Tuesday, November 27, 2012

FAUXasis mod 10 (S2: Side Quest)


Directions: Within the following riddle are clues that will help you answer the question below. Using whatever means necessary, decode the clues and provide your answer to the question. If your name does not appear on the Leader Board within 12 hours time, you have answered incorrectly.


FAUXasis_mod_10

"Hard work is painful when life is devoid of purpose. But when you live for something greater than yourself and the gratification of your own ego, then hard work becomes a labour of love." - Steve Pavlina

Add caption
MOD DETAILS:

  • Points will be awarded to the players with the highest posted scores at the conclusion of the mod. 
  • All players will play Super Mario Bros. Crossover, located here.
  • Please play using the following settings:
    • Difficulty - NORMAL 
    • Gameplay Mode - SURVIVAL
    • Console to Simulate - NINTENDO
    • Tutorials On - YES
  • Visit the Super Mario Bros. Crossover wiki with questions or for tips.
  • Post a screenshot of your high score to the Level Up Book Club tumblr no later than 11:59pm on Saturday, December 1st.
    • Multiple submissions accepted. 
    • Screenshots will be made public for other FAUXasis competitors to view.
  • Points Awarded to Highest Score
    • 1st Place - 50,000 pts
    • 2nd Place - 40,000 pts
    • 3rd Place - 30,000 pts
    • 4th Place - 20,000 pts
    • 5th Place - 10,000 pts
    • 6th and Following - 1 pt


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Sunday, November 25, 2012

Extra Lives: A Chillaxed Challenge from #levelupbc

Hope all our state-side players have recovered from their Turkey or Tofurkey comas and are ready to head back to work tomorrow.  And, if in your world the phrases "back to work" and "back to school" are one in the same, then you're probably already well aware that no matter how you slice it, there's really only about 3 weeks between this long awaited break and the next one. What's more, if you're anything like your Level Up Leaders, then getting this far has been a fun but exhausting ride.

So... here's what we're gonna do.

In order to keep the Level Up momentum moving forward, while also taking a low pressure approach to our next read, we're wrapping up a chillaxed challenge for our next read, Extra Lives by Tom Bissell, as our holiday gift to you.

Given how crazy this time of year is for everyone, but in particular for those who work and play with little (and big!) learners, we're gonna take this one slow.  Currently, we're planning our usual cumulative Twitter chat for this read as the first Level Up activity of 2013 - giving our friends, colleagues and readers (um... that's you!) permission to take a deep breath, concentrate on what's most important right now and tackle this read one delicious page at a time.

In the meantime, OF COURSE, we'll post some challenges along the way, share favorite quotes and make reading this book a meaningful learning experiences for everyone involved.  In fact, to start things off, per usual, let's get the ball rolling by sharing pics of your copy of our latest read either via the Level Up Book Club Tumblr or on Twitter - just be sure to tag your post with the #levelupbc hashtag!  And, of course, in the spirit of leading by example, here's a shot of the loot collected during my latest visit to the public library - with Extra Lives rising to the top of the heap!

So... wrap up the left overs, dust off the dreidels, take out the tinsel and grab a copy of Extra Lives so you can festivus with the rest of us.  Rest assured, Level Up ia not on hiatus, we are not taking a break - we're just making sure that Extra Lives doesn't add any extra stress to this already busy holiday season.!

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

FAUXasis mod 9 (S2: Side Quest)


Directions: Within the following riddle are clues that will help you answer the question below. Using whatever means necessary, decode the clues and provide your answer to the question. If your name does not appear on the Leader Board within 12 hours time, you have answered incorrectly.


FAUXasis_mod_9


NAME-or-GAME is what we'll play.
NAME or GAME, you must display.
Will there be a price to pay
if one or two is wrong?
Who can say?


Image 1
Image 2
Image 3
Image 4
Image 5
Image 6


Friday, November 16, 2012

Games4Good + Knowledge Quest = Week of EPIC WINS for #levelupbc


Ok. Somebody cue Kool and the Gang because Level Up has LOTS to celebrate this week.  Thanks to YOU and the donations of over 40 sponsors, #levelupbc's Games4Good campaign raised $1040 for the American Red Cross and other charities aiding victims of hurricane Sandy!!!  We are so proud of this achievement and as a token of our esteem, love and overwhelming gratitude, we created this video thank you card to acknowledge our generous sponsors!! Please pass it on to the folks who sponsored you and know that every thank you is meant from the heart!   Also, if you missed this campaign and would still like to donate, it's not too late!  The Red Cross's website offers several ways for you to give a little bit or a lot.  Every dollar shared makes a difference. 



But wait! That's not all!  Matthew and I are also giddy with gratitude this week because Level Up  was featured in this month's Knowledge Quest which is centered all around powering up your PLN.  We were thrilled to be asked to contribute a piece about this great group of gaming educators who are exploring new and innovative pedagogy through our little club.  What a thrill! If you're a member of AASL, you can view the issue on line, if not (join!) you can probably ask another school librarian if you can borrow theirs!  Again, Level Up would not EXIST or be nearly as much fun without you, so THANK YOU so much for continuing to support our efforts to get our game on!  We love Level Up so much! Which is why... 




We are excited to announce our next Twitter Chat for our latest read:  Karl Kapp's amazing book The Gamification of Learning and Instruction. Join us on MONDAY 11/19 at 8pm EST for a GREAT Twitter convo where we'll explore the concepts in the book AND announce our next read!

And one more time, for the record... THANK YOU for making this a week of EPIC WINS! 

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

FAUXasis mod 8 (S2: Side Quest)


Directions: Within the following riddle are clues that will help you answer the question below. Using whatever means necessary, decode the clues and provide your answer to the question. If your name does not appear on the Leader Board within 12 hours time, you have answered incorrectly.


FAUXasis_mod_8


That time you first hear an album and you know that it's going to change your life. 
That song you carry with you no matter where you go. 

Identify the album. Visit the location.
Return with photo evidence. 


MOD LIMITATIONS:
1. The FAUXasis only supports travel via Google Earth.
2. A screenshot matching the photo below (sans text) must be provided as proof.
3. All images must be submitted via Level Up Book Club Tumblr. Provide FAUXasis name on submission for credit.
4. Points will be awarded as follows: 
1st to Submit Photo = 50,000 pts
2nd to Submit Photo = 25,000 pts
3rd to Submit Photo = 10,000 pts
4th to Submit Photo = 5,000 pts
5th to Submit Photo = 2,500 pts
6th and following = 50 pts


Image 5 of 5.
Image 4 of 5.
Image 3 of 5.
Image 2 of 5.
Image 1 of 5.

 New photos will be added periodically, thereby providing new opportunities to earn points. FAUXasis users will be alerted to photo updates via Twitter using #FAUXasis.



Sunday, November 11, 2012

Games 4 Good Wrap Up!

Did you play some Games4Good this weekend?  If so, we wanna know about it!  Please take a few minutes to let us know about your experience with this game-a-thon experiment!  We can't wait to hear how you used games to change the world!

Note:  we're asking for a list of the names of folks who sponsored you so that we can publicly thank them.  Please do not include contact info or the amounts each person gave, just let us know who they were so that we can give them a well deserved high five!

Saturday, November 10, 2012

FAUXasis mod 7 (S2: Side Quest)


Directions: Within the following riddle are clues that will help you answer the question below. Using whatever means necessary, decode the clues and provide your answer to the question. If your name does not appear on the Leader Board within 12 hours time, you have answered incorrectly.


FAUXasis_mod_7 


Seated opposite a man in atramentous garb. 
Two intoxicants within your grasp, but which to select?
The venom will mean certain death.
Will you be saved with reason and the right words? 

You'd like to think that, wouldn't you? You've (quote omitted), which means you're exceptionally strong. So, you could have (quote omitted) in your own goblet, trusting on your strength to save you. So I can clearly not (quote omitted) in front of you. But, you have also (quote omitted) which means you must have studied. And in studying, you must have learned that man is mortal so you would have (quote omitted) as far from yourself as possible, so I can clearly not (quote omitted) in front of me.



Wednesday, November 7, 2012

FAUXasis mod 6 (S2: Side Quest)


Directions: Within the following riddle are clues that will help you answer the question below. Using whatever means necessary, decode the clues and provide your answer to the question. If your name does not appear on the Leader Board within 12 hours time, you have answered incorrectly.


FAUXasis_mod_6 


Home.



Sunday, November 4, 2012

FAUXasis mod A (S2: Side Quest)


Directions: Within the following riddle are clues that will help you answer the question below. Using whatever means necessary, decode the clues and provide your answer to the question. If your name does not appear on the Leader Board within 12 hours time, you have answered incorrectly.


FAUXasis_mod_A 


There's an alt-FAUXasis where others play,
Where daring librarians live steam-punked days.
A top hat awaits you with little strife,
But to get there you'll need a second life.



ARTIFACT: LevelUpBC Top Hat

ABILITY: unknown


CLUES DROPPED: 

(1) Property SLURL: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Winterfell%20Absinthe/153/108/33
(2) Images of Property:
Zoom 1
Zoom 2
Zoom 3
DIRECTIONS: You may need to create an account for this one. 

A secret word is located within this property. The first to respond with said word will be awarded 15,000 points and will win a virtual tour of SL care of The Daring LibrarianPost a screenshot to Tumblr of your avatar wearing the artifact and earn an additional 50,000 points.





Thursday, November 1, 2012

Games 4 Good

We all know that games are fun, engaging and can greatly impact student learning when put to use in the classroom.  However, given the magnitude of Hurricane Sandy and its impact on folks up and down the east coast of the US, we've decided it's time that we take a closer look at how games can, as Jane McGonigal says, make the world a better place.

So... buckle your seat belts, #levelupbc, we're about to change the world!

For the next #levelupbc challenge we're gonna play games AND raise money for the victims of Hurricane Sandy.  How, you ask?  Well, that's simple... we're having a Game-A-Thon!

Here's how it works:

Step 1:  Commit to playing a game (or many games) over a period of however many hours you would like, between 12:00am Saturday, November 11th and 11:59pm Sunday, November 12th.  If you think you can play for 5 hours, go for it!  If you think you can play for 2 hours, great!  If you think you can play for 48 hours, you're crazy, but we love it!  Bottom line, it doesn't matter how you play (console, phone, tablet, PC) or how long you can play, you just need to commit to being a gamer for part of that weekend.

Step 2:  Get your friends, neighbors, coworkers, compadres, brothers, sisters, cousins, distant relatives and sworn enemies to sponsor you! Tell them you're raising money for the victims of Hurricane Sandy and need their help!  If you've committed to gaming for 5 hours AND you can get 5 people to sponsor you at a rate of $2.00 an hour, by the end of the weekend, you'll have raised $40.00.  Get it?  You can even print out this handy, dandy sponsorship form to help you keep track of all the cash you're gonna collect! 

Step 3: Play some games, yo!  What games, you ask?  Well... any games!  However, now might be an AWESOME time to explore some of the games that have been specifically designed to foster social good.  Some of the ones we've been playing include:

  • Free Rice (http://freerice.com) - "For each answer you get right, we donate 10 grains of rice through World Food Programme to help end hunger."
  • Games for Change (http://www.gamesforchange.org) - "Catalyzing social impact through digital games." Over 100 games created by independent game designers to inspire and challenge users.
  • Lure of the Labyrinth (http://labyrinth.thinkport.org/www/) - A puzzling world with puzzling puzzles for you to discover, uncover, and, hopefully, solve. The focus here is clearly on math, but it's just so enticing we couldn't bare to leave it off our list.

Of course, you can play any game you want. In fact, use this challenge as an excuse to spend a little time this weekend just playing.  We've all got mountains of work to do and sometimes it feels frivolous to spend time engrossed in a game - but this weekend, you're not playing... you're SAVING THE WORLD!  (The dishes can wait!) 

Step 4:  Donate your earnings to charity.  Again, how you choose to donate is up to you, but one of the easiest way is by sending a text to the Red Cross.  Once you've collected your sponsorships you can just text that amount in and voila! Your sponsors can give directly to the Red Cross Disaster Relief, too, if you'd prefer not to handle any money exchange. TeacherCast has made it possible for your school or district to help those in New Jersey affected by the hurricane. Regardless of how you choose to help, you and your posse have made the world just a little bit better.

Step 5:  Document your experience!  If you're participating in this challenge, there are a few ways that you can share your journey and cheer on your fellow philanthropists.  
  • Fill out this Google Form to let us know that you're participating.
  • Send us some photos (either via Tumblr or Twitter) of you getting your game on!
  • Spread the word!  One of the things that is sooooo motivating about games is that they are SOCIAL.  What fun is playing Guitar Hero if you've got no one to giggle with?  Mario Kart stinks without someone to trash talk!  And Monopoly wouldn't be the same without someone else to land on your Park Place hotels!  Plus, the more people we can get to play, the more we can help others!
  • Tweet about it using the hashtags #levelupbc and #games4good
  • Finally, keep track of your donations.  Once the games have begun, we'll give you a way to share how much you raised.   
And, of course, there will be kudos and prizes for folks who raise the most money, get the most people to play and other fun stuff. 

So... spend this week committing to play, soliciting sponsorships and challenging your friends to play too.  In the end, all of your efforts will go to help some folks who really need it. 

FAUXasis mod 5 (S2: Side Quest)


Directions: Within the following riddle are clues that will help you answer the question below. Using whatever means necessary, decode the clues and provide your answer to the question. If your name does not appear on the Leader Board within 12 hours time, you have answered incorrectly.


FAUXasis_mod_5 


You enter an old arcade. The air is clouded with the smell of pizza and unbathed teens. You approach a favorite cabinet, copyright TobiKomi Co. 1982. You feel through the contents of your pocket, a stick of gum, a Scrabble tile, a ball of lint, until your fingers close around a quarter. Time to set a new high score.

DIRECTIONS: Post a screenshot of your in game high score to our Tumblr to prove your worthiness. Include your FAUXasis account name in the text box.