Reflections on the Meaningful Product Teri Bohr ETC 567 Dr. Gary Tucker

Introduction My Meaningful Product is in two parts, a PowerPoint game template that I created so that my students can create games to be used as review, and the manual to instruct students in downloading, editing and playing the game template (the manual is in the form of a PowerPoint presentation).

Introduction Continued This project is meaningful to me because Trigonometry students have difficulty with learning the unit circle and by making their own review games they will learn the facts and have multiple review games to play if they need more help. The game template is also meaningful to me because it took a lot of time, effort and skill to create it.

Description My project consists of a game template that contains 51 slides and 75 or more hyperlinks. It is like a jeopardy game with the point value for each question on a button that is linked to the question slide, then there is a button on each question slide that links it to the correct answer slide, and of course a button that returns you to the main slide. Once a point value and category is chosen, the text changes color so that you can tell that you have already chosen it.

Description continued I have also created a game manual which consists of directions on how to download the template from the internet, a small PowerPoint tutorial that goes over basic PPT features, a walkthrough on editing a slide, and a walkthrough on playing the game. You may also follow the directions and download the game template if you would like to try it out.

Sharing Production As I began to create my game template, I thought about how I could make it more “user friendly”. I had made games before, but I wanted this one to be able to be played and/or edited by any teacher or any student. I found that in the past it was difficult to tell which category and point value you had already chosen, so I set out to fix it. I wanted the button to change colors after it had been selected. I tinkered and tinkered with the program until I figured out how to do it.

Sharing Production I also wanted to somehow link the titles of each category so that if you changed the name of category 1 then every category 1 slide would change title. I struggled with this one for a long time, and came to the conclusion that it is not possible. If any of you can figure out how to do it, please let me know. I also created a tutorial on how to get, modify, and play the game. I tried my best to include just the necessary information, but I am afraid that I may have left out important details. I guess the first time I use this with students, I will know right away if I’ve left anything out.

Final Reflection When I proposed this project, I was still not quite sure of what Dr. Tucker meant by “meaningful product” and as I learned more and more about constructionism, it began to make sense to me. As I made suggestions and he tweaked my ideas into something that not only I created, but that my students would eventually create, I was quite pleased. I had not thought about letting my students do the creating. I definitely see the benefit of creating it yourself. There is a much deeper knowledge gained by writing your own questions and answers to a

Final Reflection Continued game, than simply playing a game. My idea of drill and practice, through constructionism, turned into a deep, meaningful project that I am excited to use with my students. I see that so many of the topics discussed in this class can dramatically improve the quality of life for students in my classroom. I am so excited to start the school year with new ideas and a fresh perspective on the learning environment. I have truly enjoyed the creation of this project.