Let’s Play Kwirk!
Reflection:
04/25/2015
This Let’s Play!! Activity was my first attempt at screen capture video production. I’m not a gamer so it was difficult for me to come up with a title to demonstrate. I chose Kwirk based on my experience with it as a teenager, but I also wanted to use something that was relevant to my overall theme of workforce development and productivity improvement. I like this game because it is a puzzle-type race against your own best time. It promotes self-improvement and it is addictive! As a stone mason, I relate to the challenges of this game: the objective is to quickly rearrange geometric shapes to organize an exit path for each level; Kwirk teaches critical foresight and, with scoring based on the number of moves and the time it takes to clear each level, ultimately, it measures productivity.
I struggled with several different recording programs until I discovered Hypercam, which is pretty much a point-and-click program with no additional encoding or audio requirements. I was a little awkward with my running commentary – I was self-conscious. At first I was opposed to this assignment because I didn’t see its relevance to my mission in construction education; now I appreciate the experience because it allowed me to learn how to produce and publish video demonstrations to an audience of construction workers who are more likely to connect with content on Youtube than in a classroom!
Again, this was my first attempt at a Let’s Play, and I wince at its unprofessional quality; yet I am glad to have it in my archive – it was a stepping stone that led me to greater, unconsidered opportunities in Communication Technologies in education/training.