Spelling
is an ongoing battle with some students, children and adults alike, and I've always been willing to adopt any strategy to assist them with learning how to spell or improve their spelling. In my last  few blogs I covered using Words With Friends and Banagrams as learning tools.  In this blog I'm looking at the card game Quiddler,
from Set Enterprises.
 
I have been playing Quiddler for over five years and am currently on my third pack of cards. (Wear and tear from overuse is the reason for replacement.)  During this time I've been on a personal quest to achieve a world shattering score. Yes, I am a teeney, weeney bit competitive, but more with
myself than any playing partner.  To date my highest score is 443, achieved without bonuses.  I can tell you I'm having a very difficult time matching it.  The rules for this game are very straight forward and my young nieces and
nephews have learnt them very quickly.

Since Angry Birds was released in late 2009, it has become a game phenomena.  If you don't play the game you probably know that it exists and may wonder what all the hoopla is about. Well I'm here to tell you, it is you against those nasty pigs or monkeys if you are playing the Rio version.  To play the game you are given a set number of birds, these can all be the same or be a variety of birds
depending on the level you have reached.  You use a slingshot to release the birds and eliminate the pigs that may or may not be encased by a specific material e.g. glass, wood or concrete.


CLASSROOM APPLICATION

This game offers the classroom teacher a myriad of opportunities to engage their students.  Let's start with how you can apply this game to mathematical concepts and application.

1. Trajectories
If you play the game, you will know how important the launching trajectory of your birds is within each round. In the graphic on the right you will notice dotted lines across the screen.  These lines are the flight paths of one bird which separated into several birds when the screen was touched.  Use these trajectory lines for the following
activities.
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Who or what is Bananagrams® and why should you include it in any spelling program you are implementing?  Bananagrams® is a game that   is loosely based on Scrabble.  I came across this game several years ago and it   was an Eureka moment.  While working with adults and youth who have learning difficulties and/or disabilities, I have learnt you need to use all learning styles and senses when approaching certain learning activities.  Spelling definitely falls into this category as it carries the extra burden of school  angst which is baggage that many of the learners in adult literacy classes carry.

Let's look at the game itself.  In a nutshell, there are 144 tiles and depending on the number of players, each player selects a given number of tiles to commence the game (2-4 players select 21 tiles, 5-6 players 15 tiles).  There is no turn taking in this game.  Each player uses the selected tiles to create words until they have used
all the letters.  Whenever a player uses all their tiles they say "Peel" and all players must select another tile from the "Bunch".  This continues until there are fewer tiles left in the "Bunch" then there are number of players.  I always like the fact that there is no turn taking and each player can work at their own pace. 
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The title says it all, I'm not quite wallowing in the process, but I'm hoping I'll become more proficient in the very near future.  What got me started on the road to developing self-paced or eLearning resources?   I looked back at another article I wrote and realised I wasn't making provisions for both teachers and learners to experience MazioCreate's resources to their full potential.  By developing a package that can be used as a stand alone
learning resource or one that supports the existing hard copy resource, it enables teachers to -
a)    give learners the opportunty to work independently;
b)    have the time and opportunity to work one-to-one with other learners, and
c)    assess learners during the process.

These resources also give learners access to -
a)    activities that have an auditory support built in;
b)    control over the pace at which they work; 
c)    repeat an acitivity until they are happy with their level of competency; and
d)    empower them in the learning environment.

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