Game Play Reflection #7

I am continuing with Toon Talk ... and I am very frustrated.

I was introduced to a new "character". Pumpy the bicycle pump can be used to make boxes larger or smaller. Smaller is useful so a large box fits the screen. Press F3 to call Pumpy.

I completed a puzzle which demonstrated that multiplication was just repeated addition.




I seem to have gotten past the robot programming problems I had last time -- remember to "suck", out of the thought bubble, values which will change. (In fact, it would appear as though you need to suck out anything which will change, including scales.)

When I got stuck on one of the puzzles, I was reminded "robots work faster when they are not being watched." So if I stand up and leave the room and come back in, the robot should be done with his (her?) task.

But only if he knows when to stop. I had to program the robot to add 1 to a block, and repeat 1000 times. So I started it, left the room, immediately came back, and the robot was on something like his 91,500th iteration. I cannot get it to stop.

I have searched the internet. I cannot find out how to control the number of iterations a robot makes, nor can I figure out how the "scales" work (used for comparing values). For example, in the diagram below, why do I have 56 on the left? I want it to stop at 24.


I think it is because I need to change the number on the robot's wand, but I haven't been told how to do it. (See the "99" on the image below?)


Consider Marty's comment in the following screen shot: "You know the magic wand doesn't always have the right amount of magic." Yes, I know, but you never told me how to change it!



I am so ready to be done with this aspect of the course....

Gee Chapter 5

I'm afraid if I write about a comment made in the first paragraph of the chapter, it will appear as though I didn't read the whole chapter. But I did! In fact, I've completed the book.

Gee said, "...humans are poor at learning for lots of overt information given to them outside the sorts of contexts in which this information can be used. ... Humans tend to have a very hard time processing information for which they cannot supply such simulations. They also tend readily to forget information they have received outside of contexts of actual use, especially if they cannot imagine such contexts." (page 113)

If I had not already believe this, the point would have been driven home this week with an experience I had. I spent Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday mornings teaching Microsoft Access to an audience of six people. As is often the case with Access classes, the people attending the class are long time Excel users and though they are willing to believe that Access is the tool of choice for some jobs, they just aren't convinced it will be worth the effort it takes to make the switch.

I am reminded of a comment I once heard at training conference. This was at a time when WordPerfect was the top word processing program, and the speaker made a comment about word processing programs in general. He said, "A word processor is kinda like a spouse: if you have one which satisfies 90% of your needs, it's generally not worth upgrading."

That comment can apply to people who use Excel (rather than Access) as a database system.

I went through the first two mornings following the approved course outline with the approved course text. Anyway, the class was frustrated on the last day since they just couldn't see how they would do this on their job. So I asked each person what they wanted to be able to do. In each case, I was able in 20-30 minutes to show the class how to solve each person's problem. In one case it was getting data into Access from Excel, in another case it was getting data from multiple .txt files into a single Excel table, and in three cases it was creating the proper database design schema. Each person left the class anxious to try (to learn) Access.

I suggested to my employer that we approach the client about offering a day of one-on-one coaching sessions (four people each sign up for a two hour time slot.) This would be training in the context of each individual's work requirements. (Gee discusses "just in time" and "on demand" information on page 136. See -- I did read the chapter!)

Game Project Progress Report #6

There is now one URL only: http://www.billqualls.com/sim

To change levels, right-click on the panel and choose Level I, II, or III from the popup menu. At some point I hope to make the level selection more sophisticated (e.g. database driven).


I have also added an Audit feature: right-click on the panel and choose Audit from the popup menu. A dialog box will appear showing the contents of the code display, the register, the buckets, and the output display. For now, this can be used for printing your work.


The complete audit report appears as follows:

PROGRAM

1. Read
2. Store A
3. Read
4. Add A
5. Write
6. End
7. _

LEVEL

Level is 1.

REGISTER

The register has a value of 5

BUCKETS

Bucket A has a value of 2.
Bucket B is empty.
Bucket C is empty.
Bucket D is empty.
Bucket E is empty.

RESULTS

1. 5
2. Normal end.

Game Play Reflection #6

Having given up on America's Army, I have returned to Toon Talk. But this, too, proved to be frustrating. My task was to create the complete alphabet by repeatedly add 1 to a letter and appending that letter to the already existing string of letters.



But I couldn't remember how to train the robot, and there is no help. In desperation I went to the internet. Supposedly I could press F1 while holding an item (robot?) and get help, but that didn't work: the computer just made some sound indicating I had done something invalid. F10 shows a function key table, but it turned out to be useless as well. Finally I discovered I had to drop a box ON the robot (but NOT on his "thought bubble") to get it to run. But then it would do one iteration only. Finally, I went back to Marty (the Martian) and he said to use Dusty (the vacuum) to "suck up only the stuff that will change in the 2nd and 3rd holes." So I did so, and it worked. But it was painfully slow because I forgot the technique whereby I could skip the animation and go straight to the result.



What I find so annoying is that I could have saved a lot of time -- well over an hour -- if I could have asked someone a question -- not on the programming but on the usage of the robot. It was extremely frustrating! And sometimes you do the right thing accidentally, and you aren't sure what you've done so you can't do it again. What kind of learning is that?

Game Project Progress Report #5

I've made some great progress on BucketLogic.

• Level II has if/else/endif
• Level III has while/wend and zero/one
• Puzzles for all levels have been added to the Puzzles page

I am having some problems getting the program to change levels as seamlessly as I would like, so for the time being it will require three different URLS.

Level I: http://www.billqualls.com/sim
Level II: http://www.billqualls.com/sim2
Level III: http://www.billqualls.com/sim3

I have a friend whose wife is involved with a home schooling group. I'm going to ask her to pass it around to see if I can get some age appropriate feedback.

Have fun!

p.s. The program now stands at 3,039 lines!

Aldrich article

Describe at least two primary barriers to the use of these technologies in your setting and how they might be addressed.

The following comments by Aldrich were relevant to me. Some of my comments relate to my game project (Bucket Logic), while others relate to the development and/or use of simulations in the workplace.


(1) Free play versus guided play.

"How much do you help the user along?"

"If you guide them too much, the point of the simulation falls away. Now they are getting linear instruction again, and just mindlessly carrying out orders."

Comment: How much help, indeed. I need to give the user (learner) more credit for their abilities to figure things out. And if it's too easy, they will probably get bored.


(4) Sabbatical, Not Seamless.

"Training departments have been pressured over the years to reduce the length of their programs."

"Through customization and smaller pieces of content, we expect a piece of content, a single moment of understanding, to be delivered when and where we want it."

Comment: I have said before (particularly in the context of project management training) that most clients don't want training: they want the laying on of hands. They want a miracle.


(8) One "Level" at a Time

"The instinct for a simulation designer is to do everything."

Comment: This echoes the sentiment expressed in (1) above.

"These (Star Trek) games did not do well despite how narrowly they focused, but because of how narrowly they focused."

Comment: I am adding "levels" to my game. Each "level" will have a focus. Level I will be read, write, and simple math. Level II will be selection (if/else/endif). Level III will be looping (while/wend). By adding "puzzles" (which for the time being will be listed on the web page), the user can check their own mastery at each level.


(11) Role of Standards

"LMSs have a hard time tracking them."

Comment: I have seen in my own work the increase in complexity (read: cost) of eLearning or simulations when tracking is required. In the past, I have attempted to "negotiate" that away.


(12) Evaluation

"It will be harder to evaluate simulation-based content."

Comment: Here the author is discussing the ability of the simulation to satisfy the learning objectives. This is difficult because the user can, in some cases, take many paths to the same goal. And part of the benefit of simulations is that the learner can benefit from mistakes. Who learns more: the user who "gets it" on the first try (was it just dumb luck?) or the user who makes mistakes along the way? I think part (but definitely not all) of the solution is to really nail down the performance based objectives of the course before beginning design and development. That sounds so obvious, but I know that it is seldom done.

Game Project Progress Report #4

OK, I fixed the GUI. In fact, the interface is complete!


Program now stands at 1,621 lines.

I still have to add the execution logic (to run the programs which the user writes) and make it accessible over the internet (probably as an applet).

I think "BucketLogic 1.0" will be complete tonight. But I can't say at what hour...!

BucketLogic 2.0 will include IF and WHILE/WEND constructs...eventually.