A man with a lifelong mission: Creating ways to engage students
For 33 years, I was a social science high school teacher. Creating new, innovative ways to involve students in the learning process has always been an ongoing passion of mine, even into retirement. I have dedicated all my life to this goal.
Creation of Baseball Super Quiz
When summer came, I found my students were often daydreaming for the coming vacation, when they could go out and play all day… But work wasn’t over just yet! My job was to help them prepare for the exams, so I started to think up ways to motivate them.
One way that worked was playing baseball… in the classroom.
The first version of the game was played “analog”. I took the time to write question cards based on the final exam content and allocated time for study sessions. The students were split into two teams, who each took turns at the “home plate” to answer a question and move their character from base to base on the whiteboard. Each question was worth a certain amount of bases. The hardest ones were worth a home run.
It was an instant success! Students who hated studying started studying really hard to win, even on their own time! Each year, new students would ask me when we would play baseball. I used this method for years to come.
A new era of Information Technology
Computers were becoming more and more mainstream, with the entry price being the biggest barrier for the average consumer. In 1983, teachers are given the chance to have computers in their classrooms. In order to be prepared to use this tool to its fullest, I return to university for a Master’s Degree in Pedagogical applications of Information Technology.
This degree included a GW-Basic class. Armed with this newfound knowledge, I poured countless hours into creating DOS version of the game to use in my classroom. We published it and sold over 500 copies in Quebec and Ontario. Considering how few computers were available in schools at the time, this amount of copies proved the game a fair success!
Thousands of students got to use my game as a tool to learn!
With the success of that game in mind, I collaborated with other programmers to design and create computer versions of successful trivia games like Hanged Man as well as relatively novel type of geography software at the time, an early precursor to the Maps websites that have become massively popular in the past decade.
A modern version of the game
Finding new ways to use technology to engage and motivate students had been a driving force behind me throughout my career. My research in cognitive psychology sought to demonstrate that new technologies can have a strong, positive impact on students, that it could help their growth into autonomous, competent adults with coherent, strong critical thinking abilities.
In my publications, I used the expression: “Teaching over the shoulder”, to illustrate the teacher’s role when using new technology in his curriculum.
As new technologies are now an inherent part of society, their influence is strongly felt in schools. Technology is a great tool if used wisely. Our objective is to contribute to the goal of using technology as a support for learning.
Ludiciel Bitsumi’s mission
Our company wants to develop fun educational games with strategy elements. Games that foster knowledge acquisition and cognitive development.
We would like to bring you games that can be used in class on electronic whiteboards, but also at home with your friends. Baseball Super Quiz is the first step towards realizing our vision.
Why support our project?
The success of “Baseball Super Quiz” is a key point to attain our objectives. It would give us the means to bring you more educational games to help kids learn in school and at home. And that’s why we need your support!