GUINEVERE TRAINING
Any project that develops new technology for classroom use stands and falls on implementation. In order to optimise implementation two elements are key: training teachers in the use of games in 3D virtual environments, both from a technical perspective and how they might be used in the classroom and piloting their use. The project will capitalise on the technical guidelines produced it aims to produce and information received from the field testing to create a teacher training package to enable teachers will be used create and use games effectively in a variety of situations. The package will provide a two-stage approach – the creation of games themselves and the uses they might be put to in the classroom.
Games that have been produced earlier in the project will be used as part of the base material for the teacher-training package. The package itself will be a blended learning solution of online resources and documents that can be downloaded and worked on as part of the trainees’ reflection processes and self-evaluation. Part of the training course will be delivered asynchronously, which has the advantage of allowing teachers to engage with the material at times that suit them. It also avoids the logistical, financial and time expense of removing busy professionals from their working environment for a period of time. In order to demonstrate the application of games, some of the training sessions themselves will be produced using the same technology. Some training sessions will be delivered synchronously to give teachers the chance to try out the games they created with peers to test their usability and functionality.
The training package itself will be subject to quality review. In order for this to take place, there will be two training courses so that lessons learned from the first iteration may be implemented in a second course and materials revised accordingly. This will allow the project to arrive at a complete production and training solution of quality by the end of the lifetime of the project. Part of the quality processes will be to subject the finished product (teacher training course) to an external accreditation procedure.