Website

http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~nie5/

First Page

Players will then be taken to a page like this where they will be able to use the information on the page to decode the word.

Rabbit Hole

A message like this will be sent to players either via e-mail, found at various locations, mail, etc.

Facilitation Guide

Alice Ying Nie

Facilitation Guide For Individual Game Prototype

Target Audience:

High School English and Language Arts students and Foreign English Language learners.

Learning objectives:

Students will learn language through the creation of stories.

Target learning environment:

Schools and students anywhere in the world can participate in this game.

Instructions for how to play it:

         Players will first receive a card, e-mail, text message image, letter, or find the message in a newspaper.  This message will have a link to a webpage as well as a secret code written in an unknown language.  The players will then have to go to the webpage and using the information on the webpage, decode the message on the card.  The decoded message will be the address for another webpage.

         On the second webpage, students will view a video followed by a CNN news source regarding the meteors that hit Russia.  Players will then follow the links to find a letter from a future civilization informing them that Earth did not survive the meteor attack.  Ruins from our great civilization provides evidence that we did once exist but there is no information or documentation of our civilization other than melted pieces of buildings.  This future civilization is contacting us to find out who we are. 

         Players are then instructed to answer a set of questions and share their stories.  First, through a series of multiple choices, students create their character.  Players then have the option of uploading a photo or creating a virtual avatar.  Additionally, through multiple-choice questions, students answer questions about their personality. 

         Players then interact with the future civilization (game master) through a series of tasks, all of which will integrate language learning and writing assignments.  Through the tasks, students will also learn about different genres of writing from narrative writing to science fiction.  Additionally, students will learn about the writing process from creating drafts to reviving and finally publishing.  Students will also meet other players and read their stories.  The goal of the game is to create an online writing community of language learners from all around the world sharing their cultures and stories.