Myst for Primary Teachers… a Slideshare Presentation
Following my Prezi presentation to headteachers a few months ago, I was asked to give another presentation about Myst to some staff at my school, as well as teachers from other local schools. Whilst I’m certainly not as experienced as Tim Rylands in using Myst, it’s always nice to be able to share what we’ve been doing in our classrooms, and give our children’s work a wider audience. Here’s the presentation that I gave, containing a few prompts for our discussions, along with some tips and possible ideas for using Myst in the classroom:
It’s been good to reflect on our Myst work… it’s been a BIG part of our learning (in many curriculum areas) this year, and it’s always mentioned by the pupils when we talk about our time together. I still get children (on an almost daily basis) asking when we will be using Myst V!
After showing some of our staff today, there has been a suggestion of using the game throughout all age groups in the school next year. Other staff have suggested devoting a whole term to using Myst… something that excites me no end! Cramming each game into a block of three weeks (as I have done this year) is certainly not the best way to do things and it will be great (if things go ahead) to be able to take our time more with our explorations of the Ages. Some teachers have even suggested turning one of our rooms into a role play area, decorating it as one of the amazing landscapes in Myst… I can’t wait!
We used it through all year groups this year. It was fantastic to see how different year groups integrated Myst into the topics they were studying. We are revisiting Myst to write decision adventure stories using Powerpoint.
Reply
Hello,
I have been teaching using Myst for a few weeks now and it’s going great – I’ve got 3 more weeks until the end of term and have found that an extended period of time has really helped.
My students all have a Myst Journal in which they write diary entries, draw maps, list key words and descriptions. They are so proud of these journals it really is amazing to see.
I’ve also been lucky enough to have been granted sole access to a small room that is permanently set up like a cinema – the walls are all decorated with the work we have done so far. I’m using realMyst (the remastered original) and although one of the Ages is very hard we got round this by taking the information in a walkthrough and creating a procedure of how to complete the Age – another great element for their literacy.
Sorry this is a long comment but it’s thanks to your blog that I started this so I just wanted to share what we’ve been doing – I have a blog with Education Queensland but they’re a bit odd about having external blogs.
Anyway, thank you, Al
Reply
Mark Warner Reply:
June 6th, 2009 at 9:03 am
Hi Alex. Thanks for your comment. It’s great to know that our work has inspired some of yours too. I’ve yet to explore realMyst, but it’s on my list of things to do. Can you email me your blog address?
Reply
Hi there Mark,
Well done budd
Glad to hear that your colleagues are up for trying some Myst wanderings.
I am really looking forward to the Kent ICT Conference and the chance to showcase some of the work you and your class have been doing, alongside a couple of other schools from the county.
Speak soon
All the best
Tim
Reply
Hi Mark,
I have been using Myst on and off for a couple of years now. As a cluster we have developed a framework to use Myst Exile from Year 4 through to Year 8. Pupils are given a Myst journal in Year 4, which remains with them throughout their journey through Myst and school. The framework is very much a work in progress but as Alex stated the pupils are really proud of their journals and love working with Myst.
Thanks for sharing all your ideas and when I get a chance I will send you a copy.
Danny
Reply
Mark Warner Reply:
June 6th, 2009 at 9:06 am
Hi Danny. Four years of Myst work… wow! I wish I was a pupil at your school. I would love to receive a copy of your framework if possible… it’s always good to see any new inspiring ideas that others have. Thanks
Reply
Danny Davies Reply:
June 9th, 2009 at 11:17 pm
Hi Mark
Am giving a presentation to literacy co-ordinators on Friday about work we have done using The Piano, Touching the void and Myst. Was wondering if I could share your slideshare presentation with them? Am giving prezi a whirl – got lots of scope in education. Year 6 doing a project on the solar system – should be brilliant zooming in othe different planets!!
Danny
Reply
Sweet stuff! Sounds like you’ve really got the school excited about real learning. I spent Tuesday night with 25+ teachers who were also very impressed with your unit designs.
Way to go!
(Okay to share your Slideshare and Prezi presos with some teachers at our iConnect iLearn Too – iconnectilearn.ning.com – conference this Monday?)
Glenn Wiebe
historytech.wordpress.com
Reply
Mark Warner Reply:
June 6th, 2009 at 9:07 am
Hi again Glenn… feel free to share the presentations with others… it’s always great to hear when our work gets a wider audience. Keep up the good work yourself!
Reply