This serious game lets students test
drive life.
Question: Did you know that not only is Inspire
Foundation behind this very amazing website, but a while back it
also gave birth to a very seriously good game - Reach Out Central
(ROC)?
We got such rave reviews about the online ROC game that we have now
created a schools version of ROC with the storylines
broken down into discrete chapters.
In this semi-regular blog I'll be bringing you *sizzling*
updates, tips and info about ROC. It'll also be the space for *you*
to provide feedback and suggestions on how to make it better (yay
for conversation and community!).
Reach Out Central is an online role-playing
game designed to help students to learn and improve skills for life
such as communication, problem solving and optimistic thinking in a
virtual setting using real life scenarios.
Students take on
the role of a character that is new in town. It is up to them to
work out how to settle in, make new friends and find their way
around the place.
The purpose of the storylines is to present real life scenarios
that allow students to make choices online, see the consequences of
their choices and learn from those choices.
Students are also able to monitor the impact those choices have on
their in-game mood and relationships with other characters in the
game.
Some of the issues explored in ROC include making friends, family and
friendship hassles, bullying and coping with grief and loss - just
to name a few!
To make it easy for teachers to start using
ROC with their classes the Reach Out Teachers Network have
developed a ROC Teacher
Resource that includes a detailed overview of the game, how its
played and hints and tips on how to get around the virtual world as
well as three learning modules with comprehensive lesson activities
for each of the game chapters.
There is also a Student Self Tracker
Journal that students can work through and record the choices
they make in the game and the impact that these have on their
in-game mood and relationships with other characters so that they
can be discussed in class.
It's a great alternative to those paper-based scenario activities
that you have probably been using previously. So why not try it out
and let us know how it goes.
if you have used ROC before with your classes let us know any
hints or tips that you would give other teachers.