Author Archives: Neil Willis

My Mission Statement!

Firstly, I would like to apologize to one and all for this rant; and it is most definitely ‘a rant’. The crux of my rant will centre on this driving question: ‘Why do so many educators choose the easy path?’ I for one am certainly not innocent of having been short sighted or focused onContinue reading “My Mission Statement!”

Create your own YouTube Quiz!

To YouTube a lot or to YouTube a little? This is surely the question in today’s media mad world? In the entirety of entertainment and social media history, YouTube has to be the single greatest social informer, influencer, persuader and educator there has ever been. It could be said that at different points in history television, radio, newspaper and books have all heldContinue reading “Create your own YouTube Quiz!”

NUMROS

It is a well-known established fact throughout the many-dimensional worlds of the multiverse that most really great discoveries are owed to one brief moment of inspiration. There’s a lot of spadework first, of course, but what clinches the whole thing is the sight of, say, a falling apple or a boiling kettle or the waterContinue reading “NUMROS”

A good idea goes a long way!

I am borrowing heavily from an inspired game based learning idea created by a colleague of mine named Phillip Arneill. This gaming template has become so successful in my school that it has been adapted and replicated for a wide variety of lesson types and learning opportunities. I would say there are at least four different teachers who haveContinue reading “A good idea goes a long way!”

Games are bloody great!

What makes a game great? Challenge without being overly difficult. I think back to a game which I found incredibly frustrating when I first started playing it. However it became more accessible as I became more familiar with the game mechanics and controls – Disney’s Castle of illusion. This game also has a beautiful narrativeContinue reading “Games are bloody great!”

I’d rather be a farmer!

From the ages of 17 to 22 years old, I spent numerous Christmas, Easter and Summer holidays working in a variety of factories. I have worked in furniture factories, crisp factories, video-packaging factories; I have even worked in slaughterhouses. During my time in these factories, I worked in various locations found inside most modern factories. These included the assembly line, the packaging zone, theContinue reading “I’d rather be a farmer!”

Player Two’s Turn

An extract from a conversation which took place between two teachers playing the teaching game! Player 1: Games in the classroom? I don’t understand! Player 2: What don’t you understand? Player 1: Well..you know games are games. They aren’t learning. Player 2: Yes they are.  Player 1: How?  Player 2: Well, children learn to playContinue reading “Player Two’s Turn”

The Summit – Course 5 Final Project

After weeks of hard work and steady progress we have finally reached the peak of StoryTeller Mountain. I think it is fair to say that the journey has provided the students and myself with an exciting classroom adventure; an adventure which shows no sign of stopping. As I sit at the top of StoryTeller Mountain,Continue reading “The Summit – Course 5 Final Project”

Beginning the trek up StoryTeller Mountain

Today we started our climb up the monumental Storyteller Mountain. The children had been equipped with ipads, copies of the ‘legends of the lake’ myth books and organized into groups of four to better help each other with the initial climb. The base of the mountain was relatively easy to traverse as the groups beganContinue reading “Beginning the trek up StoryTeller Mountain”