CED AT2b - A peculiar university assignment by Jackson Bates

CED AT2b - A peculiar university assignment

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"EDU5CED Task AT2b" by Jackson Bates

[If you happen to play through this and notice any bugs or unexpected behaviours, I would appreciate feedback to jacksonbates@hotmail.com -- thanks!]

Include Basic IF Help by Andrew Plotkin.

The maximum score is 3.

Use serial comma.

To say /p: say paragraph break.
To say /l: say line break.
To say r: say roman type.
To say b: say bold type.
To say i: say italic type.


When play begins, say "'Hi, I'm Jackson, and I am your guide through this odd piece, I will go where you go and you can ask me anything. You are most likely just a random reader, and you should know that this work is actually a university assignment designed to suggest that Interactive Fiction provides good material for reading comprehension classes in secondary schools. So it is primarily written for an audience of one - my assessor. You get to play as my assessor throughout - lucky you! If you are expecting the usual IF experience, you will still be able to play through. The entire game code is designed to be approximately 3000 words, so little innovation has been coded into this. You shouldn't have to use non-standard verbs during the game.[/p]If you are an old hand, just start playing, and this won't take you long. If you are new to Interactive Fiction, you might try typing [b]HELP[r] first to get some hints on how to play. Good luck, and thanks for playing...'"

Every turn:
	if the location of Jackson is not the location of the player:
		now Jackson is in the location of the player;
	if the score is 3 for the first time:
		say "Jackson tells you, [i]'You've met every objective in this short game now. Feel free to continue exploring and examining things or asking questions. Simple type [b]END[i] when you want to quit for the final endgame text..."
	

Ending game is an action applying to nothing. Understand "end" as ending game.

Carry out ending game:
	if the score is less than 3:
		say "Jackson looks dissapprovingly at you. You know in your heart of hearts that you are not done here yet. Keep trying, or ask Jackson for help if you are stuck.";
	if the score is 3:
		say "Jackson gives you a pat on the shoulder, saying [i]'Well, that's about it. I think you should have a good sense of why IF is well suited to practicing reading comprehension. It's maybe not the fully fledged gaming experience most kids want, but being entirely text based does at least immerse them in the written word. Plus, it's gotta be more engaging than a poxy worksheet, right?![/p]";
		end the story saying "You have met every objective. If you want to explore this concept further, or feel you missed anything, just replay and examine the things you missed. If you want a better experience of IF, please play a more mature and complete game!".
		
Understand "xyzzy" or "say xyzzy" or "cast xyzzy" as casting xyzzy. 

Casting xyzzy is an action applying to nothing.

Carry out casting xyzzy:
	say "Jackson winks at you.[/l]"

[Jackson]

Jackson is a man. Jackson is in the Corridor. The description of Jackson is "A handsome fellow, who looks wise beyond his years. It has been said that between him and his brother, they know everything there is to know. You could ask him anything at anytime and get a wise answer, to be sure!" 

Instead of asking Jackson about a topic listed in the table of Jackson's replies, say "[i][Response entry][r][/p]".

Instead of asking Jackson about [the noun]:
	say "Jackson [one of]looks at you with studied intelligence[or]lowers his voice impressively[or]strikes a commanding pose[at random] and replies, [i][one of]'My brother knows the answer to that.'[or]'Oh that's my brother's specialty!'[or]'My brother knows all about that.'[at random][r][/p]".

Table of Jackson's replies
Topic		Response
"stuff"		"'Stuff is good.'"
"Corridor"		"'[if scarf is not worn]It's a little cool here, and you'll find the rest of the school quite chilly. Best to rug up.[end if] I can only show you the door, you have to walk through it.'"
"Jackson/himself" 		"What can one say about oneself? I like to think of myself as a guide on the side - quite literally in this case. You can ask me more pressing questions than that as we wander around the school."
"school"		"You know all about school, surely? This one is like most others. Have a wander around and you'll see for yourself."
"Mr Batesbates/mr"		"A curiously attractive man, but he relies too much on his own charisma to teach. He loves a captive audience and hardly stops talking at his classes. He thinks of himself as a sage on the stage."
"poster/posters"		"They're cute, I guess. A bit cheesy, but harmless."
"scarf"		"[if scarf is worn]It suits you. It's pretty chilly in the rest of the school, so I'd advise you to keep it on.[end if][if scarf is not worn]It's not mine. The school can be pretty chilly, it might be worth putting it on.[end if]"
"cold"		"Well, I'm from the UK originally, so people think that's why I don't feel the cold...the truth is, we just learn to dress warm."
"Shagun"		"[if shagun is hungry]She's not normally like this - she's usually quite chilled out. I suspect she is [italic type]hangry[roman type].[end if][if shagun is not hungry][end if]"
"hangry"		"It's when you are so hungry you get angry. Hangry."
"Digs"		"Yeah, Digs is pretty cool. He can be pretty skeptical though - he might not necessarily believe things you tell him without you giving him some sort of proof."
"START"		"START is a reading comprehension framework. I quite like it, but I'd like to see it augmented with the inclusion of interactive fiction as a text type, and using the 8 skills to help students solve the problems they come up against. [if the location is not the library]There is some stuff about it in the library you could check out.[end if][if the location is the library] You can read more about it here in the library.[end if]"
"questions/question/talking/conversation"		"If you want to know some things you could talk to other people about, try asking me something like '[b]ASK JACKSON ABOUT DIGS TOPICS[i] but obviously replace the name of the person, unless you only care about talking to Digs!' "
"digs topics"		"You could try asking Digs about himself or NAPLAN, or you could try telling him about START or interactive fiction. If you've already spoken to him about those things, you've likely exhausted his knowledge (this is a short game, y'know)."
"shagun topics"		"You could try asking Shagun about herself, NAPLAN, START or interactive fiction. You could try telling her about textbooks. If you've already discussed these things with Shagun, you've likely exhausted her knowledge (extensive conversation packages are tricky to implement!!!)"
"jackson topics"		"Oh, moi? You can ask me about anything. Between me and my brother, we know everything! You might want to ask me about the [b]OBJECTIVES[i] of this game..."
"objectives"		"Well, you could just wander around. Of course, if you want some [b]points[i] you will need to not just wander around, but be able to engage politely with Shagun, and convince a skeptic of the value of the approaches I'm proposing to teaching reading comprehension."
"help/for help"		"Well, using some of our START reading skills: consider what you know; consider what you think the current problem you need to solve is; try thinking about how you might solve the problem in real life; try examining everything you find or think you can see in a room; ask characters about things, or try giving characters various objects...there's lots you can try. Don't give up!"
"if/interactive fiction"		"Have you seen The Matrix? Well, this is a little like that. You are currently in some interactive fiction and being used as a human battery. Ok, not a battery. But this is IF, all the same. Red pill, blue pill...yada yada...you're the saviour...blah blah blah. Superman."
"mr bates topics/mr topics/bates topics"		"He's a busy man. He doesn't mind us being in class and chatting to the kids, but maybe we shouldn't mess with his flow too much."

[Corridor]

Corridor is a room. "[if scarf is not worn]You're standing in a corridor and can feel the Melbourne winter in your bones. It's pretty chilly. You don't feel like exploring much at the moment.[end if] A number of posters line the walls. To the SOUTH is the Breezeway and to the EAST is the Classroom." 

The Posters are scenery in the corridor. The description of the posters is "One of the posters [one of]shows the word FAIL written as an acrostic that reads: [i]First Attempt In Learning[r][or]is bright yellow and reads: [i]Mistakes are proof that you are trying[r][at random]." Understand "poster" as posters.

Check an actor going when the actor is not wearing the scarf:
	say "It's really quite cold. You should address that before thinking about anything else." instead.
	
The scarf is in the corridor. The scarf is wearable. The description of the scarf is "A rather fetching number. It looks both stylish and warm." 
After wearing the scarf for the first time:
	increase score by one;
	say "Jackson informs you, [i]'Hmmm, yes, I laid it on a bit thick in the first instance - not letting you move around until you found a way to get warm. Solving this easy puzzle shouldn't have been too taxing for you, but you did have to use [b]inference[i] to work it out. Good job![r][/p]".

[Classroom]

Classroom is east of the Corridor. The description of the classroom is "[if unvisited]The classroom is where the magic happens. For now, anyway. Surely one day we'll all be doing this from home, submitting quirky assignments to web-based platforms like Playfic, in our pyjamas no less. But for now there are still some remnants of the old ways, so here is a brick and mortar learning environment.[/p][end if]There is an interactive whiteboard at one end of the room, next to it is wall calendar and there is also a teacher (who looks eerily familiar) talking to the class. Several students are working on reading comprehension, but using a range of methods. Two catch your attention. One is at a computer, while the other is hunched over a workbook not really doing much at all. The usual paraphernalia is on their desks. To the WEST is the Corridor."

The interactive whiteboard is scenery in the classroom. The description of the interactive whiteboard is "It doesn't seem very interactive. It just has the word START written in bold at the top, followed by a list of 8 skills: [italic type]predicting or inferring, visualizing, making connections, questioning, determining main idea, summarizing, checking predictions, and making judgments.[roman type]"

The calendar is scenery in the classroom. The description of the calendar is "One of the dates for this term has a big frowny face drawn on it, with a speech bubble that says [b]NAPLAN[r]."

[Shagun]

A person can be hungry or not hungry. A person is usually hungry.

Shagun is a woman. Shagun is in the Classroom. The description of Shagun is "[if Shagun is hungry]Shagun sits at a computer playing interactive fiction while listening to Mr Bates. She seems to be having some fun, but also appears to have a very short temper. She's been trying to guess the appropriate verb to solve a puzzle, and shouts at the computer to be reasonable. You know Shagun quite well, and know that she is not usually like this.[end if][if Shagun is not hungry]Shagun is engrossed in playing interactive fiction. In her satiated state of mind, it occured to her that this game seems to consider colors to have magnetic properties...she will solve her current problem soon.[end if]"

[shagun conversation]

To say argh: say "[one of]Not now, doofus head![or]Go away, I'm not interested![or]I can't concentrate on that nonsense right now![at random]".

Instead of asking shagun about [the noun] while shagun is hungry, say "[i]'WHAT do you want?!',[r] she shouts at you. Maybe try again later."

Instead of asking shagun about "herself/self/shagun/start/interactive fiction/IF/NAPLAN" while shagun is hungry, say "Shagun frowns, and states [i][argh][r]"

Instead of asking shagun about "herself/self/shagun" while shagun is not hungry, say "Shagun looks kindly at you, saying '[i]I am fine, thanks for asking[r]'."

Instead of asking shagun about "start" while shagun is not hungry, say "Shagun gets excited, saying '[i]It's pretty helpful actually. When I get stuck, I ask myself some questions to help me find the solution. For example, I try to make connections between other things I have read and the current issue I am facing - like when you realised I was hungry and wanted a veggie option from the cafeteria.'[r]".

Instead of asking shagun about "IF/interactive fiction" while shagun is not hungry, say "Shagun points to the computer screen, saying '[i]I really like playing, or reading, these games. This one about the Pig is pretty fun. I like how I get to explore the surroundings for myself and can try to direct the story the way I think it should go. Grunk is a cute character!'[r]".

Instead of asking Shagun about "NAPLAN" while shagun is not hungry, say "A loud thunder crack can be heard in the distance, as if it betokens the coming of the fifth horseman of the Apocalypse, the lesser known 'Testilence.' Shagun confides in you, '[i]I hate tests like that. We have one coming up next year, but it's ok because Mr Bates says START and interactive fiction are really helping us[r]'."

[Shagun feeding]

Instead of giving the hamburger to shagun while shagun is hungry, say "[i]'IDIOT! What is your problem?'[r]"

Instead of giving the hamburger to shagun while shagun is not hungry, say "[i]'Oh, no thanks. I'm vegetarian.'[r]"

Instead of giving the hotdog to shagun while shagun is not hungry, say "[i]'That doesn't look very appealing, and besides, I'm vegetarian.[r]'"

Instead of giving the hotdog to shagun while shagun is hungry, say "[i]'Ew, GROSS!'[r]"

Instead of giving the rice paper rolls to shagun:
	say "Oh! You're so sweet...I was so hungry. Thank you!";
	now rice paper rolls are in the cafeteria;
	now shagun is not hungry;
	increase score by one;
	say "[/p]Jackson informs you, [i]'Well done. Solving this puzzle was a little more challenging. You likely had to discover that Shagun was hungry by finding that out from me, or [b]understanding her mood[i]. You also likely had to figure out that she was a vegetarian, which you could [b]infer[i] from her belongings or responses. You also had to [b]connect events[i], or in this case items you have discovered. All of these [b]skills[i] transfer to the NAPLAN reading comprehension. You could have just fluked it, of course, but the same is always true of multiple choice reading comprehension questions. Good job![r][/p]".

[Shagun's stuff]

Shagun's desk is a scenery supporter in the classroom. The description of shagun's desk is "A computer, excercise book and pencil case are on the desk."

The computer is scenery on Shagun's desk. The description of the computer is "An interactive parser prompt blinks on the screen. You can see that the last thing that was typed was [i]'Xyzzy'[r]."

The exercise book is scenery on Shagun's desk. The description of the exercise book is "Shagun has doodled all over her book, mostly with animal charity slogans and logos." Instead of taking the exercise book, say "You can glean all the useful information from it just by looking at it. No need to take it from Shagun[if Shagun is hungry], especially when she is in this mood[end if]."

The pencil case is scenery on Shagun's desk. The description of the pencil case is "Several animal welfare charity stickers adorn the pencil case." Instead of taking the pencil case, say "You can glean all the useful information from it just by looking at it. No need to take it from Shagun[if Shagun is hungry], especially when she is in this mood[end if]."

The worksheet is scenery on Shagun's desk. The description of the worksheet is "You can see that Shagun has filled some of the sheet: [i]The current problem I have is that I can't cross the stream to reach the red key. The objects I have are the green pole. The green pole pushes away from me, but I don't know what that means. Maybe it is some sort of anti-orc magnet?[r]"

[Digs]

A person has a number called a skep-level.

Digs is a man. Digs is in the Classroom. The skep-level of Digs is 0. The description of Digs is "[if skep-level of Digs is 0]Digs is not paying much attention to Mr Bates, nor is he really engaging in the same activities as Shagun[end if][if skep-level of Digs is 1]Digs is tuning in a little, but still not engaging fully in everything Shagun is doing[end if][if skep-level of Digs is 2]Digs is completely on board - he's excited to be using IF and START as he understands its value now.[end if]."

[Convincing Digs]

Instead of showing [the noun] to Digs, try giving [the noun] to Digs.

Instead of giving Scharlarch's START paper to Digs:
	increase the skep-level of digs by one;
	say "Digs reviews the paper closely, finally saying '[i]So using those reading strategies that Mr Bates wrote on the board, and writing down thinking in a journal is proven to have good results? Ok, I can see the value in that.[r]'";
	if skep-level of digs is 2:
		increase score by one;
		say "[/p]Jackson informs you, [i]'Well done. Solving this puzzle was a little more challenging. You likely had to discover that Digs was skeptical by finding that out from me, or [b]understanding his mood[i]. You also likely had to figure out that he was only interested in being convinced by seeing the research for himself. You also had to [b]connect events[i], or in this case items you have discovered. All of these [b]skills[i] transfer to the NAPLAN reading comprehension. You could have just fluked it, of course, but the same is always true of multiple choice reading comprehension questions. Good job![r][/p]".
	
Instead of giving Engaging reluctant readers to Digs:
	increase skep-level of digs by one;
	say "Digs reads it carefully, finally saying '[i]Hmmm, yeah I can see why that would be a worthwhile approach to try with kids. I think I'd rather work on that than a worksheet, for sure.'[r]";
	if skep-level of digs is 2:
		increase score by one;
		say "[/p]Jackson informs you, [i]'Well done. Solving this puzzle was a little more challenging. You likely had to discover that Digs was skeptical by finding that out from me, or [b]understanding his mood[i]. You also likely had to figure out that he was only interested in being convinced by seeing the research for himself. You also had to [b]connect events[i], or in this case items you have discovered. All of these [b]skills[i] transfer to the NAPLAN reading comprehension. You could have just fluked it, of course, but the same is always true of multiple choice reading comprehension questions. Good job![r][/p]".

[Digs conversation]

Instead of telling Digs about [the noun] while the skep-level of digs is less than 1, say "Digs raises an eyebrow and simply says, '[i][one of]Can you prove it?[or]Prove it![or]But where's your evidence?[at random]'[r]".

Instead of telling Digs about [the noun] while the skep-level of digs is less than 2, say "Digs is dismissive, '[i]Yeah, yeah...anything else to show me?'[r]".

Instead of asking digs about "digs/himself/self", say "Digs gives a shrug, '[i]I'm ok, man. Can't complain.'[r]".

Instead of asking Digs about "naplan", say "Digs sighs, '[i]It is what it is. They're testing us on our ability to make connections between events in tests, understand tone and feeling, make inferences...that kind of thing.'[r]".

[Bates]

Mr Bates is a man. Mr Bates is in the Classroom. The description of Mr Bates is "Mr Bates is reading through the interactive fiction story [i]Lost Pig[r] with the class and modelling problem solving strategies to progress through the story. He has written some skills on the whiteboard."

Instead of asking Mr Bates about [the noun], say "Mr Bates responds, [i]'[one of]Well, that's an interesting question. Why don't you do some research about that and you can present it to class tomorrow[or]Hmm, great question! Maybe you could ask some of the others about that to help shape your thinking[at random]'.[r]"

[Library]

Library is west of the Breezeway. "Various papers and books are on display.To the EAST is the Breezeway."

Scharlarch's START paper is a thing in the library. The description of Scharlarch's START paper is "Some parts of this have been highlighted: [i]As students practice reading comprehension strategies through active, strategic reading, the use of the strategies will gradually become self regulated and students will reach a level of metacognition where they will not only be able to use the strategies but will also know when and where to apply them.[r][/l]There is also a table showing that those filling in Active Reading Worksheets (like a visual reading journal), perform better on standardised testing." Understand "Scharlarch" or "Scharlarch's" or "START paper" as  Scharlarch's START paper.

Engaging reluctant readers is a thing in the library. The description of Engaging reluctant readers is "Some parts of this have been highlighted: [i]Finally, we note an impression that those students who are most often hardest to 'reach' in conventional literature and composition classes - those we have labelled reluctant readers - are often most enthusiastic about computers and the games-like qualities of interactive fiction.[r]". Understand "engaging" or "reluctant readers" or "reluctant" or "readers" as Engaging reluctant readers.

CEDAT1 is a thing in the library. The description of CEDAT1 is "Jackson says, [i]'Oh, that was the first assignment I wrote about this. The main argument is that NAPLAN prep is a necessary evil for teachers, but unengaging, especially for neomillenial learners. I borrowed from Stobart to show the dangers of 'teaching to the test', which is a prevalent consequence of standardised testing. I recommended marrying the START framework to interactive fiction in order to leverage games-based learning strategies and non-linear learning materials to better engage learners. These ideas came from Oblinger, Gee, and Bekebrede (et. al.). I defined 'engagement' more in the Schlechty / Pink mode, rather than just for entertainment's sake. So it's about providing intrinsic motivation rather than relying on strategic or ritual compliance. I also rejected the notion from Prensky that this all comes naturally to kids, but rather, like Selwyn, believe kids need to be coached to succeed with technologies. Hence the reliance on the START framework, and modelling the use of the reading journal with some direct instruction and group reading[r]'."

CEDAT2b bibliography is a thing in the library. The description of CEDAT2b bibliography is "[b]References[r][/p]Bekebrede, G., Warmelink, H. J. G., & Mayer, I. S. (2011). Reviewing the need for gaming in education to accommodate the net generation. Computers and Education, 57(2), 1521â€“1529.[/p]
Dede, C. (2005). Planning for 'neomillennial' learning styles: Implications for investments in technology and faculty. Educating the Net Generation, 226â€“247.[/p]
Gee, J. P. (2005). Good video games and good learning. Phi Kappa Phi Forum, 85(2).[/p]
Lancy, D. F., & Hayes, B. L. (1988). Interactive fiction and the reluctant reader. The English Journal, 77(7), 42â€“46.[/p]
Oblinger, D. G. (2004). The Next Generation of Educational Engagement. Journal of Interactive Media in Education, 2004(8), 1â€“18.[/p]
Pink, D. H. (2009). Drive: the surprising truth about what motivates us. New York, NY: Riverhead Books.[/p]
Prensky, M. (2001). Digital natives, digital immigrants Part 1. On the Horizon, 9(5), 1â€“5.[/p]
Scharlach, T. D. (2008). START Comprehending: Students and Teachers Actively Reading Text. Reading Teacher, 62(1), 20â€“31.[/p]
Schlechty, P. C. (2011). Engaging students: the next level of working on the work. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Retrieved from http://eblib.com.au[/p]
Selwyn, N. (2009). The digital native - myth and reality. Aslib Proceedings, 61(4), 364â€“379.[/p]". Understand "bibliography" or "references" or "cedat2" or "cedat2b" as CEDAT2b bibliography.

[Cafeteria]

Cafeteria is east of the Breezeway. The description of cafeteria is "Lunch time has ended, so all of the usual NPCs (non-playing characters) you'd expect to find here are absent. Some food has been left behind and is free for the taking, because implementing a purchasing system in this short game is an unnecessary complication. To the WEST is the Breezeway." 

The hamburger is an edible thing in the cafeteria. The description of the hamburger is "A pretty delicious looking thing. It's a work of art: crisp lettuce, bright relish, the finest Angus beef pattie you can imagine, and a slice of cheese like a timepiece in a Dali painting. Who could resist such a gem?". Understand "burger" as the hamburger.

The hotdog is an edible thing in the cafeteria. The description of the hotdog is "A flacid bun and a grey frankfurter. This should not be allowed to pass for food, especially for kids."

The rice paper rolls are an edible thing in the cafeteria. The description of the rice paper rolls is "The vegetarian option. It looks nice enough, but there is not even any peanut sauce, thanks to the school's anaphylaxis plan.". Understand "rice" or "rice paper" or "paper roll" or "roll" or "roll" or "paper rolls" or "rice papers" or "rice paper roll" as the rice paper rolls. Instead of eating the rice paper rolls, say "Maybe save these for later."

[Breezeway]

Breezeway is south of the Corridor. "Outside of the main building, you have access to the rest of the school. To the NORTH is the Corridor, to the EAST is the Cafeteria, and to the WEST is the Library."