Hi all,
I created the following videogame prototype --> https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/203724465/ (you will need to enable Adobe Flash Player).
Idea: “This game is about detecting how many times you get distracted and differentiating what type of interruption occurred. The starting point is attention to the breath. Every time you detect a distraction you will have to raise your hand and touch, according to the type of distraction, the E (Emotions), T (Thoughts) or S (Physical Sensations). You can adjust the time and if you want to activate music (SPACE key) or deactivate it (up arrow).
You can go directly to play or, if you prefer, you can let two very special friends explain the instructions.
Finally, we consider that this game can be a complementary tool to help teachers to work on the attention of their students. We think that the game can be aimed at students between 6 and 12 years old. In any case, the student must be familiar with the emotions and know how to distinguish between the basic ones.”
I’d love to obtain feedback and if some teacher want to test it with students, would be amazing, it would be great to know his experience and results.
Cheers.
Hi @Momo1979,
I was thinking to try some breath / relaxation lessons with my Digital Citizenship students (secondary school, from 14 to 18 years old). I’d like them to gain skills in:
- relaxing after smartphone/social media stimuli overloads
- straightening their attention and ability to focus, lost or not trained enough because of their brain adaptation to repeated smartphone/social media stimuli
Is it a good usecase for your videogame? Otherwise do you know about other similar things I can exploit with them?
@micheleminno it sounds like biofeedback may be a good tool for your students too. The many wearables out there may be a great adjunct to your work. Being aware of heart rate etc… when relaxed and during dmsocial media use and after.
Thanks @healthyswimmer, I was thinking more about some tools to improve their concentration, to keep focus and let bad stimuli flow away… more on the mindfulness side and less on the biometric side.
Hi @micheleminno,
I think that my videogame is for kids between 6 and 12 years old. But I’m not sure, in fact I developed this videogame to get feedback from teachers and understand what the recommended age may be.
I know about other projects that can be more helpful for your students:
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=463Bl7GAYgc --> “Crystals of Kaydor is designed to help children develop pro-social behavior, particularly sensitivity to the non-verbal behavior of others. In addition, the game seeks to promote social interactions with peers that are collaborative, cooperative and kind” (Nowadays is a pilot but it’s really interesting)
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More related with mindfulness --> https://buddhify.com/the-app/ There are lots of meditations and one section is dedicated to be aware of the use of technology. The User Interface is really creative and simple to use. I hope I’ve helped.
Thank you @Momo1979,
I like the idea behind Crystals of Kaydor, I’ll wait for any commercial version.
I just bought the Buddhify app and I’m trying on my phone (the ‘using your phone’ section),
maybe I’ll try it in the classroom directly from my phone, so I can view students’ reactions, translate the voice for them and answer to any question…
About your videogame, could I use it for three students at the time, in a sort of challenge among them, in which if any of them experiences a thought coming, he/she would raise their hand to reach the letter above them (no matter what’s written, emotions, sensations or thoughts, I would focus only on thoughts, mainly around their phones and any desire to pick them up and check them). The camera would target the three in the same video frame.
It will be amazing @micheleminno get your feedback when you test the videogame. I think it will be a very interesting challenge 
Maybe these posts could help you: https://www.mindful.org/?s=phone
Cheers.
Thank you! I’ll tell you when I try it (maybe in a few weeks). Cheers.
Hi @Momo1979, I’m trying your game, among other things, in my lessons about internet stress and relief practices. If I have only one student, they raise their hands anytime they experience a thought/emotion/feeling, tapping the right label. If I have more than one student, each of them (in group of three) raise their hands if they experience anything, tapping the label above them (considering the labels as all the same). It seems to work! And thank you for the buddify suggestion, I’m playing with students one of the phone related meditations too!