was a very entertaining conversation about flamethrowers. Still, though there was some impatience. They chose complimentary roles they thought would make a good party, and as with other text-based games we have played, they were incredibly excited and interested (but a bit impatient). 

We finally got to the training grounds, and the kids learned the commands for targeting and shooting. This was very different for them, as the combat system worked on a time-based point system (we are on mush, after all). The talk soon turned towards “this is boring” and “when do we get to attack stuff”? One of the kids seemed especially disappointing there wasn’t a flamethrower around for him to use. Heh.

So I realized at this point I had made a mistake. The mush we were on is actually very well designed, and well coded.  The problem was we were trying to play a mush like a mud. With the kids becoming exasperated, I told them we were going to role play new privates in the army during world war 2. We had already gone through character generation, so the kids had a sense of their character.  I taught them how to pose, and we discussed our pose order, and we got started.

The complaining immediately stopped, the room became quiet, and the conversation began! The kids were acting like solders, and having a blast. They were in-character, and acting like, well, new recruits. They responded to each other in character and were having fun.

I told them we might play a “pure rp” mush next week, and I apologized to them. They were quite understanding. They remain very excited about making their own game. We are going to explore how different games are made over the next few weeks before settling on a specific text-based domain. 

part 1 part 2

We started our exploration of MUD’s today (specifically, we played legend mud).  We talked about the similarities and differences between interactive fiction and MUDS. We used Atlantis client to connect. 

After a brief character generation process, we settled into the game - the syntax and milieu was familiar to the kids, save the “real time” aspect of muds.  We noted the status (HP, MP and MV) and looked at SCORE, STAT, and other MUD commands. We put our party in a group and started with small MOB’s like rats, toads and snakes.

The excitement was palpable as the combat started - experience points started flowing into our group and each combat was followed by a period of rest as we waitied for our hit points to regenerate. It wasn’t long before we ended up in a swamp, and encountered something (I forget the name) but it ended in a total party wipe.  Humbled, we restarted and continued our adventures. Again, I was struck with their enthusiasm and excitement. These kids were (not literally) glued to the screen, laughing, jumping out of their seats and carefully coordinating their attacks. A snippet:

Student 1: ok. Everyone type attack toad, but DONT PUSH ENTER!
Student 2: ok
Student 3: where is the d key? oh yea. ok!
Student 4: ready!
Student 1: ok! now!

(The poor toad never had a chance)

The time went quickly and with 5 minutes left, we debriefed.  Again, we discussed the differences between MUDs and interactive fiction. We talked about making a text based game, and they were full of questions; how long does it take? Can I make a mud? I want to make a mud like our school! Is it difficult? They seem especially interested in making their own game...I warned them that making a game takes a long time.

I told them we still need to explore the MUSH family of games (there is a world war II mush I might take them to in a few weeks) and then we will decide what kind of game we will make.  I reminded them about the differences between single player and multiplayer, and I told them I knew more about mushing and interactive fiction than mudding, but if they really wanted to make a mud, I’d learn with them.

Next week, we will continue to play this mud, and I’ll start looking for a decent mush.

So here’s an interesting tidbit:

I recently visited my two brothers, (15 and 17).  Being a Self Respecting Geek, I decided to introduce them to dungeons and Dragons (4th edition, thank you). The games went swimmingly, and they are both excited to play again (and did you know 2 third level characters can beat a young white dragon? I was impressed...). 

Both of my brothers enjoy computer games (one a bit more than the other) and they both play Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. 

First of all, I was delighted that D&D still has the fun factor.  After just 3 gaming sessions, the boys were laughing about critical misses, low initiative rolls, and funny moments during the game. The concentration, the intense arguing about tactics, the frantic grab for the Players Handbook - everything clicked in the game.  It was really fun.

Secondly, I observed how they dealt with complexity.  Unlike computer RPG’s, D&D doesn’t try to hide to hide numbers, armor class, or math that influence a combat or action.  In computer games, there is button mashing, and the computer runs the numbers.  In D&D, I was pleased when I saw my brothers split apart so the archer would be flanking the dragon they were fighting (this confers combat advantage, which adds a +2 to hit).  I was also pleased to hear them argue about how to effectively use their at-will, daily, and encounter powers effectively.  The boys were actually arguing about dice averages!!!

An all-around win.

The Pew Internet & American Life Project has published a very interesting report entitled Teens, Video Games and Civics (PDF here).

I can’t believe 97% of teens play video games.  I mean, 70% to 80%, ok, yea. But 97%? Wow. 

The report is a must-read for anyone who is interested in teens, technology, and education.

My interest in using games in education stems from the observation I made while I was the club advisor for the yu-gi-oh club. “Low ability” students were spending crazy amount of time, energy and mental muscle on this game.  The rules were complex, with branching conditions and fascinating strategies.

As I looked at computer games, I saw the same thing; kids who might be labeled as dis-invested in school or “low scorers” were crazy about these games!  The inequality between school behavior and game behavior was stunning. Joey is a poor writer? Why is he writing 200 page game guides?!?!?

I don’t claim to have a magic formula, but the basic idea is to use COTS games in the classroom with strong instructional design; that is, include the game the way you might include a DVD, field trip, guest speaker, or special project. Talk about the content area, play the game, and then talk about how you can apply the lessons in the game to the content area. 

I’ve started teaching a small group of 4th and 5th graders (age 10 and 11) about text based games.  We are meeting in an after school program. I wrote my first introduction about this project here and cross-posted it to to a couple of community listserves.

Yesterday was our first class, and I admit, I was nervous.  How would a 11 year old kid respond to a text-based game in 2008? My anxiety increased as one of the kids asked me if we were going to design video games. I told him no, we might design text-based games if we have time. I started with an introduction “you are about to play one of the very first computer games” (ok, a bit of a stretch, but it’s kind of close). Enticed, they started typing

On the screen, a blue screen with the words “You are standing West of a white house....”

I wrote the cardinal directions on a whiteboard, as well as some commands they might need (look, i, open, close, etc..).  Then they began.  There was some initial playing with the parser:

kid -> “you are stupid”
Zork -> “I don’t know the word “you”
kid -> “what am I supposed to do?”

I teased them a bit. “Make sure you examine everything, and if you find a weapon, I strongly suggest you get it...never know when you’re going to run into a troll who wants to eat you....”

The kids looked at me in disbelief. Troll? Weapons? Combat? WHERE?! They became glued to their screens and excitedly started pointing and yelling.

I was almost brought to tears (literally) when a young voiced piped up “Um, Mr. MacKenty, What’s a Grue?”.  I immediately halted the class and we reviewed the wikipedia entry about grues. I carefully explained that grues are sort of like rattlesnakes, in that they like to be left alone - but if they are annoyed, they might eat you. I told them if they want to avoid being eaten, it’s best to have some light available.  Immediately they started asking each other about the brass lantern in the old white house.

It was about 35 minutes into the class I realized how utterly and completely captivated the kids were. I mean, they were literally glued to the screens; in a state of flow - they were consulting invisclues, they had printed maps, and they were trying to write a guide to solve the game quickly.  It was a wonderful experience.

They didn’t solve zork, we ran out of time. But they did download the interpreter and the z machine files to usb drives so they could play it at home.

We’ll continue with Zork I next week, and I hope to introduce MUD’s the week after. 

This is why I love teaching. 

I’ve begun a two year program for administration and supervision at Hunter College in New York City.

The course is essentially for mid-level educational professionals who want to move forward and work as school principals and superintendents.  The course ends in New York State certification in Administrative and Supervisory in New York. The focus on the course is improving instructional quality through effective supervision.

My objective is to work as a director of technology - and I decided this course would be a good choice towards that goal. Many of the help wanted ads for director of technology mention administration certification is required.

One of the the main thrusts of the ADSUP program is the identification and building of emotional intelligence (E.I.).

According to an article in one of my text books (Smart School Leaders - Leading with Emotional Intelligence), written by Daniel Goleman, emotional intelligence at work comprises five components:

1. Self-awareness
2. Self-regulation
3. Motivation
4. Empathy
5. Social skills

So, my initial reaction to emotional intelligence was “oh no....hippy stuff”. I saw E.I. as a “soft skill” and I wondered about the real impact on organizational leadership.  I’ve started asking around and consulting with friends and colleagues, and I’ve started to see the value in E.I. Many of them nod their heads and say stuff like “yea, you gotta know your tech, but E.I. helps manage the intersection between technology and humans”.  I’ll blog more about this as I go on, but for now, I’m thinking more about E.I.

I’ve always been a pleasant guy - smiling, approachable and generally nice. I guess I’ve been calling it “being nice” but I can see how it could also be called emotional intelligence.