About My Topic

My topic is about Greek Mythology.

This topic interests me most because: A lot of Greek architecture have stories behind it that involve Greek gods or goddesses. These stories help put the history behind the building, like when it was built or even why. Also it interests me because of how long these buildings have been around, and by the way weather works a lot of the building has been eroded. I'm also interested in this because, instead of having high tech things in these buildings , they are just made out of stone.

I want people to learn about the history behind these buildings down to the stone that it was made out of and how they differ from the buildings we have today. I also want people to learn about how the Greek gods and goddesses tie into these buildings.

This topic needs to be recognized because: There aren't many people who know about Greek architecture or even Greek history, a lot of our words come from Greek roots and also Latin roots.

This is why I feel that people should learn more about this topic.

Imagining Your Game

Who am I designing it for:
I'm designing it for all ages to play, but mainly for middle school kids because I feel that they will learn most from what I plan on putting in my game.
What will my game teach about the topic:
My game will teach about Ancient Greek mythology and ancient architectural sites that have Greek God and Goddess stories behind them.
Where does my game happen: 
The setting should take place in Ancient Greece back when the Earth was just created and new and it will add to the learning experience by putting the player where it all started, In Ancient Greece.
How does my game teach the player about the topic:
It teaches the player about my topic by using many different resources and comparing them and then adding them to the ancient architecture in Greece.
What happens in the game helps the player better understand more about this topic:
 By making it easy enough to understand while puzzling their mind. The player could use the information in the game if they have to write a paper about Greek mythology and they need some more information about their topic. Also if the player is studying ancient architecture from Greece, this would be a good resource.
Why is the game a better way of understanding the topic then a quiz:
The game is a better way because the fact that it's not pressuring you to get the RIGHT answer, but to learn about these topics in a fun way, with color and animation along with unique drawings of all the ancient Greek architectural sites. Or at least most of them.

Playing to Learn

From the games I played, I learned that some genres are hard to work an educational game around. Like Racing: It's complicated to incorporate education into a racing game because it's difficult to put information about Science or History in besides just facts. The game that stood out to me and have always stood out to me, were advanced graphics and the fact that their art looks so realistic. I would like to learn how to do this and be original when drawing in Flash.
What would be the best genre to incorporate Greek Mythology in?

Choosing a Topic

I chose Greek mythology because, I feel that there aren't too many games about this topic. Plus it's fun to learn about the Gods that so many people in Greece believed in and some even that believe in them now. Some of the most famous architectures in Greece are God influenced, such as the Parthenon in Athens. I feel that it's important to know about this history because so many of our words come from Greek roots. Such as Arachnophobia, Arachnid: meaning spider and Phobia: meaning fear of. This is why I chose this Topic.
I got my Information from In2Greece, Ancient Greece, and Wikipedia's Greek Architecture 

Emperor Penguins in Antarctica

   What challenges do the penguins have to overcome?

They have to overcome predators in their habitat, such as seals and even the freezing temperatures are a predator. Also going without food for three months at a time because of breeding.

   How does their habitat challenge their livelihood each day?

Their habitat is 70 degrees below 0 and it affects them by the way they have to keep warm, they have to huddle up and stay together so they can give off body heat.

    What adaptions do penguins need in order to survive brutal winters and predators?

They need to be able to adapt to temperature decreasing, so they stay together in a tight pack and give off body heat. Also they are very fast swimmers and they are able to out swim seals, which are their main predator.

     Why is there a period of time in which there is practically no sunlight? How does this affect the climate?

The reason there is hardly any sunlight is because Antarctica is located in the south pole and the Earth is on a tilt, so while we rotate each day and revolve around the sun at the same time, there is a part of the Earth that will be facing away from the sun every revolution.

  * Why is it important that ground be solid during the months of breeding?

Because in order to keep the egg warm during the winter, the penguin stores it atop his feet and under a thick layer of extra skin and if the ground wasn't solid then the penguin would break through and the egg would freeze in the ice cold water.

   *How could climate change negatively impact the mating ritual of the Emperor  penguin?

It could make it where there would be no firm ice to stand on and keep an egg warm. If there aren't any eggs being hatched then the population of the Emperor Penguin will decrease and soon become extinct.

Playing to Learn: Game Review

What did you learn from your choice of games and genres to review?
I learned that not all games that are created are educational about what's going on in the world and are sometimes just for entertainment.
Name any game features that stood out to you, either because they were interesting or because they could be improved.
I thought that a lot of the animation in the games that I played were very advanced and awesome, because the way that some of the creators animated it was very unique.
Write down any questions you have about the game or genre you chose. You might answer them yourself later!
In the game Trap cat, How did they get such good animated images in flash, because every time I try to create something advanced like that it comes out weird looking?

Playing to Learn;Genre: Sports and Racing

The genre Sports and Racing focuses on real life sports and racing adventures, these games really try to put together a series of different things in order to pass the level and mostly focuses on competition

The Game that taught me a new skill or subject:
Gravitee

 The Game that taught me information about a new or existing social issue:
Gravitee
 The game or games that I liked the best:
Gravitee

 What happens in the game or games:
You have to get the white ball into the goal

 How you play the game or games:
You Click and hold the white ball so you can control the distance (the distance will be different because of the different gravity level on different planets). You then release it and see if it makes it into the goal or not.

Playing to Learn; Genre:Strategy

Strategy Games involve the use of analyzing the situation and thinking ahead of time in order to solve the problem and also involves critical thinking skills and sometimes involves fast reflexes because strategy games can be timed.


The game that taught me a new skill or subject:
Climate Change

The game that taught me information about a new or existing social skill:
Climate Change

The game I liked best:
Red Remover

What happens in the game(s):
You click on the red blocks so they will fall and the only ones left are the green blocks.

How you play game(s)
You have to move the mouse over the red blocks and click them to make them fall, but while doing so you have to keep the green blocks from falling

Playing to Learn; Genre: Puzzles and Mazes

A genre where you use your critical thinking skills, also using fast reflexes because usually in maze and puzzle games you are being timed.

The game that taught me a new skill or subject:
Learn the Bones

The game that taught me information about a new or existing social skill:
Learn the Bones

The game I liked best:
Red Remover

What happens in the game(s):
You click on the red blocks so they will fall and the only ones left are the green blocks.

How you play game(s)
You have to move the mouse over the red blocks and click them to make them fall, but while doing so you have to keep the green blocks from falling

Playing to Learn; Genre: Adventure

Adventure: A genre of game that you mostly explore and it's very creative in the game idea, it also has a central theme(Story) that is continuously played throughout the game. Also a complementary genre to Action games, meaning they are very alike.
Genre:Adventure
Game that taught me a new educational skill or gave me information on a subject:
West Virginia Extravaganza
Game that taught me about a new or existing social skill:
West Virginia Extravaganza
Game I liked best:
West Virginia Extravaganza
What does it do:
It teaches you about Plants and Animals that are native to West Virginia 
How do you play it:
All you do is click and drag the item to the "WV" Symbol and if it is correct it will disappear into the symbol.

Playing to Learn; Genre: Action

Action Games are usually made up if characters that move constantly in the game; Also action games sometimes consist of combat(fighting).



Game that taught me a new educational skill or gave me information on a subject:
Gave me information on the Holocaust and how the German Soldiers treated Jewish people.

Game that taught me about a new or existing social skill:
It taught me about an old existing social skill, the Holocaust

Game I liked best:
Survivor

What does it do:
You are supposed to escape a Jewish Concentration camp.

How do you play it:
You have to keep away from the German Soldiers and leave the camp and try to survive in the outside world.

Gamers Solve Scientific Problems

How did gamers use the computer game Foldit to solve the protein folding mystery?
They created what it might look like and studied it.

Who can participate in this problem solving and be a player in Foldit?
Anyone with strong critical thinking skills can participate in the solution.

What can critical thinking do for science?
Critical thinking in people gives the opportunity to people who don't have a background in Bio-Chemistry to solve puzzles that have been bothering scientist for decades.

If you could solve a mystery through gaming for any kind of disease or illness in the world, what would it be?

all the Cancer there is, all types of them, with a 100% certainty that it would be cured for those people who have it.

Mini-Game

Do you play games in your free time?

Yes, I play the Wii or the Nintendo 64.

Which ones do you play and why are they your favorite?

I play Super Mario Bros, Epic Mickey and Kingdom Hearts

Does this topic give you a new perspective about playing games?

Yes, because I want my game to have good graphics the way these games do and that are very fun.

September 11th

How Old Were You on September 11th, 2001?
I was 3 years old on September 11th, 2001.
When did you first learn about the attacks and who explained the events to you?
I first remember learning about it when I was about 6 years old and that's when I was reading a book about the World Trade Center in New York, because I wanted to visit there, and when I asked my Dad about it he explained everything to me about what happened and who they thought or knew did it. Although he never told me why they did it, I guess he didn't know the reason why.
What kind of impact does this have on your life and your parents lives?
On my life I feel frightened to travel by airplanes in fear of it being hijacked by terrorists, and even afraid to visit places like the new World Trade Center they're building on Ground Zero.I think it effected my parents by traveling, being worried about my Brother and I and our school.
What was the Issue with this game?
The issue was that the game disrespected the people who were victims in 9/11 and re-enacted this horrid event making it impossible for you to click all the planes before they crashed into the Twin Towers.
How do you feel about it?
I feel that the people who thought it was disrespectful, were right, because it says that in the game that its nearly impossible to click all the planes trying to crash into the World Trade Center and no matter what one will slip by and hit the Twin Towers.
What is the problem with portraying on such an awful violent event through a video game?
I think there are countless problems with portraying and awful event through video games, because it could bring back bad memories for people who witnessed this event and be disrespectful towards people who had family or friends die in 9/11.
How can you make sure that your web games tell the whole story or teach a lesson in an honorable way?
By not re-enacting an event in a disrespectful way, the way the person did their game.
Maybe even giving an "In Loving Memory" quote for those people who died at the event or an "I'm Grateful to" people who are still risking their lives for us now.

2 Single Story 2011

"Danger of a Single Story"

-What does it mean to have a 'single story' about a place or community?

It means to have a preconceived notion about someone or somewhere. To only have one idea that you read or were told by someone that you just form an opinion on around.

-Describe a single story you have heard told about your community. What is missing from that story? How could people learn more about that community?

I've heard about how our community in the East Side of Austin isn't the safest because of gangs and violence all them time, but that doesn't go on everywhere in the East Side. What's missing is the fact that we are a good community and not all the people are in gangs and are caught up in drugs and violence. People could learn more by maybe visiting some parts of the East Side and finding out about our community as a whole and not just forming opinions on what they've heard from other people.

-Describe a single story you have heard about another community. How did you learn that story? How could you find out more about that community?

Well I've heard a lot about Africa and how it's really poor and really hot all the time and how the people are dying of poverty and sickness. I learned that story based on books and movies that all told tales that took place in Africa and how it's not a rich country. I could learn more by studying more about Africa and maybe traveling there and taking part in what they do and just see how there, it's no different than the USA but just a hotter climate in most places.

-How could a game let players experience many stories about a place or community?

A game could let people "travel" the world digitally and see what it's like in Africa, Europe, and Australia. Seeing how that continent or country or community is the same as any other and we shouldn't base our opinions on books and movies because not all of them are presenting present day communities.

1 Cyberbully 2011

How does the main character feel about using "Clicksters" in the beginningof the film?

She was all for it and excited because she was going to be able to talk to the boy she liked at school named: Scott.

What is her family situation? Her family situation is her parents are divorced and she lives with her Mother and younger Brother, Erik. She hardly talks to her Dad.

What type of friends does she have? She seems like she has trustworthy friends that are always there for her.

How does Taylor react to the mean comments people are posting about her? She gets upset and she gets to where she doesn't understand why people are messing with her. She also becomes Depressed.

Does she ever try to stop people from posting insults? What could she have Done?

She never tried to stop it, although she did try to ignore it, but it didn't help much. She could have blocked the user and reported it to the creator of the site or told a trusted adult.

What happened to Taylor's Clicksters account: It was hacked by her younder brother Erik.

What changes are seen in Taylor? She becomes Distant and depressed and even suicidal.

Dajasia H. Blogpost 13

What does the cite teach? It teaches about the different political branches. They also teach you about Civics How does it teach about civics: It teaches about civics because of political views and different branches such as Judicial. 1-2 things I liked: I liked that they interpreted games into the website about different political things and immigration and they have articles about political branches.

Dajasia H. Blogpost #11

The new Nintendo 3DS is now in stores for 249.99$. The have figured a way to make images look 3D without the glasses you get at a movie theater. Can you imagine the technology it takes to produce a gadget like this? Whoever came up with the idea of a built in 3D view should be rewarded big time! They have 4 color schemes for the Nintendo 3DS, these colors include Purple, Orange, Blue,and Red and the first model was a dark Grey at first. I hope to save enough money to buy on in either Purple or Blue.

Here I have uploaded a picture showing how the Nintendo 3DS works.

Dajasia H. # 10 2011

After I have created the Social Issue game I don't know if I would sell it because I haven't really thought about it. I would attach Johhny Depp, I have no idea why. Probably because he's so famous. I would most likely market my game by talk shows and radio and magazines. Mostly magazines because many people read more magazines than listening to radio shows and T.V shows. If I were to market it on T.V it would be famous talk shows like( the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson) which happens to be my favorite talk show!

Dajasia H. #9 2011

Disaster in Japan:
The disaster earthquake in Japan was very heartbreaking and sad, but I'm glad that a school is trying to help them. They are helping by wearing white and red, every child who does brings a dollar each day. So far they have raised 500$ on just their first day, and their goal is 2,000$.
Japan Disaster SlideShow

This image is from english.aljazeera.net and it shows the disaster the took place in Japan.
What I would do to help Japan is raise money and clothing and other things they might need or have lost in the earthquake.

Dajasia H. blog post 8

I Retrivied this image from http://www.3dexport.com/details.php?image_id=31523.

They upgraded The Play Station Portable... To a NGP (Next Generation Portable). It has a touch screen pad on the back in order to play certain games. I don't know who came up with the idea to upgrade the PSP, but it looks really awesome and new to play. Although it must cost a lot of money, I would like one.

Dajasia H. #7 2011

Mad Hot Ballroom:

• What does the word "Teamwork" mean to you?

It means working together and putting equal amount of effort to do your best. Also being serious while having fun and learning something that is important. Not holding anyone back from doing their best.

• How do you see the students trying to work together?

They cooperate with each other and try their best to succeed. They never complain about their partners.

They do criticize about others but they do it in a helpful way so they can take it in as advice not a put down

How learning new things will provide opportunities.

How important was teamwork for these students?
Very important because they need it to succeed to be the best they can be and working together helps with their dancing.

What do you think is the main message that these students should take away from this experience?
They should try their best no matter what the situation is and work together even if it isn't what they want.


How will you work together with your teammates in this class? I would work well and try my best. I would help them as much as possible if they don't know what to do and let them know they are a big part of the team just as anyone else. Also it would help people focus because they have goals to achieve and help them stay on track.

Dajasia H. blogpost #5

J. Lo Fur Bully on the Block:
1: The game is played by keeping away from J. Lo and having to save the animals and educating the workers.
2:The social issue is to not use animal fur to create clothing or any type of things because it is killing animal species.
3: It taught about educating people about what is going on and how it affects us.
Super Chick Sisters:
1:This game is very similar to Super Mario Bros. and it is basically the same layout, but instead it involves animals that are being killed for McDonald's.
2:The social issue is telling you about animals being killed for fast food restaraunts.
3:It taught me about why it is bad to kill animals for dumb reasons.

Dajasia H. Blogpost #4

At the beginning of the movie, Jimmy is walking down the highway. Where is he going?
California

What is the problem that the little boy, Jimmy, has?
He's Traumatized because his twin sister drowned in the lake.


Jimmy likes to stack and build things. How does this relate to video games?
Strategy and skill is needed to create a game and even building blocks and it feels like making a game.

Playing video games seems to help Jimmy feel better. Why do you think this is?
It helped him cope with his twin sisters loss

What makes him such an awesome video game player?
He was a good builder at blocks and understanding he concept of the game.

What kinds of games do you see being played? Have you ever played any games like this before? Street Fighter, Double Dragon, Ninja Gaiden, F1 Dream,Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Super Mario Bros 1&2 Mega man, metroid, rampage, Mr Chaos, Zelda, super mario 3.


How many different game systems do you see in the film?
arcade, Nintendo Entertainment system, Power Glove

What did you think about the Power Glove? It's a lot like the Wii because it's motion controlled.

Dajasia H. 2 2011

The Crayon Physics game was a very interesting design because you, yourself have to design the game as a you go along. It looks fun and very complicated because you need to know all of the moves in order to win certain levels. I would be willing to try it because it looks very fun and different games that some people have designed. Although it may look hard, it would be a very cool game to play.

Dajasia H. 1 2011

What I think about the Google Science Fair is: It's very interesting that Google has decided to host a Science Fair and letting people share very detailed and helpful ideas. Even though it may be difficult it sounds like a new experience for people to enter and present new ideas.

I don't really see myself entering because I don't think I'd be able to come up with ideas that most people come up with like Aid Robots that help nurses and things like that.

It would be very interesting to compete against kids from all over the world and hearing about their own ideas and probably get new ideas for games in flash or even real games that can be published.

I would focus my topic on Robotics because I think that would be very interesting to focus on and to get informed about Artificial Intelligence(AI). Even though it would be very complicated, it would be worth it to experience different things.