Geopolitics in the College Classroom: A Middle East case study
Summary:
We use Hegemony: The Competition for the Contemporary Middle East as a case study to demonstrate the educational applications, opportunities and challenges using board games in the classroom.
Description:
Board games offer us opportunities to explore complex topics, nuance stereotypes, and increase our understanding of multiple perspectives. These tools are especially relevant in the classroom as a way to sidestep entrenched opinions and facilitate critical thinking.
The event focuses on Hegemony: The Competition for the Contemporary Middle East, a card-driven game we designed that covers geopolitics in the region. The game covers the 1979-2019 period and includes events such as 9/11 and the Syrian Civil War. Players balance their regional objectives within shifting international realities and their ideologies.
We discuss the historical perspective underlying Hegemony and analyze it as a cultural object. We also contextualize the game through investigating the tension between games and simulations while considering board games as potential tools for discussing contemporary geopolitics.
How Do I Build My Board Game Collection At My Library?
Summary:
Are you thinking about starting a board game collection at your library and you have no idea where to start? Bartlett will help you get started, provide collection development titles, and more!
Description:
Jenn Bartlett, AKA The Board Game Librarian, as seen on The Dice Tower's Board Game Breakfast with her segment "From the Page to the Table", as well as her Instagram account @boardgamelibrarian, will share her knowledge of board game collection development from a library point of view. What titles should you buy? What titles go out and which languish on the shelves? Bartlett will have lists for participants to take home, and well as information on securing donations from publishers.
How to Select, Implement and Advocate for Games in Education.
Summary:
With over 10 years experience implementing games in education, Brian Mayer shares how to find games that meet curricular needs; including tips for adjustment, implementation and advocacy.
Description:
Join Gaming and Library Technology Specialist Brian Mayer as he shares over 10 years of experience using games in classrooms and school libraries.
Strong curricular, learning and growth connections are often embedded in many games though they may not always be obvious. Come learn how to dissect game resources, diving deeper than critical thinking and problem solving skills to find the standards support critical for justification of class time.
Also covered will be advice on how to approach adjusting play to meet time restrictions and class size and advocating with administrators and educators for the value that games hold as educational resources.
Attendees will have hands on time to practice many of the skills covered in the session and will get takeaways to help them be successful in their own environments.
If you are a retailer, teacher, librarian or health professional you need to network across the professions to build a community. Hear suggestions on how to create relationships across these tiers
Outreach Gaming: Quick Game Experiences for Engaging the Public at Community Events
Summary:
Use games for library outreach at events like street festivals, markets, and art fairs. Participants will receive game recommendations, best practices, and play games proven effective for outreach.
Description:
Outreach events present unique opportunities for libraries and educational institutions to connect with the local population. Street festivals, concerts, art fairs, museum nights, and other events bring people with common interests together and allow them permission to play. Through transforming the library booth into an active space using games, it’s possible to invite the public to play while having friendly conversations about services available, discussing the mission of the library, and humanizing the institution overall.
Join Paizo Publisher Erik Mona and Director of Sales Pierce Watters for a sneak peek into exciting developments for the Pathfinder & Starfinder roleplaying games in 2019 and beyond!
Pandemic is a treasure trove of concepts. Explore practical applications of the board game to teach middle/high school level life science, mathematics, public health, and more.
Description:
In a medical themed sophomore STEAM course, I use the board game Pandemic to introduce students to the CDC, to discuss roles on a team (and how they can use their strengths), map skills, vocabulary, strategy, and more. Many aspects of the game can be supported with content and activities from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, as well. Participants should leave with a list of how to use Pandemic in their classroom as well as a broader discussion of how games can support classroom learning.