VWBPE 2014

The Mythical World of Hīnātore

A Virtual World Game on Kitelyhop://osgrid.kitely.com:8002/Hinatore/72/76/24

http://wikieducator.org/index.php?title=Hop://osgrid.kitely.com:8002/Hinatore/72/76/24&action=edit&redlink=1

• What is literacy?• What prompted the development of a

literacy game?oLiteracy gaps in our student populationoSLENZ – improvement in several

literaciesoNCALE – literacy interventionoPedagogy - the basics

• Introduction to the game• Student feedback

What is literacy?Literacy is the ability to identify, understand,

interpret, create, communicate, compute and use printed and written materials associated with varying contexts. Literacy involves a continuum of learning

to enable an individual to achieve his or her goals, to develop his or her knowledge and potential, and to

participate fully in the wider society. UNESCO

Literacy: an integrated processLiteracy is listening, speaking, reading, writing, numeracy and critical thinking,

interwoven with the knowledge of social and cultural practices. Literacy

empowers people to contribute to and improve society. Literacy Aotearoa

Reasons for development

1. To meet the needs of our students

Literacy Needs• 1.25 million New Zealand adults are not

competently literate • 410,000 Aucklanders with low literacy & more

than 20% of all adults have no qualifications• In South Auckland more than 800 students leave

schools each year with few or no qualifications • Manukau Institute of Technology lies in the heart

of South Auckland – improving literacy levels is of prime importance

Pakeha NZ

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MIT Foundation Student Ethnicity

Māori & Pacifica Literacy Levels• Māori are over-represented by those who are under-

achieving at school• 62% of Year 12 Māori pupils gained an NCEA

qualification compared to 72% of non-Māori• A 20% disparity between the retention rate of 16-17

year old Māori & non-Māori in the education sector

• Suggested that improving Māori literacy levels requires tino rangatiratanga, control over the creative environment, made possible in virtual worlds - a culturally relevant pedagogy

• The overall literacy and numeracy of the Pacific population is lower than that of other ethnic groups

• The proportion of Pacific & Māori students moving from school to tertiary study has been & still is much lower than that of Asian & European students

Nga Haeata Matauranga

Statistics NZ

• Second Life Education New Zealand (SLENZ), 2008-2010

• Pilot of two projects (foundation & midwifery)

• Aim - to show the educational strengths or otherwise of learning in a virtual world

• The preparation and practise of interview skills

• Team led by Manukau Institute of Technology

• Evidence for critical thinking, writing, digital & cultural literacy gains


2. Lessons learned from SLENZ

NCALE Literacy Intervention• Student group: Māori cohort of pre-degree nurses at

Manukau Institute of Technology (under the auspices of the Māori Health Provider Te Kupenga o Hoturoa)

• Aims: – To address literacy gaps: reading & writing, digital & Māori

literacy– To provide activities in an integrated way & in a culturally

relevant environment

• Utilised for a portfolio assessment for the National Certificate in Adult Literacy Education (Educator), NCALE course

• Further aim:– Develop an integrated literacy skill development programme

for Māori learners with strategies and activities matched to learner’s identified needs

• Brief orientation to SL• Activity location - Red Mesa sim in SL• Three tasks:

– a structured overview using key words relating to North American Indian & Māori cultures

– a series of short answer questions, with some of the vocabulary from the first task revisited

– a writing activity completed in pairs using key ideas & subject specific vocabulary

The Intervention – SL

ResultsThere were several indicators of literacy gain:– Student’s self-evaluated perceived improvement in

their own skill levels– Vocabulary levels showed notable improvement– Students were writing more accurately in their

essay tests at the end of the semester


3. Pedagogy – ARCS Model• Eclectic, grounded, using relevant information from a

number of pedagogical approaches• John Keller’s ARCs Model of Motivational Design (2006)• Outlines the process of arranging procedures & providing

resources that lead to increased levels of student motivation• Aims at determining replicable principles & processes that

can be used to improve students’ motivation to learn & skills in self-motivation

Game Development - Narrative• Decision to use Māori mythology

• Advice from David Hair, NZ author• Myths selected• Decisions made regarding the main

objective of the game & objectives for each level of play

Level 1 & Sample Objective

• Level 1: The Legend of Uenuku– Uenuku is the God of Rainbows– His story is a tale of love lost & the

disappearance of the rainbows from the sky

• Sample objective– Recognise that a

sentence must start with a capital letter & end in a full stop

Level 2 & Sample Objectives

• Level 2: The Legend of Rona– Rona was a wife & mother– Rona was carried away by Marama, the moon– She left her child behind

• Sample objectives– Use prepositions &

articles correctly– Correct a sentence

fragment


• Level 3: The Legend of Kahukura– Kahukura deceived the fairies to obtain their

magical net– He taught his people the art of making a net to

catch fish

• Sample objectives– Correct inaccurate use

of verb tense– Correct a run-on

sentence & a sentence fragment


• Level 4: The Legend of Tāwhaki– Two brothers, Tāwhaki & Karihi were angry at

the Ponaturi (sea demons) for killing their father– They went in search of their father’s bones

• Sample objectives– Identify a lack of agreement

between singular/plural subjects & verbs used

– Identify unnecessary apostrophes & unnecessary capital letters in sentences


• Level 5: The Legend of Mahuika– Māui extinguished all the fires in the world and

then had to bring fire back to the world– He tricked his grandmother, Mahuika, the

Goddess of Fire, repeatedly & made her angry

• Sample objectives– Identify a lack of agreement

in the use of singular/plural pronouns in sentences

– Split & join sentences correctly


• Level 6: The Legend of Hīnātore– This is the player’s own story– They need to free Māui from his underground

prison

• Sample objectives– Recognise sequence

words– Construct a logical

paragraph using sequencing markers

Game Theory, Technical & Building Information

http://fxualeducation.wordpress.com/



Literacy Project: Level Walk-Throughhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=JvrJ3YKbqy8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=JvrJ3YKbqy8




Survey Results

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1. It was hard to learn necessary skills

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2. Controlling body movements was tricky

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3. I enjoyed reading the legends

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4. Game instructions were easy to follow

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5. I had to think hard to complete the tasks correctly

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6. The time I spent in the game was a waste of time

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7. I learned how to construct a correct English sentence

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8. The tasks made me more aware of sentence structure

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9. I found the tasks too difficult

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10. I am happy that I performed well in the game

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11. I will be more aware of my sentences when I have to write

in class

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12. I would never again choose to use a virtual world for learn-

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Overall the game was great and

definitely enhanced my literacy knowledge

Worst parts & suggestions:

• Computer lagging• Getting stuck• When I messed up

my HUD• Not being able to

make myself look good

• More timed activities• Make it easier to play

from home

Best parts:

• Finishing a level• Learning sentences while

reading about myths• The glowy things that

meant I got it right• There should be more

activities like Level 6• Using rewards from one

level to help you in another• It was a good way to learn

about sentences

Facebook Page

https://www.facebook.com/Hinatore




Thank you for listening! Please join us at the Mythical World

of Hīnātore – Nau mai! Haere Mai!