Game On!

When I introduced Genius Hour to the kids, several decided to do something with video games. They tossed ideas around including creating video games, blogging about video games, and reviewing video games. Jon decided that he wanted to create a video game. His work began by sifting through the numerous online video game makers until he found one that he liked. He explored several and decided that he would create his using one of his favorites. As he developed his game, and other students took a look at it, he became more encouraged to develop it. Now, whenever he has some spare time on a computer, he is working on his game.

Jon and Emmanuel troubleshoot an aspect of Jon's game

Other students offer advice and recommendations. Maybe a part of the game didn't provide enough challenge, or too much challenge. Maybe the order of progression should be tweaked. All of these are decisions that Jon must make in order to improve his game. The learning in Genius Hour is awesome because the burden of creating rests on the students. They are the ones making the decisions, testing those decisions, and further tweaking their product. Each student develops their own process for learning. This type of learning environment is completely individual.

Not only is Jon learning about video game making, he is also learning about marketing, troubleshooting, persistence, progression of thought, and grit. Jon is learning both content, process, and how to stand on his own two feet.