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The Kingdom of Diddorol behind-the-scenes Podcast - Podcast

The Kingdom of Diddorol behind-the-scenes Podcast

 Larry Graykin

The Kingdom of Diddorol is a fictional kingdom that serves as the setting for all English Language Arts activities in Barrington (NH) Middle School's Room 244. It is the geographical component of the storyline of a game overlay, which presents and contextualizes all the usual ELA content in an alternative way. Each of the six provinces in Diddorol have a corresponding area in the classroom. Each province also symbolizes one of the Six Traits of Writing, and has a "mythology" of its own.

In this podcast, I'll share about my experiences in using a game overlay to change my delivery of the standard public school curriculum. Insights into what is working, and why -- as well as what is not, and how I'm coping with that -- will be explored, in the hope of encouraging other educators to experiment with this teaching method. A tip o' th' hat to Lee Sheldon, author of the text "The Multiplayer Classroom: Designing Coursework as a Game," the rulebook I used in developing Diddorol.

Education Teaching Gaming
Update frequency
every 19 days
Average duration
14 minutes
Episodes
12
Years Active
2011 - 2012
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Diddorol Podcast, ep.12 - Reflections on the piloting of Diddorol

Diddorol Podcast, ep.12 - Reflections on the piloting of Diddorol

Time flies when you're having fun. Or for that matter, when you are busy. I was far later getting to this, the last podcast about the running of the Diddorol game overlay pilot, than I had intended…
00:19:07  |   Sun 12 Aug 2012
Diddorol Podcast, ep.11 - Since Lo'Ni, troubles have emerged in Diddorol….

Diddorol Podcast, ep.11 - Since Lo'Ni, troubles have emerged in Diddorol….

A lot has happened in the Kingdom since Lo'Ni, from wild chickens falling from the floating city of Lumina to a cave-in at the word mine in Rocklor. I try to summarize the plot--and the actual under…
00:16:22  |   Sun 18 Mar 2012
Diddorol Podcast, ep.10 - New article, and much more on Lo'Ni

Diddorol Podcast, ep.10 - New article, and much more on Lo'Ni

The January 2012 issue of NEA-NH's "Educator" publication features Diddorol on the front page...and page 3...and page 10.  It is a long, accurate, and detailed profile of the game layer I'm using.  S…
00:08:22  |   Sat 14 Jan 2012
Diddorol Podcast, ep.9 - Changes for Trimester 2, Lo'Ni, and survey responses

Diddorol Podcast, ep.9 - Changes for Trimester 2, Lo'Ni, and survey responses

Having gotten a sense of what was working and what was not, I have begun to revamp elements of the overlay to improve overall performance of the game. Meanwhile, the newest storyline involves a wint…
00:10:23  |   Sun 11 Dec 2011
Diddorol Podcast, ep.8 - News spreading, end of Trimester 1, grading & calibration

Diddorol Podcast, ep.8 - News spreading, end of Trimester 1, grading & calibration

Now that the first trimester is coming to a close, I have a better sense of how and where I was successful and unsuccessful in the initial design. Most of this episode talks about this. That's not w…
00:15:35  |   Sat 26 Nov 2011
Diddorol Podcast, ep.7 - Scareaway, Progress reports, Conferences, Rules, and News

Diddorol Podcast, ep.7 - Scareaway, Progress reports, Conferences, Rules, and News

It's been a month, and so this podcast is a bit on the long side.... First up, an overview of the "Scareaway" event that happened in Diddorol around the time of Halloween. Next, some comments on ho…
00:21:27  |   Sat 12 Nov 2011
Diddorol Podcast, ep.6 - Open House

Diddorol Podcast, ep.6 - Open House

Standardized testing (the NECAPs) disrupted the majority of this past school week, but one event of note occurred worth sharing about: Open House. A brief overview is contained herein for your liste…
00:06:51  |   Mon 10 Oct 2011
Diddorol Podcast, ep.5 - Reflections on Week 3 (and part of 4)..and NECAPs

Diddorol Podcast, ep.5 - Reflections on Week 3 (and part of 4)..and NECAPs

Now that the students know, more or less, how the game works, the workload is increasing: Not surprisingly, more and more of them want to "level-up" in order to progress in the game. That means nigh…
00:15:05  |   Wed 28 Sep 2011
Diddorol Podcast, ep.4 - More on the Roll-Out of the Game, and a Bit about Students' Responses

Diddorol Podcast, ep.4 - More on the Roll-Out of the Game, and a Bit about Students' Responses

Trying not to be too redundant, I talk more about what I introduced when, as I think roll-out is critical for the game to be successful. Then, I briefly touch upon how students are responding to the…
00:16:04  |   Sun 18 Sep 2011
Diddorol Podcast, ep.3 - The Roll-Out of the Game

Diddorol Podcast, ep.3 - The Roll-Out of the Game

A synopsis of what happened during the first four days of the "roll-out," that is, during the introduction of the game to students (now known as players).
00:16:41  |   Sun 11 Sep 2011
Diddorol Podcast, ep.2 - The Development of the Game

Diddorol Podcast, ep.2 - The Development of the Game

In which I briefly discuss some of what I did in about 400 hours of prep work over the Summer of 2011.
00:17:20  |   Sun 11 Sep 2011
Diddorol Podcast, ep.1 - Introduction to the Podcast

Diddorol Podcast, ep.1 - Introduction to the Podcast

The Kingdom of Diddorol is a fictional kingdom that serves as the setting for all English Language Arts activities in Barrington (NH) Middle School's Room 244. It is the geographical component of the…
00:05:57  |   Sun 11 Sep 2011
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