My students come from a variety of ethnic backgrounds: all are low-income kids from the Bronx or around the Bronx; all come to school every day with such energy, enthusiasm, curiosity, humor, and cleverness.
They love computers and gaming, but they need to learn to be creators rather than just consumers; they need to take their love of gaming from hobby to profession.
They love technology and learning about technology; they love computers and games; they love exploring through hands on experiences. My students need to go beyond just playing games and using computers, they need to learn to create their own content and develop marketable skills for the future.
My Project
As a English Language Arts teacher, my students learn about literature through various forms of media. As a Computer Science and Robotics teacher, my students learn about programming and hardware.
This project aims to combine STEM and Art through Video Game design; my students will study .
I need your help to buy a PlayStation 4 Pro, an extra controller, and some narrative based games, including: Kingdom Hearts and Final Fantasy. These games represent the best in narrative based gaming, beautiful art, and exceptional game play. My students will study these exemplars and learn how to create games of their own using Unity and other design tools.
Students in my Computer Science and Robotics class, After School STEM Program, and Gaming Club will all work collaboratively to study the art of storytelling through gaming. They will learn about different narrative strategies and literary techniques including: character development, characterization, plot and structure, setting, symbolism, imagery, tone and mood. They will also learn about programming and game design as they plan their own games using Unity and other tools to develop and test their own original content.
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