Your Conference Options (Friday PM)
For the next few weeks, we’ll be running a series of blogs called “Your Conference Options.” This lays out the different elements of the NASAGA 2024 schedule and what you can expect throughout the conference. You can always see the agenda grid at a glance here or browse descriptions directly here. And of course, don’t forget about our amazing Play Facilitator preconference; learn more about that here. And if you haven’t registered yet, there’s still time!
It’s Friday noon. Your energy may be flagging, but your desire to see and play great games won’t be! Grab some lunch on your own and then strap in for four more breakout sessions!
Miracle Water? Separating Fact from Fiction Through Game Play (Pauline Lynch Shostack)
Join this session for an overview of designing an escape room game that teaches students about misinformation. Developed by the University of Washington and adapted by the presenter for Le Moyne College's ERIE 21 Program for high school students, the game places participants as researchers investigating "Euphorigen," a new water additive. Uncover the truth in under an hour by playing the game. Then explore variations and engage in a debriefing session afterward.
STEM Games Buffet (Tim Handley)
Wondering what’s out there in the world of elementary-oriented STEM games? Come and enjoy a buffet of small science and math games from Art of Problem Solving (a.k.a. AoPS). These are bite-sized games, each designed with different goals and constraints, with different strengths and weaknesses. Most aim at specific content standards, but some were built just for the fun of puzzle-solving. Play a game, ponder what makes it tick, and talk it over with colleagues and designers from NASAGA and AoPS. Then play another game! And another!
Fairness and Morality in a Black Death Simulation (Franklin Rausch)
In this session, participants will play as members of a family experiencing the Black Death. Participants will manage resources and make moral decisions as they seek to survive in a world that seems unfair. Though its mechanics, this simulation will help illustrate how the Black Death was a biological, economic, and social event and will conclude with a discussion on how to balance historical accuracy, fairness, and student engagement.
Social Deduction Games (Jimmy Colquitt)
To close out the night: LET’S PARTY! It’s the legendary NASAGA Gala Dinner (come as fancy or as plain as you like), with the organizational Annual Meeting and Silent Auction. And of course, it wouldn’t be NASAGA without one last Game Night.
Coming next week: Saturday AM!
