Hi Spielbound audience! I recently interviewed an accomplished colleague in education about how he perceives the use of games for learning opportunities. The interview has been split into two parts, each with a theme. In this first part, Andrew will describe two broad categories in which games can be used to enhance classroom experiences. He will also recommend some resources that teachers can investigate for options and inspiration.

Hello educators and friends of Spielbound!

I am pleased to be returning to my role as Education Coordinator for Spielbound after a short sabbatical! One the goals of this blog is to continue to share my passion for the interaction between games-based learning and curriculum design. I teach science at a high school in the Omaha Metro Area and have incorporated standards-based, games-based learning into several of my content sections for my physical science course. If you are a teacher in the audience and would like to discuss gamification, games-based learning, or curriculum design, you can contact me at [email protected]. Part of my role is to help area teachers reflect on game options for their classroom.

My goal for this blog is to kick off the coming school year with some science options for classrooms. The three games that I’m going to feature here are interesting in that they will really ask us to confront the purpose as to why we bring games to a classroom. I’ve found that it can be easy for teachers to fool themselves into thinking that a game will “teach for them.” It is actually rare that a game will do everything that is necessary to help students understand a particular standard, but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t other benefits. We must always be aware of the goals and challenges that games present.

This summer we will be hosting two camps for middle school-aged students interested in board games (May 30 – June 1) and board game design (June 11–15).

Spielbound Board Game Essentials Day Camp

From May 30th to June 1st, Spielbound will be hosting a three-day board game camp for middle school students. Board games can be an instrumental tool to grow and encourage skills in spatial reasoning, math, critical thinking, group work and cooperation. Throughout the days, students will have an opportunity to learn games from multiple genres with the help of Spielbound staff and volunteers. The games selected for the camp will give students a comprehensive understanding of the skills and fun to be gained through collaboration and play. The final day will end with a session where parents and Spielbound volunteers will learn games from the student in the camp. Lunch will be provided each day, send any dietary restrictions or accessibility requests to greg [at] spielbound.org and we will work to accomodate them in advance.

Board Game Design Day Camp

From June 11th to June 15th, Spielbound will be hosting a five-day board game design camp for middle school students. Board games can be an instrumental tool to grow and encourage skills in spatial reasoning, math, critical thinking, group work and cooperation. Throughout this camp, students will have an opportunity to learn games from multiple genres with the help of Spielbound staff and volunteers, to identify the structures of board game design, and to then design a working prototype of their own original board game. They will get to work with members of Spielbound's Spielmason board game design group, who have printed and published multiple games. The games selected for the camp will give students a comprehensive understanding of the skills and fun to be gained through collaboration and play, and the design process will help them gain skills in graphic design, creative writing, and collaboration.

The camp will end on Friday the 15th with a demo session where students will teach their games to family, friends, and Spielbound volunteers from 3pm-5pm.

Lunch will be provided each day, send any dietary restrictions, accessibility needs, or questions of any kind to greg [at] spielbound.org and we will work to accomodate them in advance and get you the answers we need.

SUMMER DAY CAMPS

This summer we will be hosting two camps for middle school-aged students interested in board games (June 14–16) and board game design (June 26–30).

Board Game Introduction Day Camp

From June 14th to June 16th, Spielbound will be hosting a three-day board game camp for middle school students. Board games can be an instrumental tool to grow and encourage skills in spatial reasoning, math, critical thinking, group work and cooperation. Throughout the days, students will have an opportunity to learn games from multiple genres with the help of Spielbound staff and volunteers. The games selected for the camp will give students a comprehensive understanding of the skills and fun to be gained through collaboration and play. The final day will end with a session where parents and Spielbound volunteers will learn games from the student in the camp. Lunch will be provided each day, send any dietary restrictions or ability limitations to [email protected] and we will work to accommodate them in advance.

Board Game Design Day Camp

From June 26th to June 30th, Spielbound will be hosting a five-day board game design camp for middle school students. Board games can be an instrumental tool to grow and encourage skills in spatial reasoning, math, critical thinking, group work and cooperation. Throughout this camp, students will have an opportunity to learn games from multiple genres with the help of Spielbound staff and volunteers, to identify the structures of board game design, and to then design a working prototype of their own original board game. They will get to work with members of Spielbound's Spielmason board game design group, who have printed and published multiple games. The games selected for the camp will give students a comprehensive understanding of the skills and fun to be gained through collaboration and play, and the design process will help them gain skills in graphic design, creative writing, and collaboration.

The camp will end on Friday the 30th with a demo session where students will teach their games to family, friends, and Spielbound volunteers from 3pm-5pm.

Lunch will be provided each day, send any dietary restrictions, ability limitations, or questions of any kind to [email protected] and we will work to accommodate them in advance.