OTM TSA Video Game Design Team
Olde Town Middle School Video Game Advisor: | McGraw, SheilaTSA Information
TSA stands for Technology Student Association. It is a national organization for middle and high school students interested in the fields of technology, science, and engineering. One goal of TSA is to help students acquire knowledge and skills in different career and technical areas as well as leadership skills and experience. Participating in TSA helps student members become competent successful members of the 21st century workforce.
Mississippi has a state affiliate of TSA and Olde Towne Middle School has a middle school chapter of Mississippi and National TSA. Our state advisor is Shanta Villanueva and our school advisor is Bill Richardson. Each ICT1, ICT2 or STEM teacher plays a support or advisor role in various events. These teachers are: Bill King, ICT1; Akilah Potee, ICT2; Tammy King, ICT1 and 2; and me, Sheila McGraw, ICT1 and STEM.
Competitive events are a main feature of TSA. There is an event for almost any interest. The ability to compete in various events enables students to show how they have mastered a skill or specific content. Simply preparing for events helps develop decision-making, problem-solving and leadership skills.
TSA competitive events are held at the district, state and/or national level. In many events or cases, you must place at a lower level event to qualify for a higher-level event, but not in all cases.
The district competitive event is held in Jackson, Mississippi in late January or early February. The state event in 2014 will be held in Olive Branch in late March or early April. The national event in 2014 will be held in Washington, D.C. in late June or early July. If you are interested in joining and competing in TSA, go to the TSA website and read a description of national middle school competitions. The website is tsaweb.org . To view the Mississippi TSA information, go to the MDE’s website: http://www.mde.k12.ms.us/career-and-technical-education/career-and-technical-student-organizations/technology-student-association-(tsa). There are resources listed on the right that can be printed.
TSA is ultimately a very professional organization. Competitive events and meetings require various levels of professional dress.
Our OTMS chapter has membership dues of $25.00. There are other fees associated with other TSA events. Our chapter (all members) will diligently participate in fund-raising activities so events will be more affordable for all students.
There is a separate handout or membership packet from Mr. Richardson that has more detailed information about events, dues, fees, etc. This information can also be found on OTMS’ website under Clubs.
Video Game Design Team
About your sponsor:
My name is Mrs. McGraw and I teach ICT1 and STEM here at Olde Towne Middle School. I love computers and technology and have been in the computer science field for many years! I have a Bachelor of Science degree with a major in Computing and Information Systems from Mississippi College. I have owned my own consulting firm, I have done software training and I have been a computer technician for our district. I love my family; I am passionate about physical, mental and emotional fitness; and just for fun, I jump out of perfectly good airplanes! My favorite way to communicate is via email:
About the team:
There is a limit to the number of members who can compete in the Video Game Design events at each level. However, as the sponsor of Olde Towne Middle School’s Video Game Design (VGD) Team, I do not limit participation in terms of numbers. As mentioned in the TSA information on the previous page, you can benefit from being a member of the team and preparing for competition whether you actually attend competitions or not.
Our ultimate goal is to create one or two video games to enter in the state competition. Hopefully that entry will win or place high enough that we can participate in the national competition. However, as a “sub-club” of TSA, we will also work to learn about video game design in general with the hope of grooming and training members to be seasoned designers and competitors in subsequent years.
Structure:
The VGD team will act as a “sub-club” of the main TSA club. I plan to meet regularly to offer guidance, support, and learning. My plan is to meet as often as we can on Wednesday afternoons after school, until 4:30. PLEASE NOTE: Most of the learning and designing takes place between students outside of these meetings. See my note below about communication. I plan to collect a $1.00 fee from each student at each meeting to cover the cost of supplies.
Behavior and attitudes:
In my opinion, the main criteria for being on my team is your behavior and attitude. I expect it to be professional and respectful at all times. There is a substantial amount of freedom of movement for members at events that have a large number of people spread over a large space. Members must be able to conduct themselves independently and professionally with a minimum amount of supervision. If you know you have trouble controlling your behavior in public, please don’t participate.
Video Game Portfolio:
I require all members to have a three-ring binder or notebook and a copy of the Video Game Design rules with them at every meeting or event.
Communication:
Most of the work of the team is done outside of organized school meetings. Communication is vital. Collaboration is also vital. Most members will not be my students. I must be able to communicate with all members and all members need to be able to communicate with each other. I strongly suggest that VGD members who are actively working on an event entry have the ability to get district provided student email on a cell phone to communicate with me and personal email or texting to be able to communicate with each other.
Hardware, Software and Data:
It will be necessary for VGD members to have access to up-to-date, internet capable computers at home. I will do my best to keep it at a minimum but it may be necessary for key members to purchase copies of game design software. My plan is to use the district provided Skydrive for file storage but it may be necessary for members to have a flash drive for software and game data. I will start out using a textbook that I previewed at National TSA that uses the software, Game Player 2. Download and explore the gameplayer2 demo that can be accessed via the following link: www.g-wlearning.com or http://www.clickteam.com/download-centre-tgf2
Teamwork:
Video Game Designers do many different things; you must love to learn new things and be able to work well on a team
Traits of a Good Video Game Design Team Member:
Must be respectful and good at constructive criticism or or giving positive ideas for improvements. While no one team member will be good at everything, here are some traits that are needed by the team:
· Imagination
· Technology Competence (understand and use new software or languages)
· Analytical Logical Competence (used to determine initial strength of game elements, gaining strength, navigation, rewards, tools, etc.)
· Math and Science Competence
· Aesthetic Competence (what is pleasing to the eye. Basic art skills; basic color selection; what shows up best, etc.)
· Communication Competence: Write and Speak well: technical writing, narrative writing; dialogue
· Soft skills: being responsible, dependable, punctual; have a positive attitude, initiative, respect for self and others; professional dress
Student Information
Create a document that gives me the following information. You may design it as you see fit as long as it communicates this information to me:
Your Name.
Your Grade.
ICT1, ICT2 or STEM class you are taking and who your teacher is in that subject.
How interested you are in joining.
What you hope to gain or learn or accomplish by joining the team.
What do you think your strengths are in terms of computers?
What do you think your strengths are in terms of being a good team player?
What do you think your strengths are in terms of video game design?
Describe your overall behavior, attitude or personality.
Define video game in your own words
List five of your favorite video games
How much time do you spend playing video games?
Do you have any experience designing video games?
Conduct a short research project to answer the question, What was the first video game; Using information from multiple sources, write a report to answer this question.
OLDE TOWNE MIDDLE SCHOOL TSA CHAPTER VIDEO GAME DESIGN EVENT