C3 SoftWorks Blog

Audience Response Keypads and Virtual Keypads in the same session

2011-09-02T13:43:00.007-05:00

I recently had the opportunity at two separate conferences to use audience response pads and virtual pads at the same time for a live audience. I gave the audience a link to the virtual keypad for my session while other attendees used an issued wireless keypad. For the audience members who had a remote device, (i.e. - a smartphone, iPhone, iPad, tablet or a laptop computer), they simply visited the link and was able to participate via a virtual keypad. Since I didn't have enough audience response keypads for the entire classroom, I found that the use of remote PING Virtual Keypads enabled everyone to participate. It also kept them from texting during my sessions! For more information on using virtual keypads in your next session, visit the PING webpage here: http://c3softworks.com/products/online/ping

Training with the Minnesota State Patrol

2011-05-23T13:50:00.027-05:00

I created a Minnesota State Patrol Traffic Safety game for the for the Annual Minnesota Safety Council Meeting just recently. The game used preview and summary slides for most of the questions which allowed the presenter to add additional teaching points that either preceded or followed a question. The game was even branded for the state patrol.

In the session we would break the attendees into teams, and each person would get their own audience response pads to enter their responses. The Trooper was a pro, even though this was his first time hosting a game. After about 3 questions, he got in his groove, and went through 25 questions in a 50 minute session. With the preview and summary slides, he was able to slow down the game, and discuss and answer questions from the attendees. After the session, the Trooper expressed how well it went compared to the event he did last year. The audience loved it and most importantly from the evaluations, they got what they came for. In his last conference, he used audience response pads, (the same keypads we used at the Safety conference), but instead of a game, he used PowerPoint with a plug-in. Essentially it was just a polling device that let him see the results after each question. In that session he had 70 questions, and because he only had an hour, he literally went from question to question with very little discussion. The large amount of questions is typical of how people use questions in both PowerPoint and in games but is a common issue I see with trainers. (To his defense, the organizers instructed him him to create 70 questions.) They simply see the question and the correct answer as the teaching point, and to not really expand on it. In the game session, the Trooper clearly saw how less was better. By slowing down the game and using preview and summary slides throughout the game he was able to deliver more content more effectively in the session. Overall he was very pleased with the results and the ease it took use the game with audience response pads. I've posted the game online if you'd like to take a look!

PLAY the Minnesota State Patrol Traffic Safety Game

Home Run Specials from C3 SoftWorks

2011-05-16T13:38:00.000-05:00

Monthly Specials from C3 SoftWorks!

I. CLASSROOM TRAINING BUNDLE -

    BRAVO! Game Builder Software License
     "Click" Software for polling & quizzes
     30-Wireless keypads & receiver
     Softpack Carrying Case
     Technical Support & Upgrade Included
     BONUS FREE Q&A License

II. BUY ONE GET ONE BRAVO! License FREE!

    BRAVO! Software License
     FREE Technical Support
     Updates included

III. BUY ONE GET ONE Q&A License FREE!
    Q&A Software License
     FREE Technical Support
     Updates included

"I produced the first draft game this morning on IS-700 NIMS review. (BRAVO!) is a great product - easy to use and just begs for you to make another training." David (Woodford County Fire & EMS)

"We just love this software.... It is so easy to update and everyone I have spoken with at C3 has been so helpful. The new reporting features in the LMS look great."
Shawn (RS&K)

ADD WOW TO YOUR NEXT WEBINAR WITH BRAVO! GAME BUILDER SUITE

2011-01-12T12:29:00.003-06:00

This 25-minute webinar will explore how you can create an engaging, interactive experience for ALL remote participants and get real-time feedback. The BRAVO! Game Builder Suite will bring your web training to a whole new level. Experience first hand how easy it is to customize a training game and actually play it in a “virtual” classroom. See how your trainees will be completely engaged, as they “click” on a virtual keypad to “play” an online training game. 10:00am (CST) Tuesday, January 25 - REGISTER NOW! 10:00am (CST) Thursday, January 27 - REGISTER NOW!

Play the Halloween Trivia Contest and Win!

2010-10-25T11:45:00.000-05:00

Play the October Halloween game (created with BRAVO! Classroom Builder) and enter to win a FREE classroom license. Play NOW - Contest ends October 31, 2010.

What is BRAVO? Click here for more info.

Test your keypads PRIOR to your game and look like a Pro!

2010-09-20T09:37:00.018-05:00

Have you ever wanted to test your keypads prior to your game? Well...you can!

At the beginning of your game, while you have the gameboard screen showing, press any keypad to test your system. If you hear the keypad bell sound, then you know that your system is ready to go!

No matter which game you're playing, you simply test them prior to the start of each game and you can assure yourself that the keypad system is "talking" with BRAVO! NOTE: Testing your keypads prior to starting the game gives you an advantage to solving any keypad issues. For one, it proves to your attendees that their keypads actually work. Secondly, you might need to add an additional pad for someone who just joined the group or you might need to replace a keypad battery. In any case, it's better to test them out before rather than later, giving you ample time to resolve any issues. Click Here for more information on our wireless keypad systems.

Using Games at Public Events

2010-08-17T09:14:00.000-05:00

Using Games at Public Events
By John Dillon, C3 SoftWorks

Have you ever wanted to present at a trade show or special event and wondered how you could “wow” your attendees and inform them about your product or service at the same time? Try playing a game! Games grab attendees’ interest and sustain it longer than a standard sales pitch or presentation. Using games at your next trade show or public event is a great way to create excitement while delivering your message to your audience.

The key is to keep the game short. A game with 5 to 7 questions is the just the right number to use. The seminar George Miller paper “The Magical Number Seven, Plus or Minus Two: Some Limits on Our Capacity for Processing Information” is a true classic. In it, Miller observed that the results of a number of experiments in shortterm memory had something in common: most people could only retain 5 to 9 items. An abbreviated format, like My Billionaire Game© from C3 Visuals, enables you to easily create quick-running games with 5 to 7 questions. The background music is compelling and the three-dimensional graphics are visually appealing.

Here are some tips to help you build the right games for your next public event:

1. Increase the difficulty of the questions as the stakes go higher. Save those tough questions to emphasize your key points at the end of your presentation or pitch.

2. Create multiple games. You may want to create a variety of games based on the message you want to deliver and the type of audience you’re trying to reach. At a recent National Safety conference while the lunch crowd was pouring in, we created a game testing knowledge of food facts. People were entertained while they waited in line and the game brought attendees back to our booth after they fi nished lunch. We also fi nd attendees sometimes hang around our booth and like to watch multiple games.

3. Use the Summary Point feature. Unless you are doing this purely for entertainment
purposes, use the Summary Point feature in the game builder so you can review after each question. It’s a great reinforcement method. Because you’re at a public event, you may want to keep the review points short and to-the-point.

4. Reward your players and build your leads. A small give-away prize is a great incentive for attendees. Make certain it displays your website and contact information, so attendees can contact you later. You can even ask players for their business card or off er to scan their badge before you award them their prize. Make sure you follow- up with them within a week after the trade show. By asking people to test their knowledge, attendees will begin to gather around your booth and watch, further helping you to get your message out. Having several people around allows you to draw others into the game as “life lines”. Nothing draws a crowd better than a crowd. So the next time you want to generate some excitement at your trade booth or during a presentation say, “Hurry! Hurry! Step Right Up And Play A Game!” using a game from C3 SoftWorks.

About the author. John Dillon works for C3 SoftWorks and speaks frequently on using games to teach in the classroom. John also is a Paramedic and has taught a variety of EMS related topics for over 20 years. You can visit http://www.c3softworks.com/ to find out more.

Monthly Recap - August 2010

2010-08-11T10:09:00.003-05:00

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Upcoming Fall 2010 Conferences for C3 SoftWorks
We have some really amazing conferences coming up this Fall, and I thought I’d take a few minutes out to let you know what they are …

9/27-10/1 EMS Expo – Dallas, TX
10/4-10/6 National Safety Council – San Diego, CA
10/10-10/12 MN SHRM Conference – Duluth, MN
11/9-11/10 ASTD – TCC – St. Paul, MN

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Training Game of the month

We've hand picked one of our best training game tutorials this month. Use multi-media within a game to educate your audience in the classroom and online!

CLICK HERE TO PLAY

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"LIKE" C3 on Facebook & WIN!
FREE BRAVO! License sweepstakes for C3 SoftWorks Facebook Fans. To automatically enter the C3 SoftWorks Summer BRAVO! Mania Sweepstakes, you need to like us first. Just click the like button at the top of our Facebook page to enter. (No purchase necessary!)

"LIKE" C3 on Facebook & WIN!

2010-08-11T10:07:00.000-05:00

FREE BRAVO! License sweepstakes for C3 SoftWorks Facebook Fans. To automatically enter the C3 SoftWorks Summer BRAVO! Mania Sweepstakes, you need to like us first. Just click the like button at the top of our Facebook page to enter. (No purchase necessary!)

Click here to LIKE us on Facebook

Training Game of the Month

2010-08-11T09:57:00.002-05:00

We've hand picked one of our best training game tutorials this month. Use multi-media within a game to educate your audience in the classroom and online!

CLICK HERE TO PLAY

Upcoming Conferences this Fall 2010

2010-08-11T09:21:00.000-05:00

We have some really amazing conferences coming up this Fall, and I thought I’d take a few minutes out to let you know what they are …

SEPTEMBER:
9/27-10/1 EMS Expo – Dallas, TX

OCTOBER:
10/4-10/6 National Safety Council – San Diego, CA
10/10-10/12 MN SHRM Conference – Duluth, MN

NOVEMBER:
11/9-11/10 ASTD – TCC – St. Paul, MN

Repurpose your slides from a PowerPoint presentation in your game

2010-08-04T14:02:00.000-05:00

Repurpose your slides from a PowerPoint presentation in your game

When taking a traditional lecture and replacing it with a game. Consider re-purposing your slides from your lecture in your game. For example, I will frequently pull in a slide from a PowerPoint slide that contains text and or images to help me add additional teaching points to a game.

There are a few ways to do this. You can output a single slide from PowerPoint as an image (jpeg, bmp, gif, png,) and in the BRAVO! Game Builder Suite, import the slide into your questions. Or you can simply copy and paste your questions into BRAVO!

Using a game instead of a PowerPoint presentation, I have found, helps to establish my game a teaching tool, but interestingly, it does not seem to effect the “fun” factor that the game brings. Delivering my content through a game, helps me to not only capture their attention, but allows me to go beyond the questions and answers to deliver information.

Do you know about our FREE BRAVO! Extras?

2010-07-14T10:55:00.000-05:00

Freebies is what we're all about here at C3 SoftWorks and we just want everyone to know about them! Our FREE Extras are here to help you further customize your training experience, add a personal touch to your backgrounds, gameboards, introduction screens and even customize your avatars.

We’ve made it easy for you to simply add free templates to your existing games or edit them to suit your branding needs.

Select your favorites to start customizing your training experience today! http://c3softworks.com/resources/extras.html

"LIKE" C3 SoftWorks and WIN!

2010-07-13T15:19:00.010-05:00

"LIKE" us on Facebook this Summer and you could win a FREE BRAVO! Classroom license. Hurry, offer ends Sept. 1, 2010. Click below and LIKE C3: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Minneapolis-MN/C3-SoftWorks-Training-Games-for-your-Classroom-and-Web/80148484304?v=app_4949752878

Attend a FREE C3 Training University Class

2010-06-30T15:35:00.002-05:00

Attend a FREE C3 Training University Class

Whether you are new to BRAVO! and just putting together your games, or an experienced game developer looking for a few critical insights to take your games to the next level, C3 Training University could be for you.

You'll receive:

* New BRAVO! User Tips & Techniques
* Creative strategies on effective game building
* Frequently asked questions review

Sign up today!

10 Tips on Getting the Most Out of Your Games

2010-06-15T11:17:00.001-05:00

People agree games are a great way to review a topic, but what about using games to teach your core educational principals? Absolutely! Here are some tips to accomplish this.

1. Define your objective. Make a list of the key teaching points you want to cover.
2. Create questions based on your key points.
3. Be creative. Questions do not specifically have to cover a topic, they can be used simply as a stepping stone to what you want to teach.
4. Remember, your key objective is to teach a topic, you are using “fun” to help you achieve your primary objective which is educational.
5. Use a game that allows the use of summary points that will allow you to review content after each question.
6. Slow down the game. Your objective is different than a TV game show. Theirs is to entertain, yours is to educate. On a TV game show in a 30 minute period they may play 3-4 rounds. In the classroom it may take 45 minutes of longer for one game.
7. Read each question prior to answering.
8. Your concern should be more on the content delivery than who wins or looses. The game simply is a different medium to deliver your material.
9. Games do not always have to be long. A short game of 4-6 questions, can be a great way to review the key points of a talk or use as a warm up for a presentation.
10. Poll the audience. Give students an opportunity to vote on how the game went. You might be surprised at what you hear!

Can you think of other ways to teach your core principles? Comments link
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C3 Tid Bits

We now have a quarterly newsletter called the C3 Insider!
Sign-up Today: www.c3softworks.com/news

We have been nominated as one of the top hot products at the JEMS 2010 Conference & Expo. www.c3softworks.com/news/in-the-news.html

Do you have an event or a story you'd like to share? We'd like to hear about it!www.c3softworks.com/forms/feedback

JEMS 2010 HOT Product Recommendation

2010-06-08T10:31:00.001-05:00

At the 28th Annual EMS Today Conference & Expo, C3 SoftWorks (BRAVO! Classroom Builder) was recognized as one of the hottest new products on display at the show. There were only 40 honorable mentions and BRAVO! was ranked 16 with a close second follow-up by our Virtual Response System called PING.

View the JEMS HOT PRODUCT REVIEW - PDF (2,345KB)

TOP 10 Reasons to use games in your training

2010-06-01T09:37:00.002-05:00

People agree games are a great way to review a topic, but what about using games to deliver your core educational principles? Absolutely! Here are some tips to accomplish this.

1. Define your objective. Make a list of the key teaching points you want to cover.
2. Create questions based on your key points.
3. Be creative. Questions do not specifically have to cover a topic, they can be used simply as a stepping stone to what you want to teach or review.
4. Remember, your key objective is to teach a topic, you are using “fun” to help you achieve your primary objective which is educational.
5. Use a game that allows the use of summary points that will allow you to review content after each question.
6. Slow down the game. Your objective is different than a TV game show. Theirs is to entertain, yours is to educate.
7. Allow up to 45 minutes for one game.
8. Read each question prior to answering.
9. Your main concern should be more on the content delivery than who wins or looses. The game simply is a different medium to deliver your material.
10. Games do not always have to be long. A short game of 4-6 questions, can be a great way to review the key points of a talk or use as a warm up for a presentation.

Introducing The C3 Insider - News you can Use

2010-05-28T14:28:00.001-05:00

The very first C3 Insider issue has been released: http://c3softworks.com/e-newsletters/052010

At C3 SoftWorks, we know that our customers are our greatest asset and that's why we believe in keeping you informed with the latest training techniques, tools and free resources that are available today.

Sign-up today!

The C3 Insider is coming soon!

2010-05-26T10:25:00.003-05:00

C3 SoftWorks is excited to announce that we will be releasing our first quarterly e-Newsletter this Friday May 28, 2010. We hope to give our readers the best possible resources for today's hot tips, trends, articles and free activities and for trainers and teachers for classroom and online training.

Sign-up today for your C3 Insider!

We welcome your feedback and input so if you would like to see a topic covered, please let us know! Go to this link and start making the most out of your C3 Insider!

New Blog Posts:
Summer Safety Camp with BRAVO!

Seen on Twitter:
@FSAE10 Conference is using C3 SoftWorks for their Annual Conference game show!

Summer Safety Camp with BRAVO! Find out how summer camps are using games to teach kids about safety!

2010-05-26T09:18:00.002-05:00

Last week, at the Woodbury (MN) Public Safety, “Safety Camp,” I had the opportunity to see the BRAVO! Software in use with Audience Response Pads (ARS). Each year, about 120 kids attend the 2 day camp, that features Police Officers, Paramedics and Firefighters along with support staff, serving as counselors during the event. The goal is to have some fun, but also to educate them on a variety of safety topics. Read More...

ASTD 2010 International Conference & EXPO

2010-05-17T10:24:00.003-05:00

We’re in Chicago this week for the ASTD International Conference and Expo!

If you’re in the area, we hope you’ll come visit us at the C3 SoftWorks booth #1448.

You'll see Paul and Dave perform their BRAVO! Training Game event, live and unplugged!

Also...you'll see the latest development projects from C3 so ask for a sneak peek!

C3 SoftWorks Weekly Recap

2010-05-14T14:36:00.003-05:00

76th Minnesota Safety & Health Conference: We had a successful week at the Minnesota National Safety Conference and John Dillon spoke on Friday 5/14. Breathing Life Into Your Presentations: Using Games to Teach - He walked the audience through examining the steps that helps trainers transform a game from a fun review to a serious content delivery method.

Check out this months special blast:

For more info, click here: http://c3softworks.com/pricing/monthly-specials.html

C3 SoftWorks Weekly Recap

2010-04-30T11:08:00.001-05:00

After several months of development, we are proud to release our long awaited new website. Not only does this new website a new look and feel, it will allow us to add more detailed information about our future products & services. Along with a number of new additions, this new site is featuring a new submenu option dedicated to each product allowing us to add more features, options and highlights as we move forward. So...stay tuned, there's more to come!
If you have any comments about this new website, please let us know!

Here are a few other of our most popular stories of the week.BRAVO! to the Praetorian Group - An example of how an online magazine used BRAVO! Web as an educational tool on their website to deliver their content in a fun and engaging way.
When bad questions can be good - An illustration of how bad questions can act as a springboard to conversation within your group.
Last day for the April Special! - Today (April 30th, 2010) is the last day to get the April Egg-ceptional offer. Save 50% on either bundle. Download a FREE Demo, Request a Price Quote or buy today: 888-333-1969.

We say BRAVO! to Praetorian Group

2010-04-26T13:11:00.002-05:00

The Praetorian Group wanted a way to bring people to their online magazine, so they decided to post a series of online training games which were built with the BRAVO! Classroom Game Builder Suite. They decided to use an educational tool like BRAVO! simply because it allowed them to deliver content in a fun and engaging way. The result? The games have become viral, helping them to spread the news out to others who may not be aware of their online magazine. They produce games for EMS1.com, PoliceOne.com, FireRescueOne.com and CorrectionsOne.com.

Here are a few of the comments we received from their participants:

This was awesome....
Good review and great way to present it. thank you.
Excellent quiz!
Good practice.
Great game and review.
That was fun!! I'm up for more!!
Great game to keep you sharp.
I learned none of this in paramedic school.
It was a very interesting learning exp.
It was fun and I learned a few things.
I love it! Great info for learning!!

When Bad Questions can be Good

2010-04-07T11:09:00.002-05:00

Recently, I presented in front of a group of professional trainers, who use games as a vehicle to present their content. We were discussing ways to use a game to teach, and someone asked, “Can games be used to develop critical thinking skills?” To illustrate my answer, I showed a question, within a game, that would be considered a “bad” test question in any kind of formal assessment. Because the question was not a “good” assessment question, it provided me with a springboard to discuss the concept that was being referenced by the question. It created a teachable moment, and an outstanding way to engage the entire class. The key thing to remember, when using a game to teach, is that presenting a concept is very different from assessing someone’s grasp of it. When creating a question, think about what your point is, and think of the questions and answers as bullet points that allow you to elaborate. What may be a bad question for a test may be a great question in a game, because of what it can allows you to accomplish.

C3 SoftWorks Blog Weekly Recap

2010-03-31T12:45:00.015-05:00

• Use preview slides to give POWER to your question

• 5 Must-Share Links for Trainers

• BRAVO! for the WILD Hockey Organization

• C3 Testimonial of the week

Use preview slides to give POWER to your question
posted on 11:38 AM by C3 SoftWorks

One of the most overlooked option that people do not quite understand how to use is the preview slide in BRAVO!

5 Must-Share Links for Trainers
posted on 12:12 PM by C3 SoftWorks

This is a mid-week roundup devoted to the top 5 links for trainers! (practical ideas, tips, tricks and more).

BRAVO! for the WILD Hockey Organization
posted on 12:25 PM by C3 SoftWorks

The Minnesota Wild hockey organization completed their 2009-2010 season but not without BRAVO! In case you didn't know, C3 SoftWorks' BRAVO! Quiz Show game was played between periods of their hockey games at the Xcel Energy Center.

C3 SoftWorks Testimonial of the week

"Jon and I would like to thank you for both the outstanding customer service you provided us yesterday and for so generously and quickly sending us the BRAVO! Software…”

posted on 12:16 PM by C3 SoftWorks

BRAVO! for the WILD Hockey Organization

2010-03-31T12:25:00.001-05:00

The Minnesota Wild hockey organization completed their 2009-2010 season but not without BRAVO! In case you didn't know, C3 SoftWorks' BRAVO! Quiz Show game was played between periods of their hockey games at the Xcel Energy Center.

Custom BRAVO! games were displayed on the big Xcel Energy Jumbo Tron allowing the entire stadium to visually participate. Jim Cunningham was the MC and helped deliver a new exciting way to play game shows with BRAVO!

Hat's off to the WILD Hockey organization and to more training games next year!

For more photos, click here

C3 SoftWorks Testimonial of the week

2010-03-31T12:16:00.001-05:00

"Jon and I would like to thank you for both the outstanding customer service you provided us yesterday and for so generously and quickly sending us the BRAVO! Software. Jon held a little training session for his fellow teachers at the Area 1 Inside Electrical JATC in Portland, Oregon yesterday evening to demonstrate the program and it’s incredible versatility. The instructors are impressed and motivated to use this new tool in their curriculum. Thanks again for courteous, patient, and valuable technical support: You were a pleasure to work with and we are very favorably impressed with your service.”
J.C. Electric, Inc.

5 Must-Share Links for Trainers

2010-03-31T12:12:00.002-05:00

This is a mid-week roundup devoted to the top 5 links for trainers! (practical ideas, tips, tricks and more).

Some links are newsworthy and others just meet our “greatness” requirement, but regardless we hope you’ll enjoy them. Without further delay:

http://www.brainfriendlytrainer.com
http://thiagi.com/games.html
http://www.trainerswarehouse.com/links.asp
http://www.articles911.com/Training/Games_Icebreakers_Activities
http://training-games.info/IceBreaker_Training%20Games.php

Let us give you link love! Send your links to info@c3softworks.com

Handpicked by,
Corriea (@c3softworks.com)

It's a set up! Use preview slides to a question

2010-03-31T11:38:00.004-05:00

One of the most overlooked option that people do not quite understand how to use is the preview slide in BRAVO! Most people understand the summary slide, but the preview slide gets people scratching their head. The preview slide for me, is a great opportunity to set up a question or add additional teaching point that helps me convey my message or deliver additional information.

----------------------------------------------------------------

EXAMPLE #1:

"You have a 58 year old male who is complaining of substernal chest pain with severe shortness of breath, and nausea. What should be the first thing you do?"

Notice this question is quite lengthy and could be difficult to read from a distance!

----------------------------------------------------------------
EXAMPLE #2:

In this example, place the descriptor of the situation in the preview slide, and use the second sentence as your question.

Keeping things simple allows your audience to digest the information or the scenario, before you ask the question.

C3 SoftWorks Blog - March 26 2010

2010-03-26T13:54:00.005-05:00

Writing Easy to Read Questions posted on 12:08 PM by C3 SoftWorks

There are a lot of good resources out there on how to write good questions. In this section, we will talk about how you can best use BRAVO! and provide some suggestions on ways you can use questions more effectively in your game.

Free Gameboard Intro Templates posted on 11:30 AM by C3 SoftWorks

We’ve made it easy for you to add a personal touch to your game shows with these FREE ready-made BRAVO! Extras! These templates are free for Windows & Macintosh users.

Trainer’s Resource of the week: Free Training Games by Thiagiposted on 1:09 PM by C3 SoftWorks

Looking for freebies? Workshops by Thiagi has a collection of over 200 ready-to-use games and activated for trainers!

C3 SoftWorks Testimonial of the week posted on 1:29 PM by C3 SoftWorks

"I produced the first draft game this morning on IS-700 NIMS review. (BRAVO!) is great product - easy to use and just begs for you to make another training. After NIMS we'll move on to START/MCIs and WMD/Hazmat/ clandestine lab awareness. Great tool – and easy to work with!"

David , Woodford County Fire & EMS Read more testimonials...

C3 SoftWorks Blog

2010-03-26T13:34:00.001-05:00

· Writing Easy to Read Questions

· FREE Gameboard Intro Templates

· Trainer’s Resource of the week

· Testimonial of the week

Writing Easy to Read Questions
posted on 12:08 PM by C3 SoftWorks

There are a lot of good resources out there on how to write good questions. In this section, we will talk about how you can best use BRAVO! and provide some suggestions on ways you can use questions more effectively in your game.

Free Gameboard Intro Templates
posted on 11:30 AM by C3 SoftWorks

We’ve made it easy for you to add a personal touch to your game shows with these FREE ready-made BRAVO! Extras! These templates are free for Windows & Macintosh users.

Trainer’s Resource of the week: Free Training Games by Thiagi
posted on 1:09 PM by C3 SoftWorks

Looking for freebies? Workshops by Thiagi has a collection of over 200 ready-to-use games and activated for trainers!

C3 SoftWorks Testimonial of the week
posted on 1:29 PM by C3 SoftWorks

"I produced the first draft game this morning on IS-700 NIMS review. (BRAVO!) is great product - easy to use and just begs for you to make another training. After NIMS we'll move on to START/MCIs and WMD/Hazmat/ clandestine lab awareness. Great tool – and easy to work with!"
David , Woodford County Fire & EMS

Read more testimonials...

C3 SoftWorks Testimonial of the week

2010-03-26T13:29:00.001-05:00

"I produced the first draft game this morning on IS-700 NIMS review. (BRAVO!) is great product - easy to use and just begs for you to make another training. After NIMS we'll move on to START/MCIs and WMD/Hazmat/ clandestine lab awareness. Great tool – and easy to work with!"

David , Woodford County Fire & EMS

Read more testimonials...

Trainer’s Resource of the week: Free Training Games by Thiagi

2010-03-26T13:09:00.005-05:00

Looking for freebies? Workshops by Thiagi has a collection of over 200 ready-to-use games and activited for trainers!

Enjoy: http://thiagi.com/games.html

C3 SoftWorks Blog - March 24, 2010

2010-03-24T16:24:00.006-05:00

1. 9 Training Tips on Using Games to Teach
2. Do you YouTube? - C3 Training Videos on YouTube
3. C3 Training University - FREE Live Training Webinars
4. Lions, Tigers and Bears...OH MY! - Extreme Avatar Makeover

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9 Training Tips on using games to teach

People agree games are a great way to review a topic, but what about using games to deliver your core educational principals? Absolutely! Here are some tips to accomplish this.

1. Define your objective. Make a list of the key teaching points you want to cover.
2. Create questions based on your key points.
3. Be creative. Questions do not specifically have to cover a topic, they can be used simply as a stepping stone to what you want to teach or review.
4. Remember, your key objective is to teach a topic, you are using “fun” to help you achieve your primary objective which is educational.
5. Use a game that allows the use of summary points that will allow you to review content after each question.
6. Slow down the game. Your objective is different than a TV game show. Theirs is to entertain, yours is to educate. On a TV game show in a 30 minute period they may play 3-4 rounds. In the classroom it may take 45 minutes of longer for one game.
7. Read each question prior to answering.
8. Your main concern should be more on the content delivery than who wins or looses. The game simply is a different medium to deliver your material.
9. Games do not always have to be long. A short game of 4-6 questions, can be a great way to review the key points of a talk or use as a warm up for a presentation.

Need More? You can find more tips here on our Training Game Tips Page

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Attend a FREE C3 Training University Class
Whether you are new to BRAVO! and just putting together your games, or an experienced game developer looking for a few critical insights to take your games to the next level, C3 Training University could be for you.

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Lions, Tigers & Bears...OH MY! - Extreme Avatars

Gorillas, Robots and Penguins...OH MY! Add exciting avatars to your training games with BRAVO! Watch as your animal avatars respond to right or wrong answers. Your avatar never looks bored…and neither should your students!

Looking for more avatars? Click here to learn more.

Attend a FREE C3 Training University Class

2010-03-19T10:18:00.057-05:00

* New BRAVO! User Tips & Techniques
* Creative strategies on effective game building
* Frequently asked questions review

Sign up today!

Free Gameboard Intro Templates

2010-03-03T11:30:00.000-06:00

Free Gameboard Intro Templates

We’ve made it easy for you to add a personal touch to your game shows with these FREE ready-made BRAVO! Extras! These templates are free for Windows & Macintosh users.

Photoshop Intro Gameboard Templates 3 Intro templates you can edit in Adobe Photoshop.

DOWNLOAD NOW! http://bit.ly/ae2DSH

Flash Intro Gameboard Templates
3 Intro templates you can edit in Adobe Flash.

DOWNLOAD NOW! http://bit.ly/bzyaMR

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VIDEO TUTORIAL:

Click the link below to watch a quick video tutorial on how you can use our free templates in your games: http://www.c3softworks.com/videos/gametemplateintrovideo/PSD_MQS.html

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Jeopardy-style games and ring-in devices -- Friend or Foe?

2010-02-22T15:49:00.003-06:00

You wouldn’t give a hyperactive child a can of Red Bull, would you? Heck no. Well, as silly as that question seems, it does bring me to my topic today, on using ring-in devices (those that show who rang in first, not to be confused with audience response pads) when using games to teach. What do the 2 have in common? Well, for starters, many people think that ring-in devices are a necessity when playing a Jeopardy-style game. They feel that the devices add an exciting, game show element to the proceedings. This is true, but does it provide the desired outcome for your training session?

Many years ago, when I first started using games in the classroom as a review tool, I used ring -in devices to amp-up the energy in the room. Not only did they add to the “game effect,” but the ring-in devices also provided a clear answer to “who rang in first?” It seemed to make sense at the time, and for about a year, I continued to use the ring-in devices, because of what I thought it brought to the training session. Then one day, I was doing training for a group of Police officers, and when I got to the location, I realized that I had forgotten the ring in devices at home. I truly believed the game would not be the same without them, and as it turns out, I was right. So for that session, I needed to control which team would answer a questions. I decided to play the game in round robin mode. After the first 4 questions, I realized how much smoother and more controlled the game was playing. In fact, I found that not using the ring-in devices, not only improved the quality of the training session, but to my amazement it did not affect the engagement factor for the students. With this group, the lack of a ring-in device had a calming effect, compared to the hyper-competitive effect that ring-in devices created in previous training session with them. I found it easier (and less distracting) to present my content to a group that was more concerned with getting the answer right, than ringing-in first. Playing the game in round robin mode help me create that environment.

In retrospect, I realize that I was influenced by TV game shows and how I saw others use ring-in devices with similar style games. I thought that I needed to ensure that the game was competitive, by introducing ring-in devices. What I found, was that the game provided enough stimulation, without the help of ring-in devices.

I am not saying that ring-in devices don’t have their place (in the right environments, they provide order, so you don’t have to spend all of your time discussing “who rang in first”), and with some groups you may need an extra boost of energy. The key, is to not be afraid to experiment. My mistake, the day I forgot the ring-in devices, was probably the best mistake I’ve made in a long time, and it greatly influenced how I’ve used games in the classroom since.

Writing Easy to Read Questions

2010-02-15T12:08:00.004-06:00

There are a lot of good resources out there on how to write good questions. In this section, we will talk about how you can best use BRAVO! and provide some suggestions on ways you can use questions more effectively in your game.

To start, what is your objective? Are you reviewing for a test, or are you using the game as a way to deliver content? Are you using the game online, in the classroom, or through a webinar (PING)? How you create a game for classroom will and should differ from a game that will be played online. Since a classroom game will be projected, you have to watch your question/answer length to ensure maximum ease of readability. Forcing your audience to read long questions and answers can seriously slow down game play.

Common Pitfalls of formatting questions and answers

Lengthy Questions

In the classroom, one of the biggest mistakes instructors can make is to get too wordy with their questions and answers. Here is an example of a lengthy question:

Question: “You get called to a 56 year old male, complaining of severe chest pain and shortness of breath. He is diaphoretic, has no current medical problems, and isn’t taking any medications. What is the first thing you should do for this patient?”

A. Give nitro
B. Give baby aspirin
C. Acquire a 12 lead EKG
D. Get insurance information

The Problem: In the game builder, this is a lot for the students to read, and more text means it will be tougher to read. Since everyone reads at different speeds, this can make absorbing the information tougher for some. You want to make sure that your text does not consume a page. You can probably get away with this with an online game, but for a classroom game this is getting too wordy.

Solution: When building your questions, ask yourself this question: “Can I get the same answer with less?” For this example, I shortened the question without losing any important details and I was able to get the same answer:

“You have a 56 year old male with severe chest pain, shortness of breath, and diaphoretic. What should be the first thing you do for this patient?”

If you need more information to answer the question, then add this information either in a Preview or Summary Slide. Preview Slides introduce additional information prior to your question. Summary Slides show additional information after a question.

For this example, we could add the entire paragraph to the preview slide which would look like this:

“You get called to a 56 year old male complaining of severe chest pain and shortness of breath. He is diaphoretic, has no current medical problems, and is not prescribed any medications.”

Then the question would read: “What is the first thing you should do for this patient?”

Lengthy Answers

Keep your answers short for the classroom. If you see, in the game player, that your answers are spilling into 2 lines, you have way too much text. I recommend employing a rule of no more than 6 words per answer. Here is an example of lengthy answer:

Preview: You get called to a 56 year old male complaining of severe chest pain and shortness of breath. He is diaphoretic, has no current medical problems, and is not prescribed any medications.

Question: “What should be your treatment?”

A. IV, Nitro, ASA, Oxygen, 12 lead, EKG
B. IV, Nitro, ASA, Oxygen
C. IV, Nitro, Oxygen, ASA, Morphine, 12 lead EKG
D. IV, Nitro, 12 Lead EKG

NOTE: In this example, notice that all of the answers are similar. Remove the redundancy, and either add it the question or the preview slide. Also, instead of listing multiple items in an answer, (which would be okay for online games) try to have the answer as a single focus.

Solution:

Preview: You get called to a 56 year old male complaining of severe chest pain and shortness of breath. He is diaphoretic, has no current medical problems, and is not prescribed any medications.

Question: “What should be your treatment?”

A. IV
B. Nitro
C. 12 lead EKG
D. Aspirin

As I mentioned earlier, you have a few more options and a little more latitude when it comes to making games for the web. However, if you are in a classroom, and especially if you are using audience response pads, keeping your questions and answers short aids readability.

How you write your questions can really have an impact on the results you are looking for. The basic objective of questions and answers is to lead you to the key point(s) you want to convey. These points don’t always have to be covered in the question and answers; rather they can be presented in a preview or summary slide as well.

In conclusion, don’t try to cram everything into your questions and answers. Just cover one teaching point and don’t forget to use the preview and summary slides to add additional information.

C3 SoftWorks: Super Bowl Challenge

2010-01-30T14:22:00.000-06:00

Play the Super Bowl Challenge

(Created with BRAVO Game Builder Suite)

For pricing, contact C3 SoftWorks at: sales@c3softworks.com

For more information on BRAVO, click here.

Easily brand your game with your logo and colors

2010-01-20T10:30:00.001-06:00

This week I was working with a client who was putting together a game for a kiosk at a trade show. During the course of the conversation, she kept raving about how much she loves BRAVO! She said, that she loved how easy it was to build a game, and was surprised by the flexibility she had in branding the game for their client.

She began, by showing me the game she created, and honestly, I was quite impressed. She had used her client’s corporate colors and logos to brand the game, and had used an animated Flash intro screen, (this appears when the game is first launched), with the clients’ artwork, to really give the game a custom look. She even created a unique stage, that went along with the theme of the game (a retro 1970’s theme). Additionally, they created their own Avatars, complete with custom clothing and hair styles from the 70’s, to go along with the theme. Once she realized how much she could customize the game on her own, there was no stopping her!

What is unique about the BRAVO! game builder suite, is that it is the ONLY game builder suite that allows a user to customize just about everything in the game. Not only can you easily add your own content, but, you can also customize the overall feel of the game (and you don’t have to be a programmer to do it!) Your game, when it is done, will look like you spent thousands of dollars to have a custom design made specifically for you.

One of the things our client mentioned, was that they had spent a lot of time looking for game builder software. She said that she found one product that allowed some very basic branding (like the ability to add a logo, and a limited template selection), but that was it. This software developer provided a “customizing service,” for a fee. “Why would I want to pay them,” she said, “when BRAVO! allows me to do all of the customizing I need, without any outside help?” We couldn’t have said it better ourselves. ;-)

When less is more - A personal relfection on the objectives of training

2010-01-11T12:28:00.001-06:00

Recently, I sat through a session where an instructor jammed packed it with so much stuff, if I could have retained a quarter of it, I would be a rocket scientist by now. But the fact is this, and I see it all the time, where instructors get so bogged down in the list of what they want to cover they lose sight of what their true objective is, which is to make sure their students learn something.

This also reminds me of a conversation I had with a colleague recently about an upcoming training session we were going to present. My colleague made a list of things we should include; it was quite impressive I might add. After I heard the list, I asked this question: What is the objective of the session? Is it to cover the list or is it to have our audience feel comfortable and actually learn something? Because if you want me to cover everything on the list, I can do that blind folded, I can spew out information all day long. But if you want my audience to actually retain information and learn something and actually be engaged in the learning process, then that requires a different strategy.

I realize that sometimes we get stuck in a situation where we need to cover X,Y, and Z, and it needs to be covered in a specific time frame, but if you do have an option of the content you can deliver, consider these wise words: “Sometimes, less is more!”. I find myself more and more looking at what is my true objective, and it usually boils down to getting my class to learn. And just because I can spew out data, facts and other stuff all day long (and man I can do this without batting an eye), I have to look at what is my true objective, and whenever possible, I find myself teaching less content so my students can learn more.

Be careful on what you call it: Perception, perception, perception.

2010-01-06T09:40:00.002-06:00

In my previous blog, I talked about how a client was concerned about the “gamey look” of a game and that it may not be viewed as a serious teaching tool. I’ve since followed up with that client, and here’s what we found:
Of the 7,817 people that played the games in the past 15 days (3 different groups and three different games), the data suggests that it was a success. The majority of those who played a game, played it all the way to the end. About one-third, played the game at least twice, and the average time spent playing the game was 5:15 minutes. The game consisted of 9 questions, and featured additional teaching points in most questions.
The issue, as they saw it, was with one of the test groups. This group had the largest audience, and in fact had the smallest number of plays compared to the other groups. At first, they thought the “frivolous” look of game may have prevented many from playing the game. But, after studying the data, they realized that the game was not the issue at all – it was the way it was promoted that kept their audience from playing.
Let me give you a little information so you can follow:The data collection starts as soon as a game is launched. If their original observation was correct (that people opened the game, thought it was too gamey, and immediately closed it), then we would see a higher number of clicks or opens of the game, but a much shorter time in game play (much less than 5:14 minutes). Since we know that the majority of people who clicked on the game, played it all the way through, we know we had a different issue. It became obvious, to the client, that the issue was rooted in perception.
Why? We believe that the game was presented to this group in a way that marginalized the educational impact of the game. They actually doomed the game before people even got to it, by describing the game as a “fun holiday trivia game.” In fact, the game (although it had a holiday theme) contained no holiday content. It featured questions, based on educational articles from their website, that would not only teach them something, but encourage them to dig in and learn more.
This goes back to something I have mentioned many times, “be careful how you describe your game.” Be aware that the word “game,” connotes many things to different people. Games provide a powerful vehicle for delivering instructional content, but may be perceived as a frivolous exercise. If you want your game to be taken seriously (and reap the benefits that games provide – engagement, motivation, interaction), make sure you let your audience know that they might just learn something while “playing”.

“Bait & Switch” your trainees

2009-12-28T11:52:00.000-06:00

Why using training games can help to deliver your content

I recently had a discussion with an organization about the use of a training game or games to review or deliver information on a website. Their concern is like many others when it comes to games: How will it be perceived? Is it too gamey? Will it not be taken seriously? These are all excellent questions, and one that I get from classroom instructors all the time.

The answer is simple…it is what you make it out to be. If a game fails to deliver content, it’s probably not the games’ fault, it’s most likely in how it is being used or misused.

Here are a few tips to keep in mind when using games in your training:

1. Make sure when creating questions, you have a specific objective in mind.
2. Be sure to include additional teaching summary screens before and/or after a question. (These summary screens need to be simple and to the point)
3. The questions are simply a guide to help you deliver your teaching points.

Many people are not opposed to using questions online to review or test knowledge. What they get hung up on is the game concept - they think it may make the subject appear less important or not as serious as it should be.

Think of it like this, you are using the game to get them to view your content, then once you get them to play, now you can deliver your information to them, a form of “bait & switch” if you will.

What’s great about delivering games in this format is you can have as few people or as many people playing at one time – in the classroom or online.

Firefighters use BRAVO! and Audience Response Pads to deliver information

2009-12-18T16:12:00.001-06:00

Every year a local fire department likes to have a little fun and mix it up with a review game for the last fire training drill. The host was a firefighter that wasn’t new to using games, and in the past they have used a PowerPoint Jeopardy template to deliver their training games. This year they went high tech if you will, and use the BRAVO! game builder suite and audience response pads. This was a big step for them. I did help them a little with content, but they were going to host the games on their own. And I was just going to observe.

For the first run, they had just over 50 participants playing a QuizShow game. They broke the group into 4 teams representing each station and each attendee had their own audience response pad which was assigned to a specific team. During the game, they would be presenting questions which each participant would answer individually in the class. When every one answered, the host would then reveal the results showing how everyone did. He was then able to discuss why it was right or wrong and add any additional teaching points. QuizShow automatically calculated each team members’ response by playing a sound effect and a chart revealed each teams’ responses. This created a little excitement as each team watched the results.

Following this first game, they decided to play SpinOff which added a different twist to the second game which contained only 8 questions. Each team chose a representative who would then be assigned an audience response pad. This game would be played similar to the first game but with a more competitive twist and of course only 4 players. In the first game each user was scored based on whether their answer was correct or incorrect. However, this game was set up in All Play mode which is based on 2 things: (1) a correct response (2) how fast they answered. This added a different layer of fun to the game and created excitement for the viewing spectators.

This was this instructor’s first use of BRAVO! and the audience response pads. I asked him how it compared to the PowerPoint Jeopardy versions he did in past years, and his response was simply that there was no comparison. The game was much easier to control, he knew what the audience knew, he did not have to keep score or work hard at running the game. Best of all, the game was simply his guide through the content – all he needed to do was to deliver additional teaching points and not worry about being the “game show host”.

Using a game to orient students on an Automatic External Defibrillator (AED)

2009-12-16T12:18:00.001-06:00

Recently, I was asked to participate in an Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) orientation session for 1000+ High School students. There were four of us involved in the training sessions, and we would be working in groups of 2. The purpose of the training was to orientate the students and staff, on basic uses and applications of an AED. We realized the importance of training the staff at the school on the use of an AED, but we also wanted to make sure every student and staff member knew how simple they are to use, and where they are located in the school. My task, was to help them come up with the outline and questions, (I have trained on AEDs for over 18 years, and have placed AEDs in 100s of locations, including schools and businesses). I didn’t want to be the lead presenter; I wanted to help them develop the comfort level so they could do this on their own. I was most interested in seeing this content delivered as a training game and observing them using a software program called BRAVO! as a teaching tool.

The average session would have 25 students in attendance, and would run for 20 minutes. We would start out each session with a quick demo of the AED, and pick a “volunteer,” to come up and use the AED (with no prompting on how to use it). This, we felt, would illustrate the simplicity of the device. Once the demonstration was over, we would use a 6 question game along with Audience Response Pads (each student and teacher would get one) as a quick assessment.

We used the game as a way to deliver the content and information we wanted to cover. Just before the first question, for example, we had a slide emphasizing that this was an orientation session, and encouraged people to take a CPR and AED class. The first question, a poll question based of the AED demo, asked attendees, “how many people feel comfortable using the AED?” As we continued through the game, we used game questions to guide the presentation of our content. The questions, along with the Audience Response Pads, allowed us to see what the class knew. By understanding what the audience knew, we could then build on their responses. In fact, the incorrect answers really helped the instructors deliver the content more effectively.

For example, one question asked, “What is the biggest mistake you can make using an AED?” The answers where all over the place, but this allowed the instructors to address each response and to clarify common misconceptions.

The Response: We knew the kids would like it, but I was curious to see how the other 3 presenters liked it as a way to deliver information. I was curious to know if they felt it was effective, especially since they rarely present or teach in the classroom. They loved it. They found that the game helped them feel more comfortable, especially since the game was the focal point and not them. Sure, we could have presented the information in PowerPoint, but all of us felt it would not have been as effective as the game was. The game made the training process more enjoyable for all those involved.

To play the game we used during this training session, click here: www.c3softworks.com/games/east_ridge_hs_AED/play.html

NOTE: Notice how teaching points have been added throughout the game.

When Less is Better

2009-12-14T12:45:00.002-06:00

Have you ever had that awkward moment, when someone shows you a baby photo, be it their own child or a grandchild, and you take one look and try as hard as can to say, “wow, what a cute baby”, when you’re really thinking, “I’ve seen cuter monkeys at the zoo”?

Recently, I was working with a fellow EMS instructor, and she wanted to create a game to review for the final EMS training session of the year. She had a clear objective in mind, a game with educational content, but she wanted it to be fun as well. She is an admitted “technophobe” (one who fears computers and anything that plugs into them). I showed her, in about 2 minutes, how she could enter her questions, answers, preview, and summary slides using the BRAVO! game builder. On the day of the training event, we met a few hours prior to the first session. (Did I mention I was going to help her co-present?) Well, when I saw her game, I felt like someone showing me a photo of some hideous looking baby (I know some people are thinking that I am being cruel, and that all babies are cute. These are also the same people who say there are no stupid questions -- yeah right). She fell into the common trap that I have seen many instructors fall into, when she asked me what I thought (Just like any proud mama or grandparent). I did everything I could to not feign an illness that required me to exit the building. Did I mention that she expected me to co-present this game with her, since she had never done it before and there were going to be 60 or so co-workers in the class? So much for my reputation ;-) But hey, I was brought in to mentor her, so let the mentoring begin! (To be fair, she is a very good presenter and she really knows her stuff.) Here are some of the issues I addressed, and some basic guidelines I like to follow:

1. Frilly Font: She chose a curly or pretty font she liked. Which, combined with the length of her content would have driven most people to reading glasses after the class or to poke their eyes out to make it go away. A general rule that I teach is, “Above all, make your text readable.” Look at the network news or news print. Do they use frilly text in their newscast or on the cover of their papers? I think not! This isn’t about boring; this is about readability, simple as that. There are ways to “dress up” the look of your game board, but text should not be one of them. For readability, especially for electronic media like PowerPoint, stick with a basic sans serif font like good old fashion Arial or Verdana.

2. Lengthy Questions: About half of the questions where over a paragraph in length. Way too wordy. Sometimes you need to give more detail for a question (i.e. when you are using a scenario). What I do when this is the case, is I set up the scenario in the preview slide that precedes the question. Here is an example of a bad question: “You are playing basketball and a 43 year old teammate suddenly collapses. You check for consciousness, and find he is unconscious with no pulse and no respirations. You direct someone to call 911 and get the AED. Until the AED arrives, how many chest compressions to ventilations should you give? Good heavens, you have just cost the students precious minutes they will never get back. Get to it; simply ask the question. None of the other information in the questions makes any difference for the answer. Here is an example of a straight forward question: “For an adult victim, what is the compression to ventilations ratio?” I want you to understand, that this is just as much about keeping it simple, as well as how it looks. When you get too lengthy, especially in a game, it looks intimidating, and looks too much like work to read.

3. Lengthy Answers: Many of her answers were very lengthy and, in a few cases, rolled over into two lines on the game board. I like to keep my answers to less than 4-6 words when possible. People should be able to quickly glance at possible answers to a question choose the correct one immediately (providing they know the answer). In her game, I knew the correct answer, but she had so much information in each answer, that I had to read each answer twice to make sure I got it right.

4. Wordy Summary Points: In many cases the summary text was way too much. As with PowerPoint, you don’t create a slide that contains your script – just your main teaching points. You just need a few points on the slide to guide you, and your class, through the content you’re presenting. Less is better.

So, what did I do? I actually considered letting her do it her way and letting her see for herself. But, I was supposed to co-present, so that was not going to happen. Fortunately, the game Gods where with me, and she had to leave for a while, leaving me with these magic words: “Hey, you are much smarter than I am, and you are the game God, so I would consider it an honor if you could clean up my mess.”

When she returned, I showed her the changes, and, when it came right down to it, I just moved some of the text around. In the lengthy questions, I just moved the set-up to the preview slide. In fact, I resisted the urge to delete or shorten anything, she wrote. I decided to leave the summary as is. The only thing that got changed or removed were some of the answers. I cleaned them up quite a bit, shortened up the answers, and just reworded the questions, so the answer worked. In no way did my changes affect her teaching points.

I started the game off for her, explaining the rules and playing the first 3 questions, and then stepped aside and hid in the shadows. What was cool, was that she expected that she’d be real nervous, but found that she got comfortable very quickly. The game was a hit and, to her credit, she looked like a pro -- the game became the focus for the audience and not her. She was simply the subject expert, and the game, along with the audience response pads made it much easier for her to concentrate on her teaching points.

Ultimately, her students not only loved the game, but they also mentioned that the questions were a little wordy. Useful feedback she can use for her next presentation!

NOTE: From time to time, I will write about my experience of working with other presenters that use games in the classroom. This helps me to learn more on how they use the games, both good and bad, and also their experiences.

Don't ignore your company brand when it comes to training games!

2009-12-09T11:49:00.000-06:00

You have put time and energy into into your training games and this is what it honestly deserves but does every trainer have the dedicated time and effort to make it great?

As trainers, when it comes to building games, we don’t think about brand nearly as much as we should. Here at C3 SoftWorks we care. We think it’s important. We’re busy thinking of new ways we can make custom game development easier without the hassle of extra productional costs.

As more and more people are convinced that the same product is better just because it has a certain brand, doesn't it make sense to brand your own training games?

Sure, there are other programs out there, but not that give you 100% control over what your games look like. BRAVO! Training Software gives you that custom look and feel and it's simple to do!

Here's an example of what you too can do with BRAVO!:

So what are you waiting for...give your game development the time and energy it deserves.

Need further convincing? Check out the BRAVO! video or visit us on the web: http://www.c3softworks.com/

BRAVO! Update Release (v1.30)

2009-12-04T11:33:00.000-06:00

Find out what's new in the latest update for BRAVO:
http://c3softworks.com/news-events/news-releases.html

Play the Holiday Trivia Game!

2009-12-03T16:10:00.000-06:00

Play the Holiday Trivia Game

(Created with BRAVO Game Builder Suite)

For pricing, contact C3 SoftWorks at: sales@c3softworks.com
For more information on BRAVO, click here.

C3 SoftWorks Holiday Special 2009

2009-12-02T10:57:00.008-06:00

C3 SoftWorks
Holiday Special 2009

50% OFF BRAVO Training Bundle

Click here for more details.

Training Media Review: 3.5 out of 4 stars!!!

2009-11-30T12:48:00.001-06:00

Training Media Review (BRAVO! PART I: Overview 2009):

I've not seen gaming software before that lets me, or should I say encourages me, to tweak the game interface. For example, I can customize the game intro page to show off my company logo or my corporate brand! Or better still, pre-assign team names based on company groups or divisions. Is that cool or what?

RATED: 3.5 Stars out of 4

To read the entire article, click here:
http://www.tmreview.com/Review.asp?ID=1742

Play the Thanksgiving Trivia Game!

2009-11-24T14:34:00.002-06:00

Test your turkey day knowledge and have a great Thanksgiving!

From your friends at C3 SoftWorks!

C3 SoftWorks Holiday Survey

2009-11-23T10:21:00.002-06:00

Our blog has undergone a few changes in 2009 including two visual redesigns, the addition of a Twitter powered news feed and a ramped up publishing schedule. We want to make C3 SoftWorks even better in 2010 and with the holiday season approaching we thought it was as good a time as any to ask for your help. We really value your readership and RSS subscriptions and need your feedback. If you would like to help the future direction of this site please spare a few minutes to fill in our simple “C3 SoftWorks Holiday Survey” below.

Complete the Google Form online

Thank you for taking time to complete the survey, we appreciate it.

EMS EXPO Games

2009-11-06T13:45:00.002-06:00

EMS EXPO 2009 - PLAY, LEARN, WIN!

During the EMS EXPO 2009, students had the opportunity to earn CEU points and win prizes by playing games built with BRAVO! EMS facts and concepts were introduced in a fun way which encouraged students to play and win while learning at the same time.

Click here to visit the EMS EXPO site and try your hand at playing an EMS game show!

Play the EMS1.com Halloween Game

2009-11-04T14:02:00.000-06:00

Recently, we made a game for EMS1.com, the online magazine, that is for EMS providers that providers a variety of articles, recent EMS news, videos, forums and much more. It is free and all you have to do is sign up. We made a custom game for them with a Halloween twist to it along with questions based on medical practices. The objective of the game was to get people to play the game, have a little fun, but also learn or review a variety of stuff, like dehydration, diabetes, shock, burns, etc. This game shows how you can really customize the look and the feel of the game, from the intro screen which contains a flash animation of a grave popping out of the game with spooky music and sound effects. To the background of the game board that shows a spooky house with bats and an ambulance out front (even monsters can have medical emergencies). The avatars where easily converted to represent some characters like a "Psyho" with a hockey mask, a green witch, and so on. So please play but play at your own risk...Que spooky music.

Play Halloween EMS Game, and welcome to the night shift.

November's Spook-tacular Special

2009-11-02T14:04:00.000-06:00

FREE PING VRP (Virtual Response Pads) when you buy BRAVO! Response.

Click here for more details.

EMS1.com EMS Halloween Game

2009-10-31T09:09:00.003-05:00

Recently, we made a game for EMS1.com, the online magazine, that is for EMS providers that providers a variety of articles, recent EMS news, videos, forums and much more. It is free and all you have to do is sign up. We made a custom game for them with a Halloween twist to it along with questions based on medical practices. The objective of the game was to get people to play the game, have a little fun, but also learn or review a variety of stuff, like dehydration, diabetes, shock, burns, etc. This game shows how you can really customize the look and the feel of the game, from the intro screen which contains a flash animation of a grave popping out of the game with spooky music and sound effects. To the background of the game board that shows a spooky house with bats and an ambulance out front (even monsters can have medical emergencies). The avatars where easily converted to represent some characters like a "Psyho" with a hockey mask, a green witch, and so on. So please play but play at your own risk...Que spooky music. Play Halloween EMS Game, and welcome to the night shift.

PLAY TO WIN!

2009-10-19T14:08:00.000-05:00

Passive Learners vs Active Learners

I had the opportunity to speak with Kris Kraul about the differences between the passive learner and the active learner at the NAEMSE Conference in Orlando Florida this month.

Optimal performance with SpinOff

2009-10-16T14:10:00.000-05:00

SpinOff resolution should be set to 1024 x 768
It was recently brought to my attention that the optimal screen resolution for your SpinOff games should be set to 800 x 600. If not, then you'll notice a dramatic difference in your wheel speed. This suggestion has been noted and we will be adding this to our game documentation.

Hockey player avatars anyone?

2009-10-14T14:11:00.000-05:00

We've added yet another feature enhancement to our avatar builder...hockey players! Create your very own hockey player avatars with the latest BRAVO! update v1.20. So don't get put in the penalty box and download the latest update today! Click here to download the latest version of BRAVO!

BRAVO! at the Minnesota Wild

2009-10-12T14:14:00.000-05:00

The Minnesota Wild hockey organization featured a BRAVO! Quiz Show game between periods of their first hockey game of the 2009 season at the Xcel Energy Center. The BRAVO! game board was displayed on the big Xcel Energy Jumbo Tron allowing the entire stadium to visually participate. Jim Cunningham was the MC and helped deliver a new exciting way to play game shows with BRAVO! BRAVO! will be featured at every Wild home game for the 2009 season.

Click here to see more photos.

SEPTEMBER 2009 - C3 SoftWorks Releases PING (VRP)

2009-09-21T14:16:00.002-05:00

C3 SoftWorks; Minneapolis, MN. September 21, 2009: C3 SoftWorks, a leading software provider in the training and educational markets, is pleased to announce the release of PING (Virtual Response System)...read more>>>
Click here for more information on PING.

PART 1 Tutorial - Creating a Custom Intro Screen in PowerPoint

2009-08-24T14:22:00.000-05:00

Let's face it, we don't have time to learn it all so we're trying to make your game creation life simple. In this step-by-step tutorial, we're going to show you how to create a custom Intro Logo for your game shows.

Note: This tutorial will walk you through creating a custom intro screen in PowerPoint. Alternatively, if you have a graphic program like Adobe Photoshop or Adobe Flash, you are welcome to download a free template here.

Step 1

Open PowerPoint and create a new presentation. Right-click the first slide and select Format Background. Choose from the options to edit the background format to your liking and click Close.

NOTE: We set the background solid fill to dark blue and inserted our company logo:

Step 2

Select File/Save As and save your slide as a jpg, gif or png.

NOTE: BRAVO! will accept the following file types: JPG, GIF, PNG, SWF.

Step 3

Finally, load your custom Intro Screen into the Graphics section in your BRAVO! game. Click Ok and Preview your game to view the new custom Intro screen:

Watch out for Part 2 where we will be covering more interesting custom game creation techniques.

The Truth about using Games as a Teaching Tool

2009-07-06T09:56:00.001-05:00

Believe it or not, many instructors/managers do not see games as a serious teaching tool. It may be hard to admit, but, in some ways, they’re right! In most cases, their beliefs have been influenced by a variety of factors, the most common of which is their personal experience seeing how games are used in a classroom. To make matters worse, many instructors who use games are unknowingly reinforcing the negatives that so many have about using games. In this article, I will show you why it is not the game’s fault; it really comes down to how instructors are using games. Think about this, when you see a poor PowerPoint presentation, you don’t blame PowerPoint do you? Of course you don’t, because it’s not PowerPoint’s fault. The fault lies with “how” it’s being used or misused. We know PowerPoint can be used for good, but unfortunately many users go to the dark side…sorry about the analogy but it is so true. Regardless of whether you are using a game or a PowerPoint presentation, you need to remember that these are simply tools that can help you deliver your information. Once you’ve learned some basics for use, you can truly leverage the power of these presentation tools. To help us understand how a game can deliver information, we need to take a look at the misconceptions many instructors have about games. To keep this article fairly short, I will present what I believe to be the two most common misconceptions. By understanding these misconceptions, we will have a clearer idea of how we can use a game to effectively deliver content. Misconception One: “The game contains the material that I am teaching, so therefore it is educational.” Truth: This is like saying my PowerPoint presentation contains lots of facts and statistics, so therefore, people will learn from it. The fact is, regardless of whether you are using PowerPoint, a game format, or any presentation tool, your effectiveness as an educator is measured by how well your audience absorbs the information you’ve presented. The presentation tool is merely the delivery vehicle. When using a game to teach or review, we need to take some basic steps to help ensure our audience will get the most out of it. Our goal in most cases is, to not only deliver the information, but to help our audience understand it. Delivering information is easy, I can spew out information all day long, but getting people to absorb the information and make sense of it is really what we are looking for. By using game as a delivery method for your information, it changes the dynamics of a presentation, whereas PowerPoint tends to be a one sided interaction with the class being passive learners, a game on the other hand turns your class into active learners, where they become part of the learning process. Misconception Two: “My class loved the game, therefore it was a success!” Truth: Just because the students rave about a game doesn’t make it a great educational tool. In many cases, instructors are trying to bring some fun into their training. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but we need to remember what we are there to do. I remember many years back, when I told a manager how my attendees were always commenting on how much fun my classes where and how much fun I made the training (Tip: Never get too full of yourself!). She made it clear to me, in a very stern tone of voice and with a raised eye brow added for effect, “They are not here to have fun, young man. They are here to learn!” I realized, looking back on it now, that I was expressing what I thought was the most important measurable of my training session – fun . She was more concerned about the course objectives being met. If I recall correctly, the course objectives did not make any mention of an outcome, like “having fun” or a “having good time.” I do, however, remember thinking of my boss as some what of a prude at the time and old fashioned in her ways. But now, as I look back on it, I understand where she was coming from. (I do believe she really thought training should not be fun, but I got her point.) Her primary measure of a course’s success, was whether or not the teaching objectives where being met. Hmmm….. What an interesting concept! My experience, working with instructors over the years, has helped me to better understand and unlearn (if you will) what I’ve learned about games. I have many presentations that I now deliver using a game format that allows me to better connect with the audience where they get more from the information, primarily because they are now a part of the learning process, and of course they are enjoying the process along the way. Does this mean I am throwing out PowerPoint? Absolutely not! They both have a place, but games are now something I use on a more frequent basis, especially for those hard to sit through talks. About the Author: John Dillon has been a Paramedic for close to 3 decades, and has been an instructor for just as long. John currently works as a paramedic and educator for Woodbury Public Safety in Woodbury MN, and is the founder of C3 SoftWorks located in Minneapolis. John currently educates instructors on how to use game to teach core content in seminars and conferences around the country. John can be reached at johnd@c3softworks.com or C3 SoftWorks

Using Game Show Style Training Games to Teach - Tips & Tricks.

2009-06-24T08:59:00.005-05:00

Studies have shown that games are an entertaining and highly effective method to review topics. Would the use of games as a pure instructional medium to teach learning objectives also be effective? The correct answer is “Yes, Absolutely!” Instructors know their classroom lectures should be engaging, interactive and encompass proven instructional strategies. They also know the importance of assessment and feedback to check for understanding. All these elements can be accomplished using a game in the classroom. Games Bring Learning to Life Games make situations come to life. They give your student the opportunity to collaborate with others in a team environment, demonstrate leadership, solve problems, organize details, create and tell stories. How do you begin to use a game as an instructional tool? Here are Ten Steps & Guidelines we recommend to help you jump-start the design of your game: 1. As with any session you are teaching, define your performance objectives. Make certain they have the three elements of a solid objective: Task; what do you want your student to be able to do when they leave your classroom? Condition; under what condition will they perform the task? Standard; what will be the measurement for knowing what “good” looks like? Once you have your performance objectives written and approved, you can move on to the next step. 2. Create questions based on your performance objectives. Remember your goal is to effectively communicate the objective, not necessarily to create fun. Granted, you are using a fun method to help you achieve your goal. 3. Choose a game format. Most people are familiar with the Jeopardy-style game format. This format translates well to the classroom because instructors can use multiple categories with four or more questions in each category. Try to vary the question formats by using true-false, open ended, multiple choice, and even questions based upon a display of images or video. Another popular format is the Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?-style game. Participants have increasingly difficult multiple choice questions to answer with the aid of the audience, a 50-50 elimination or with the help of other players. 4. Control the pace of the game. Try not to rush through the questions and answers. This will increase comprehension of the questions and retention of the answers. Slow down the game and allow sufficient time to review key points in more detail. 5. Go beyond the questions and answers. Do not limit yourself to using questions or answers in your game to deliver your teaching points. Use your questions as a stepping point to your key points. You can use a question to drill down and talk about multiple points within a game. 6. Use appropriate images, video and audio whenever possible. Having the option of using video files, graphic files and even audio files to review the topics in greater detail enhances the experience for visual and auditory learners. Granted not everyone can run or have access to video, but if you can add images or audio, this will bring the presentation up to another level. 7. Re-purpose your PowerPoint presentation. Chances are you already have content and images in your PowerPoint presentation you can re-use to build your questions and answers. Following the answer portion of your question, you can also deliver a mini lecture within your game using multiple slides from PowerPoint. It is simple to convert a slide to a .SWF or .JPEG file format and import it into the Summary Area. To help you, there are many programs available that will convert slides from PowerPoint into a .SWF format. 8. Read the questions aloud to your audience. This helps with a previous point about pacing. You want your audience to clearly understand the questions so they can answer them correctly and increase their understanding. If it’s taking more than seven seconds for your audience to answer, then repeat the question. It’s the question that gets the audience thinking and this will enhance the learning. 9. Use props or demonstrate procedures. Don’t limit yourself to the visuals on the screen. For example, show the class how to perform a three or four-step procedure to process on patient assessment leaving out one step. Ask your audience to identify the next correct step. Base questions off of scenarios that proceed a question. Don’t forget to include those conditions or standards we discussed in Step 1 in your possible answer options! 10. Use summary points. When you watch TV game shows, the objectives are to entertain the viewer, sell commercial advertising and move the game along because it is essentially a competition. Their objective is not to teach or inform. If you are using a game as an instructional medium, always discuss and summarize your key points after each correct answer. This reinforces learning and increases retention. Summary Whatever game format you choose, it is your framework for creating an interactive, fun and challenging method of teaching performance objectives. Games help you maintain your audience’s attention longer than traditional lecture coupled with demonstration. Everyone ends up a winner when you help your class retain more information after playing a game. John Dillon, C3 Softworks To learn more: Watch video

Do you trust the Audience?: A unique way to use Audience Response Pads and games at special events.

2009-06-20T07:49:00.004-05:00

Here is something that I did at a recent class reunion; it was a really different way to use Audience Response Pads and the BRAVO! Game Builder Suite for me especially since I primarily use “games” and show people how to use games as serious teaching tool. Initially I volunteered to make a trivia game to place on a website prior to the reunion, but someone thought “hey” wouldn’t it be great to play a few games at the reunion? So it was said, and so I got to work, it really was pretty easy coming up with the questions, thanks to having class yearbook at hand (did I really have all that hair?), and the internet, I grabbed photos from the yearbook and even grabbed photos and created a few question based off classmates Facebook pages, (ain’t the web a grand tool?). When creating the game I was trying to figure out a way to play the game at the event. I had many options, ring in devices, single player, teams, etc. But I decided I wanted to involve as many people as possible in the game and to try and make is as fun as possible. I decided I was going to play in teams and to get everyone involved I was going to use Audience Response Pads so everyone could play. I then came up with a name for the game “Do you Trust the Audience”, (I am so clever sometimes I even amaze myself) the title will make sense as you read on. Here is the basic premise of how the game was played, we broke the audience into 2 teams, and each player had their own Audience Response Pad (ARS), each ARS pad was assigned to one of the teams, when the questions would appear they would submit their answer via the ARS pads and the game would track all the responses for each person and tally up the score of each team. To play the game, and this is where the title “Do you Trust the Audience?” comes in, I would pick a “contestant”, this contestant would choose the answer for each question. Here is how it worked, when a question appeared in the game, each audience member would submit their individual answer via the ARS pad, when all the answers where submitted, I would not reveal the answer quite yet, I would just reveal the overall votes for each possible answer. For example when I reveal the results of the votes submitted I could see that 65% of the audience picked answer A, and 30% picked answer B and the remaining picked C as an answer. I would then ask the “contestant” do you “Trust the Audience?” or do you want to choose your own answer. Whatever the “contestant” chose is how I would reveal the answer. Surprisingly, we found that the majority vote was not always the correct answer and in some cases the answers were all over the place showing that the audience did not have any clear consensus on what the correct answer was. Another fun moment in the game is after the “contestant” picked an answer, the moment of truth of which team won the round came, this is where were game would display with a little fan fair the overall percentage of correct responses for each team. The “contestant” in this case was really a prop for the game, I needed a way to reveal the answer, I could have just simply chose the most popular response but if there was a tie I would have to choose which answer to reveal, not a big deal but by choosing a “contestant” I was able to have them choose the answer. Just using the ARS pads and breaking the group into teams was a hit on its own, but adding the “contestant” was the icing on an already great tasting cake. After the event, I then easily modified the games for the web (changed out the intro screen, the initial one Was titled “Do you Trust the Audience”, since the online version would play differently from the event version I changed the names and added a thank you note to thank the organizers in the opening screen, the game now is being be shared with those that could not attend or if people wanted just play it again. To see sample trivia games click on links: 1979 Trivia Example 1 and 1979 Trivia Game 2 John Dillon, C3 SoftWorks, johnd@c3softworks.com

2009-06-12T16:01:00.003-05:00

JUNE 2009 - C3 SoftWorks PRESS RELEASE For Immediate Release: Monday, June 12th, 2009 C3 Softworks Releases: BRAVO! Response: C3 SoftWorks; Minneapolis, MN. June 12, 2009: C3 SoftWorks, a leading software provider in the training and educational markets, is pleased to announce the release of BRAVO! Response. BRAVO! Response takes classroom training to a whole new level. Combining the engaging qualities of a training game with the power of a comprehensive assessment tool, this exciting new program puts your whole class “in the game.” Your audience will be completely engaged, as they “click” on their wireless keypads to “play” the game and interact with your content. Ideal for introducing new concepts, content review, or knowledge assessment, BRAVO! Response provides instant feedback to let you know what they know in real time. Whether in traditional team mode OR as individual play – this new training method leaves no one out. Designed to engage all learners, BRAVO! Response utilizes the BRAVO! game suite to offer a dynamic way to present any content. The suite is available in three formats (classroom, web, and LMS) and is comprised of the following games: Quiz Show, Billionaire, ShowDown, and Spin Off. BRAVO! Response provides an easy-to-use interface that walks users through the simple steps of creating a game and using the keypads. To create a game, one simply types in a category, inserts questions, and in seconds, you’re ready to play. A handy wizard is provided with the software, making keypad registration and implementation a snap. BRAVO! helps trainers create an educational experience that “sticks.” Whether they’re introducing new content, or reviewing content that they’ve just presented, BRAVO! helps instructors engage everyone in their class. It's easy to add audio, video, and still images to any of the games, to provide context for the material presented, and ensure Trainees’ rapt attention. About C3 SoftWorks. Founded in 2006, C3 SoftWorks is committed to producing tools that enhance every educational experience. With over 25 years of involvement in education and training, we bring a deep understanding of the instructional challenges educators face. Try our games in your next training session and see for yourself how serious (and effective) fun can be. More Information: Click Here for more information on BRAVO! Response. Pricing: For pricing, contact C3 SoftWorks at: sales@c3softworks.com Press Contact: Corrie Anderson corriea@c3softworks.com www.c3softworks.com (800) 906-7056

To know what they know …. Using games to assess trainees: Audience Response Systems

2009-05-29T08:01:00.006-05:00

Have you ever wondered how much of your training really “sticks”? Are you looking for ways to find out what your trainees really know? This lively, 30 minute webinar focuses on the power of games as a tool for formal and informal assessment. We’ll explore the challenges that we face when assessing adult learners and introduce you to tools to meet those challenges. You’ll learn how Audience Response devices can be used to gauge, in real time, the effectiveness of your presentation. Attend this webinar, and find out how you can truly engage your audience and put your whole class “in the game.” Sign up for these free tutorial! When: Thursday, June 4, 2009 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM CDT Sign up for Webinar Watch Video Overview (5 minutes)

Presenter: John Dillon, NREMT-P; John has worked as a paramedic for over 27 years and as an educator for many of those years.

Using Games to Assess Trainees

2009-05-11T13:31:00.007-05:00

Using Games to Assess Trainees By John L. Dillon, C3 SoftWorks In today’s workplace, how often do we really assess what our employees know? Can you imagine during a training session, giving a “pop” quiz? It sounds plausible and even reasonable, but the reality is, in many workplaces this rarely happens. So how can you assess your employee’s knowledge in a friendly and productive way without intimidating them or putting them on the defensive? Well, the answer to that may vary depending on what your objective is. Here are four options for assessment, that involve using games and Audience Response Pads: 1. Assess what they know as you deliver information in the classroom. Wouldn’t it be great if, as you deliver a topic, you could have a basic knowledge of what your audience knows about the subject as you deliver it? In this scenario, you can adjust your delivery based on what the audience knows, real-time. So, if you find that on a particular question or topic that most people got it wrong, you can adjust your talk tract to go into greater detail. 2. Assess what they know without them knowing it. This is a great way to assess what your audience knows (and their depth of knowledge) and can help you assess the effectiveness of your training. 3. Assess each trainee individually in a training session. This is a way to track individual’s knowledge of a topic while providing group training. 4. Use the audience response pads with a game so that everyone participates. Truly making a game that everyone is a participant. And behind the scenes you collect data on what your audience knows. Audience Response Pads Probably one of the fastest growing trends in training is the use of Audience Response Pads or ARS. These devices are commonly used with PowerPoint as a polling device or as a way to deliver Q and A. In the later, results may be shared in the classroom or reviewed later, to determine how each trainee answered. Using Games and Audience Response Pads Assessing student comprehension can be tricky. Sometimes the best way to see what our students know, is to do it in a way that is non-threatening, where they do not know they are being assessed. Games played with audience response pads provide you a way to employ this method. Imagine this: you set up a game with questions based on your subject, you then break your audience into teams, and each member of each team has their own audience response pad. In this scenario, trainees get the sense that they are involved in a team game. To the audience it looks and feels like a game, but in reality it is a serious assessment tool, as you track individual answers. This puts a different twist on using games to review. Many instructors understand the power of games as a way to review content. Now, you can not only review content that you’ve presented, but also assess your trainees’ understanding of your material. Things to keep in mind: With this method, you can know which concepts the group is having difficulty grasping. By assigning a specific clicker with a unique identifier to each player, you can also know how each student did with each of the questions. By tracking individual answers, you can identify people that may be having difficulty with the information and determine steps for remediation. Another thing to consider, if you want to truly assess what your audience knows as individuals, is how they are grouped in a training room. Since the teams are based off of the response pads, players for a team can be spread out, to discourage the sharing of answers among team members. This is dramatically different from a conventional game format, where a team will collaborate to come up with an answer. If you want to get a sense of what your employees know, you may be better off to hand out the response pads and not specifically assigned them to a person. If you want to know how specific individuals are doing, you can assign a specific response pad to each student. This will allow you to compare knowledge student by student. Keep in mind, many audiences are savvy enough to know the difference, and the results may vary if your audience thinks they are being assessed. So, sometimes keeping the results anonymous has its advantages. If you choose this option, just hand out the response pads without assigning them to individuals. In a more conventional training environment, you may want to track individual responses to questions. This will allow you to assess each student’s progress. Summary:Using Audience Response pads, combined with a game, creates a unique way for you to gather information on what your audience has learned. You can effectively gather information that will help you identify areas that may need improvement in your current training sessions. You have a lot of options, when using Audience Response Pads, to get your students more involved in the training process and help you gather information. To learn more, visit: http://www.c3softworks.com/products/training-games-response John Dillon has been a Paramedic for close to 30 years and currently works with the Woodbury Public Safety Department, with many of those years spent as an educator as well as a practitioner. As an instructor John has always looked for ways to engage his audiences to make learning a more enjoyable process. John currently works for C3 SoftWorks, which makes software for trainers. He can be reached at: johnd@c3softworks.com.

BRAVO! Spin Off: Launched to Corporate Training Market

2009-04-22T09:46:00.003-05:00

Minneapolis, Minnesota - April 21, 2009 - C3 SoftWorks announced today that BRAVO! Game 4 - Spin Off - is now available! Featuring a new energizing game template for your classroom training, Spin Off joins Quiz Show, Billionaire, and Showdown to complete the game suite for BRAVO! Spin Off takes your students on an energizing and fast-paced adventure, starring your content. Create a category (i.e. Safety) for each “spoke” of the wheel and fill the category with media-rich questions from your content. Have your students spin the wheel and interact with the questions that you place behind each category. Load as many questions behind each category as you wish, to have students “drill down” into your content. Your students are a spin away from an engaging exploration of your subject matter. Give it a spin! Demo: Play a sample game of BRAVO! Spin Off at: http://www.c3softworks.com/games/Spin-Off-Online/play.html Pricing: For pricing, contact C3 SoftWorks at: sales@c3softworks.com Updates: New features are included with the free update for BRAVO! some of which include: 1. Added 10 new special characters: Gorilla, robot, alien, penguin, duck, dog, cat, polar bear, dinosaur, and monster. 2. All games now have an option to “Don’t subtract points on incorrect answer”. 3. Spin Off has over 550 icons to choose from for the wheel and you can add your own. 4. "Try again" option for open ended questions has been added. 5. Text Settings in the game builder is easier to navigate and change text that appears in the game. 6. "Open ended question" option will now show both incorrect and correct answers in the game. 7. Fonts in the answer area will be more balanced in appearance. 8. Print Certificate option is now available when users finish a quiz. More information on BRAVO! Spin Off can be found at: http://www.c3softworks.com/products/training-games-classroom Press Contact: Corrie Anderson corriea@c3softworks.com www.c3softworks.com (888) 333-1969

Are Training Games Really Effective?

2009-04-06T13:22:00.012-05:00

A Case Study: How I use game shows to teach By John Dillon (C3 SoftWorks) Most people have seen or even used a “Jeopardy-style” game to review a topic. But what about teaching a topic with a game format as your primary delivery tool? It’s quite simple and requires a little set up but I think you will find it is worth it in the end. In this article I will tell you how I transformed a lecture I have done countless times over a 15 year span into a game that when done was way more fun to sit through but most importantly it allowed me to deliver my content to a much more receptive audience. I used a game format to review what most would consider the most dreaded topic known to mankind, teaching infectious diseases. Now I am not saying this is not an important topic, it really is, and is required to be covered annually for those that may come in contact with bodily fluids or potentially infectious diseases as part of their job. As I like to say, there is only so many ways you can say blood is bad. Of course there is more to it than that, but you get the idea. To create the game I used software from our company called QuizShow (Jeopardy-style) and Billionaire (Who wants to be a Millionaire-style). Of course you could do the same with PowerPoint versions of these types of games but you will not have as many options as the commercial versions. When building a game, I went through my original PowerPoint Presentation and chose the key teaching points I wanted to cover in the class. Then I wrote questions based off the key points and added teaching points to about 80% of the questions,using text and images in the summary area of the game builder. What was really nice is the game software allowed me to import slides from my PowerPoint lecture right into the game (you can export a single slide as a JPEG or multiple slides as a SWF using 3rd party software). In some cases I used general trivia question that I did not use or reference in my lecture but these trivia questions allowed me to discuss the points I wanted to make. For example, I used a question that was open ended: What disease was Mary Mallon named after in the early 1900’s? The answer, Typhoid Mary. Though Typhoid is not a common topic in infectious diseases today, in fact I never referenced it in my lectures, but this question was simply a means to an end, I wanted to talk about hand washing and 2 other relevant points I needed to make in my presentation so the question was a fulcrum to emphasize specific points. In fact the had 4 questions in the game that related to the benefits of hand washing, this was just another way of making this point. When the big day came to present the topic it was brought to my attention that the employees did not want to sit through an infectious disease lecture. Who can blame them? To get started we had 70 people in the room which we broke into 4 teams. Before getting started we explained the rules and then got started. To help facilitate the game as teaching tool, I want to read each of the questions so people clearly understand the question, in fact the one rule we had was if you buzzed in early you got penalized 200 points. One key I have found to using a game to teach is to slow the game down so your audience has time to digest the information. After the majority of questions, I used the summary options of the game to go into more detail. In essence I took my key points that I normally discuss in my PowerPoint presentation and simply used a variety of questions and answers as a way to deliver the content. In summary, after teaching this subject in both a conventional lecture format and now in a game format it was very clear to me that the game was much more effective then the lecture format. Even though I covered the same topics and the same key points as I did in my lecture, the game format held my audiences attention much more effectively than I could have ever done with a lecture. So go ahead, make it a game but don’t call it a game. It can be a very powerful way to teach or review any topic. About the author. John Dillon works for C3 SoftWorks and speaks frequently on using games to teach in the classroom. John also is a Paramedic and has taught a variety of EMS related topics for over 20 years. You can visit www.c3softworks.com to find out more.

Use Games to Review

2009-03-04T09:26:00.005-06:00

The old axiom of training is, “Tell ‘em, Tell ‘em again and Tell ‘em what you told ‘em.” Review is a critical practice when delivering training or making presentations, especially to audiences with short attention spans. (Trainers, you know who I’m talking about.) A great way to review your material is to use a game. Games change the pace in the classroom or during your presentation and provide an opportunity for everyone to participate, even if they are not the one answering the question. Games help your audience retain more information for a longer duration. Suppose you have a 60-minute presentation and at the end of the presentation you want to review your key points. Using a game such as the BRAVO's Billionaire Game is perfect if you have fewer questions and a shorter amount of time to review. Billionaire allows you the flexibility of using 1-15 questions. We do suggest you create a minimum of at least four questions for the game to be effective. If you have a minimum of 10 questions and a large audience, then using BRAVO's Quiz Show is a better choice. You can create a test bank of 25 questions with Quiz Show – five questions within five different categories. At the end of your presentation, bring up the game to play with one or two players or teams. Try to keep your set-up time short by selecting “volunteers” before you launch the game. Don’t be afraid to use single-player mode and use your audience as a single player. Here’s a Tip: The smoothest way to transition to your game without leaving PowerPoint (or whatever presentation tool you’re using) is to create a hyperlink to the Play.exe file in the folder where your game is located. This allows the game to just pop up and start running. Next time you’re ready to “Tell ‘em again”, use a game like Quiz Show or Billionaire to review and quiz your audience. Make learning fun! Download a FREE Demo of BRAVO! today: http://www.c3softworks.com/demos

Training Game Tips

2009-02-19T16:11:00.006-06:00

People agree games are a great way to review a topic, but what about your core educational principals? Absolutely! Here are some tips to accomplish this. • Define your objective. Make a list of the key teaching points you want to cover. • Create questions based on your key points. • Be creative. Questions do not specifically have to cover a topic, they can be used simply as a stepping stone to what you want to teach or review. • Remember, your key objective is to teach a topic, you are using “fun” to help you achieve your primary objective which is educational. • Use a game that allows the use of summary points that will allow you to review content after each question. • Slow down the game. Your objective is different than a TV game show. Theirs is to entertain, yours is to educate. On a TV game show in a 30 minute period they may play 3-4 rounds. In the classroom it may take 45 minutes of longer for one game. • Read each question prior to answering. • Your main concern should be more on the content delivery than who wins or loses. The game simply is a different medium to deliver your material. • Games do not always have to be long. A short game of 4-6 questions, can be a great way to review the key points of a talk or use as a warm up for a presentation.

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