Together or Apart: A lesson in team placement.

Dan (the owner and founder of LearningWare) and I have been in disagreement on one game show issue for a very long time. Despite our respective expertise, we've never seen quite eye to eye on this issue.

Do you seat teams together in a competitive game show environment, or do you spread a team throughout the room?

Dan would always advocate for the latter. From dealing with hyper-competitive sales reps, he had seen many, many instances where teams had cheated when sitting together. (For instance, if they all had keypads, one person--who knew that particular question--would hold up a letter and everyone would press that letter on their keypad.) When teams were sitting scattered throughout the room, there was no advantage for them to do this since the other team would also benefit from their assistance.

I always loved the energy that a team would generate sitting in the same space. I loved watching the cheers as the point tallies would rise in an AllPlay game. I loved watching the discussion and collaboration. Could they cheat? Maybe--but they didn't always. And the point of the game was to review information and add energy to a training session--even if they were told the answers, everyone still was reviewing the information one more time. Cheating can backfire as well--what if that one person everyone is trusting to give the answer has it wrong? The team gets a zero-score instead of at least *something*.

Who is right? Well, both of us. Ultimately both ways work. If a trainer is looking to really test everyone's individual knowledge--having a team seated apart is a better gauge of this metric. If a trainer is looking to review information and increase the energy in the room exponentially--then having the teams sitting together makes for a great game show.

And I'm happy to admit that after recently running several game shows at large events--both ways--Dan is starting to come around to my way of thinking.

What'll be new in 2011?

2010 was an amazing year for game shows in training!

Here at LearningWare, we:

• Developed new ways to embed AllPlay Web within a webinar using Adobe Connect, omNovia and other platforms. 
• Got a new keypad partner in Meridia--allowing for our customers to have greater flexibility with their audience response keypad choices. 
• Released Gameshow Pro 5--adding new game boards, a new design, a new backend, AllPlay functionality and MORE to the most popular game show software for training.
• And more (including moving into a new office)!

BUT we're not resting on our laurels. Here's what's on the docket SO FAR for 2011:

• New games for QuizPoint, our popular online game show software.
• New games for AllPlay Web, bringing more variety and engagements into webinars, elearning and virtual classrooms.
• An iPad control app: The ability to completely control our Gameshow Pro 5 software using your iPad.
• OSHA 10 and OSHA 30 Construction games: Pre-packaged, plug-and-play games making OSHA training entertaining, effective and far more engaging.

But that's just a start. Going into the next year, we'll continue to innovate by leaps and bounds--helping instructors deliver more engaging, effective and fun training.

So what do you want to see in 2011?

Gameshow Pro 5 Preview!

Gameshow Pro 5 is just moments away from release, and we are SO excited about the new version of our industry-leading product.

As Dan Yaman, our President and Founder says, "This is not only our most innovative software, but it's leaps and bounds above anything else that might be out there."

So what's new with Gameshow Pro--version 5? Let's take a journey in pictures!

New GSP5 Opening Screen

 We've re-designed Gameshow Pro 5 from the ground up. You'll notice that the logo looks different from any other product.

Throughout Gameshow Pro 5, you'll find cleaner, more modern, professionally designed graphics.

This isn't just beauty for beauty's sake, however. The graphic re-fresh also comes with increased ease-of-use, simplicity in form and an overall-intuitive feel.

GSP5 Back End

The "back end" of the product has also been completely redesigned. This is what the user sees when they are creating a game.

GSP5 Back End--Game Library

A few important feature highlights:

• It's now easier to switch between games, or to choose to only see one game at once (or all of your games).
• The question library is now beside the game questions--making it easier than ever to drag-and-drop questions for fast game creation.
• Tabs are now clearer and easier to navigate, improving the overall user experience.

GSP5 Question Editor

We've also improved the question editor, making it easier than ever to modify the layout of your question, the size and style of your text, your intro hint and info screens, and more.

Gameshow Pro 5 exclusive features include the ability to:

• Modify picture size and layout within the question.
• Manually or automatically size text.

• Add, edit and select to use or not use intro, hint and info screens.
• Select to add graphics, video and sound that you've already imported, or import new media.
• Add question description, topic AND difficulty level for super-easy sorting and sharing.
• Preview the entire question--graphics and all-- before playing the game.

GSP5 Graphic Library

We've increased the functionality of the user's graphic library--making it easier than ever to rename, sort, find, and re-use your graphics. No need to re-import if you want to re-use a graphic--they're all right there in an easy-to-access, easy to sort library.

Tic Tac Toe Title Screen

Are You Smarter Than.... custom title screen

 It isn't just the back end that's had a makeover, we've drastically changed the graphics in the games--including adding dozens of new title screen templates.

Users can still add their own graphics, put text over their own graphics, customize one of our templates AND they can now use any of these professionally-designed title screens.

Smack Down custom title screen

Some of the new game screens.

 In addition to the title screens, the game boards themselves have been redesigned for a fresh, clean look. These game "skins" allow trainers to have a variety of different looks--from corporate-sleek to Hollywood-style splashy--that they can change on a game-by-game basis. Classic game boards are also available.

The class list in AllPlay mode

Re-designed AllPlay screen

 Oh, and did we mention...there are now 7 different games in Gameshow Pro 5?

AND we've incorporated AllPlay functionality into the software? This means that each player can answer game questions using their own keypad—for accurate tracking and assessment—OR players can use slammers to ring-in as a team for an exciting game show experience.

Tic Tac Toe in AllPlay Mode

Currently our Categories, Tic Tac Toe and AllPlay games have AllPlay functionality--designed from the ground up to work perfectly with the natural game play of those programs. Assessment…review…preview…instruction…and more… Gameshow Pro 5 is the most advanced, easy-to-use, exciting and effective game show template software available!

Individual Assessment vs. Team Play

We've talked quite a bit about the strength and appeal of team competition in game shows. However, there are times when individual play may be more appropriate--even in a training setting.

Team Play:
• Allows contestants to be "safe"
• Enables trainees to learn from their peers
• Utilizes competition to add energy to the room
• Allows a trainer to get a general sense of group progress/review en masse, etc.

Individual Play:
• Allows a game show to become a less-stressful assessment tool
• Illuminates individual knowledge gaps
• Caters to those who may be opposed to team play

However, there's a third "blended" approach--team play with audience-response pads--that allows you to both group people on teams, and individually assess them. This mixed approach combines the competitive elements and the supportive environment of a team with the specific assessment element that appeals to the accountability of learning management systems.

1. Find a program that can accommodate the blended individual/team approach--like AllPlay or our upcoming release of Gameshow Pro (version 5)--with individual keypads and team gameplay.
2. Assign keypads to individuals. Usually this can be done beforehand, or you can do this when students are in-classroom.
3. You can either assign students to teams, let them assign themselves, or split the room once students are seated. We recommend seating teams apart from each other so correct answers don't get "passed around". There's still a team cohesion even though team members may not be close in proximity.

Each individual's answer will go to their team's score--the final tally being the total percentage of correct answers per team. On the back end, you can also track individual responses by keypad, but during gameplay, responses can remain anonymous to give the experience of a safe, fun learning environment.

AllPlay at an Event: The Experient Experience.

Imagine taking the classroom audience response experience of an AllPlay game show--every single person playing along, engaged and motivated--and expanding it to a large event audience of ~250.

That's exactly what happened in the Experient event. With the cooperation of our sister company, Live Spark, we produced a customized AllPlay audience response game show that kept everyone in the audience involved, kept the energy in the event high, and reinforced crucial content.

THE CSI SMACKDOWN

The theme of the event was "CSI: Customer Strategy Investigation". The goal was to train the audience (all functionaries within the meeting industry) to be more strategic with their clients. The audience was given a case study before the event--but the key players were unsure whether they would read it and how much they would take away from it. In addition to the case study information, attendees also had to gather "clues" throughout the event. At the end of the event, teams had to present solutions to the case study utilizing the information and clues.

OBJECTIVES:
The "CSI Smackdown"--a customized AllPlay audience-response game show--was developed to:

• Reinforce key case study information.
• Reinforce and point out clues.
• Supplement a few key presentation points from the keynote speaker.
  
• Energize the audience in between sometimes-dry presentations.
• Give everyone equal footing going into the case study presentation.
• Be part of the bigger team challenge throughout the event (game show points for each team were added into their case study scores).
• Keep the audience on-the-lookout for clues (lest they miss any points in the game show!).

GAME PLAY: The audience was divided into four teams. Each member of each team had a keypad--and the percentage of correct responses taken from each person on the team went their team's total score.

The CSI Smackdown was played throughout the four day event in rounds of 2-4 questions each. This was just enough of a "touch" to reinforce information and energize the room without making the event too much about the game show.

Scores accumulated over 4 days, but the second day, points were doubled. The third--tripled, and the fourth--quadrupled. This was so that--in theory--any team had the chance to leap ahead of the pack with a well-played question. This meant that all teams maintained a stake in the game--whether they were the top scoring team, or the bottom of the bunch.

THE RESULTS: Cheering. Energy. Excitement. Buzz about the game show. A little bit of smack-talking.

After each question, the teams saw the right answer, and were taken to a scoring screen. Four columns--one representing each of the teams--started to rise in suspense in accordance with the teams' scores. (Chants of "Go Team X" or "Go Team Y" were heard.) The column of the lowest scoring team would stop. . . then the next. . . then the next. . . and then the room erupted into cheers, high-fives, and a burst of energy as the highest scoring team was revealed. It's amazing the amount of rejoicing takes place after each question. There's nothing like it at an event.

Most importantly--at the end of the game show, teams had a better understanding of the content than when they began. Everyone was on equal footing so they could present their final case studies, and everyone had a heck of a lot of fun.

As seen in this picture below. After all...does that look like a typical corporate event to you?

Case Study: Just What the Doctor Ordered: Learning With Game Shows

Dr. C.W. Gowen supports game show learning format to improve focus and retention.

After finding out about LearningWare in the mid 1990s, Dr. C.W. Gowen has been using the LearningWare game show software product, Gameshow Pro, to train resident doctors at Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters (CHKD) and Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS). This unique training tool has been successfully implemented in the pediatric resident training program.

“The residents really enjoy the gaming formats. They like working in groups to answer questions and competing against other teams.”

Dr. Gowen said his residents have played Gameshow Pro Categories (Jeopardy style), Question Bowl (Quiz Bowl style) and the AllPlay game. “The various teams compete against each other and everyone seems to retain the information much better,” he said.

Since the incorporation of games into the curriculum, more and more of the EVMS departments have asked about the tool, resulting in broader use around the facility for the residency programs. The innovative training technique is used weekly and has helped improve the residents’ pass rate for the Pediatrics Certifying Examination.

“We have incorporated Jeopardy and AllPlay into our Grand Rounds. Quite often, the pediatric residents will compete with the OB/GYN residents. Our pediatric faculty and community pediatricians even play against the residents.”

For the past 10 years or so, Dr. Gowen’s program has hosted the Virginia state competition, which includes teams from each of the five residency programs in Virginia (University of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University, Inova Health System, Navy, and CHKD). Each fall, teams compete for the Williamsburg Cup playing AllPlay and answering questions about pediatrics. CHKD residents are the current champions - having won four of the last five years of competition.

Dr. Gowen also included the game formats and sample games at the annual Accreditation Counsel for Graduate Medical Education (www.acgme.org). The lecture was attended by more than 400 people and received much positive feedback about the use of games in curriculums.

“There were lots of great comments and questions from those in attendance. Hopefully, many purchased the games after they returned to their home programs.”