GeoGame
I elected to participate in the Global School House’s Project called GeoGame.  In this game, students must identify cities from either within the USA, Canada, or internationally, given a set of clues.  The clues include: latitude, time zone, population, weather, land forms, tourist attractions, and what the city is famous for.  The project has two levels. The first level has 10 cities and is relatively easy, and the second level has 20 cities and is considered more difficult.  Students are required to identify all the cities prior to submitting their answers. They receive an immediate response indicating whether they are correct or not, and those who correctly identify the cities receive a certificate with their name on it. Students also have the option of creating clues that would help other players find the town they live in.

I discovered that the students had a lot more difficulty playing the game than I had anticipated.  The students needed more guidance unraveling clues.  They also had a hard time with strategy since they didn't fully understand latitude, time zones, and land forms.  In order to finish before the program timed out, I had to give them more help when they played the game.  I also walked them through the research for locating their home town, because I wanted them to have the experience of submitting a clue.

 As I watch students play the game, I was initially disappointed.  In contrast, the students seemed very happy.  There was a healthy competition between the students who competed in teams.  Each team wanted to be the first group to win the game, but they also helped one another.  The students wanted everyone to get a certificate.

I wanted to participate in running this project in order to more fully understand the process, so it would be easier to run my own in the future.  I contacted Lorna, whom I thought to be the site creator.  In my communications with Lorna, who turned out to be the site moderator, I learned a lot but was unable to really participate. 

I found that GeoGame has been an ongoing project for nine years.  It has obviously been very successful.  Most of the maintenance is done automatically by the site.  Moreover, when enough participants submit clues, the moderator has the option of adding the clues to create new game.  The certificates for correct answers and replies for incorrect answers are accomplished with forms.  I also found the e-mail address for the creator of the project.  I e-mailed him, because I really wanted to know what problems he encountered in the initial stages of the project.  I also wanted to know how long it took before he started getting a significant number of participants.  I never received a reply.

My failure, or less than successful outcome participating in GeoGame this summer, led to what should be a very successful attempt this fall, after the students have completed the WebQuest  Jump Start To GeoGame. 

After I finished creating the WebQuest, I advertised it at Global School House, WebQuests, and EPals.  As most schools are not in session at this time, I have received limited interest, but I hope to have participants for the upcoming school year.