The Hidden Potential of Technology in the Classroom

Q & A Section

*** All question were submitted anonymously through the feedback form. ***

Any examples of short (less than 10 minutes) electronic games? My JTE is all …”Let’s keep activities micro short or non existent, ok ALT sensei?”

• The Mario and Sonic game that I demonstrated in the video runs less than 10 minutes. I have a plethora of games that I demonstrated that can run less than 15 minutes, but didn’t have time to show them, unfortunately. Many of the games are also designed to be cut short if need be.

Is it possible to share the PowerPoints you made so other ALTs can use them?

• I would be more than happy to do so! Though while I ran a workshop on Technology in the Classroom; I’m a bit of a dummy with Google Drive and whatnot. If there’s an official Nagasaki ALT drive or something, I’d be more than happy to let them upload my files.

On the scene with the running Mario animation, where did you find these animation clips please? I have no idea.

• A vast majority of the gifs I use are from Google searches. For the Mario running gif, I simply searched “Mario running png” or “Mario running transparent.” On the tools tab next to the image search, I select “gif” to be sure it’s animated.

Where does he get the majority of the animations and sound effects he uses? I assume from online but I’m curious if there are any specific websites or tools he uses to find and isolate the material to use in a powerpoint game/activity.

• A lot of the times I record them straight from my tv if possible. If not, there’s a great software called Media Human that can access audio from Youtube videos.

How long does it take for you to prepare those games? Have you ever had teachers who prefer not to use technologyas they teach? Do you feel like Japan should continue to incorporate more technology into the school?

• It depends on the game. The Smash Bros. game took well over 24 hours in total, but that was me constantly changing things to my liking. Mario and Sonic   and Godzilla took me probably around 10. The Halloween quiz briefly shown probably took me around 2 or 3. It just depends on how much you want to work on it. I find it fun, so it isn’t a huge issue.I have had teachers not want to do games because they felt lessons needed to be traditional. To answer the last question as well, I absolutely do because it’s a huge benefit to teaching, but I also feel it isn’t for everybody, so it’s definitely a case-by-case scenario.

Would you be willing to do a more in depth tutorial? (Please do one more lecture on how to make powerpoint games!)

• I most certainly don’t mind answering questions and showing how to make games in more in-depth ways. The workshop was an overview. However, I don’t know if I can go through with making another video right now. Making this last one was a huge undertaking and I honestly got sick and stressed due to it. So, I can’t right now. Perhaps a Discord chat or something of that nature would be better. A more laid-back approach. If I can do something like that then I’d be interested in doing so.

Thanks again Dennis. Are your games random English content, or do you base the games off grammar/chapters in the textbooks?

• Most of my games are made broad by design. However, I have a number of games specific for certain lessons, holidays, and topics. The Menu Game (with crossdressing Luigi) and Cloud Game briefly shown in the Workshop are examples of this.

Do you have an recommendations on books, websites, or video that a beginner could use to help them navigate animations in PowerPoint?

• Unfortunately, most of my ideas are just whatever I come up with. However, Google searches and looking on Youtube definitely provides some inspiration. I believe Englipedia or ALTpedia or whatever it’s called now is also a good resource. That’s just for ideas. As for PowerPoint itself, I just learned by tinkering. But I know there are people online who have done the same and shared their findings too.

Do you have any tips on how to use macros/micros easier in PPT? I’ve learned about these some but that was based on what videos I could find on YouTube. If you have any examples on how to use these easily, that would be great but if not, no worries! Thanks

• I am sorry to disappoint, but I intention avoid getting too in-depth with Macros and Micros so I don’t screw the programming up and cause the program to no longer work. The Animation Pane and options within the Animation tab provide a lot of what you need and… for the most part, should not cause the program to crash.

How long does it take to make a game in PowerPoint once you have a good understanding on how to make things work?

• I have been an ALT for 6 years, but it wasn’t until my 3rd year or so that I REALLY got involved in PowerPoint. Therefore, I think it was an accumulative thing. It takes a long time to figure things out, but if you dedicate time to learning and just playing with what Powerpoint can do then I think it becomes more apparent on what you can do. Learn by doing is kind of my approach. Again, there are many Youtube videos and online searches that can help too.

Sometimes schools have different versions of programmes to what I have at home, or even at other schools. Do you have any tips for overcoming compatibility issues?

• My advice of KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid) applies if you’re worried about this. Simple games, even with animations should work overall. However, getting overly complicated or adding too much onto one screen can cause older versions or different programs to not work. I overcome this simply by using my computer where I can. But that’s easier said than done.

If you have a YouTube channel for your games, what is it? If you don’t, would you be a guest for someone who is starting an ESL/EFL game channel?

• I don’t have a Youtube channel to specifically chronicle these games, but that may be a good idea to look into. If you would like to have me on your channel than I would be absolutely honored to appear sometime. Feel free to contact me any time!

I know that you likely spend hours upon hours creating these games for your students, and in many ways I see them as a form of art. I was just wondering if you would consider sharing the formats for some of these games? Completely understandable if you don’t want other ALTs using your art!

• Some of these games definitely take a very, very long time to make. I think of it as art too and a fun way to channel my creativity. That being said, I would love to share everything and anything with these games. As mentioned in a question above, I just haven’t exactly figured out how. I’ll work on that and check what I can do with the PAs.

How much time do you spend in class for these topics? And if more than one class, how many classes do you use to make sure the students get to a decent level? Do you find it more difficult to teach young students who haven’t studied English or to reteach it to students who learned incorrect pronunciation from their Japanese teachers?

• It depends mostly on the topic as there isn’t a unified time we spend on things. If we are going to use it, we usually plan a shorter game in order to teach the new English points or we dedicate a review class to using my activities. Since it’s an activity, it isn’t necessarily to get them at an excellent English level. The activities are more a means to provide ways to allow the kids to enjoy English and approach it in a fun, new way. It’s more about appealing to the students than just simply getting them to be better at the language. Every class has different levels for their abilities and while it’s hard, just allowing them to take a shot at language practice is all that matters. I hope that answered your question.