It's an RPG about surviving grad school.

I just finished semester 1 and the storyboard looks like this:

Game draft link is here: GradLife RPG - Semester 1 by kyronae

I'll give it a shot next week!

aww, thank you. ^.^

Yes I want to try!

I need to catch up with you about what you are up to at some point

<3 Sazzleeeees.

I'm....alive? lol. Mostly good. I have a wonderful partner and I'm trying to finally finish my stupid degree. Rough after losing mom in November, and then we just had our pet hedgie die last week. There've been some rollarcoasters. But I have projects and lovely people and it's been a nice weekend.

How are you doing?

Oh god you lost your mom!!!!?????

I am so sorry!

And you have a partner????????/ <3<3

yeah;; sorry. didn't mean to just drop that. I snuck back on plurk when hospice told us she had 2 weeks left, but I've only been on sporadically

oh gosh.

Me too, just sporadically.

But I feel like I miss out on so much of what's going on in my friends' lives by not being on more regularly.

Can I ask if she had Covid?

or cancer or what happened?

Switched to my computer so I can actually type. lol

hahaha me too

She had early onset Alzheimers. She was only 63.

!!!!!!!

oh wow. That is terrible.

It was a really rapid decline over the past 7 years. She was diagnosed my first year of PhDing

Which....is a good chunk of why I'm only finishing it now

I can only imagine!!

Wait so when do you finish???

And where are you? I know you almost came out here!

Fingers crossed, next summer. And I'm currently in IL

I'm on Chapter 2 of what I hope is 4 in my dissertation

ah ok. So in other words, ABD right now and cruising through

that is fantastic.

what is your topic?

Lol. I've been ABD for a WHILE, but it's finally moving forward. Thank God

well losing a parent is a huge life impact and a very good reason for needing leave of absence.

not to mention you missed some covid years where probably not much of anything was going on.

^.^ Using video games/simulations in the writing classroom to help students make connections between the skill in a classroom context and in more practical, day-to-day contexts

ooooh

Right? Not like we didn't have a global pandemic sending us all into a tailspin

just don't count those years.

I did a classroom study where I had my students build a to-scale campus map in Minecraft

It sounds interesting and fun

oh man my kids would have loved that.

the simulation was that they'd been "hired by our admissions office" to develop a recruitment/retention tool

Then their research paper was a deep-dive into a demographic they thought was valuable/needed more support on campus

figuring out how our resources compared with other schools and where those things were on campus

and then adding that to the map so there'd be visual cues for a visitor to follow and get that information

that is deep!

so many skills wrapped into that.

So they were able to practice research, had an actual audience, and the research paper mimicked a grant-type report for funding

is that like a semester-long project?

Yep! First 3 weeks are learning Minecraft by adding a building to campus. Meanwhile, we're practicing objective summaries and annotations

then it's 3-4 weeks of talking about research questions, starting the initial research, and figuring out a type of primary research they can do to learn more

Late in the semester, they hold a Showcase, where they present on their findings so far...and I invited the actual admissions staff to come and listen and give feedback

do you find the students already know how to play minecraft when they start?

that is fabulous

Usually only a 3rd of them, at most, per class

and a lot of them only know how to play on console

Learning to game on a PC with keyboard controls and a mouse was a whole new skillset

There was some pushback (more than you might expect for getting to play video games in class), but overall I was really happy with it

Of course, I'm figuring out what the data indicates now and, unsurprisingly, there's nothing conclusive that says it worked more than any other approach.

I bet the pushback was because this required them to think.

So after I do a whole lot of explaining about how my data is fairly useless in the long-run, I can talk about the systemic reasons why it couldn't show drastic results

I think the pushback is really interesting actually

A mix of the project being a lot of work and the fact that kids are often scared when they're taking on a project they aren't sure of and they think they're more likely to fail than to succeed.

yes. They like to stick to what they are familiar with. They hate taking on a project where they aren't sure what the outcome will be.

Students who weren't familiar with gaming would get nervous that their struggle with Minecraft would hurt their grade

It was never going to, and I told them that. Some were reassured and either just ignored the game (which was less than ideal but also not the worst thing), some relaxed, and some just got more and more frustrated with it and then gave angry feedback about how it was wasted time

Overall student feedback was neutral or good. So it really was just a handful of overly-stressed kids

also interesting.

Also, yes. I have a wonderful partner I actually proposed to him on Christmas with an engagement choker made by redpyre .

eiesijesijfiesijesijsijifjijfisfio

whaaaaaaat

lol...lemme see if I plurked that

I mean, you probably did. I just am so randomly on here these days.

@kyronae - S-so... I may have half-proposed to the b...

same. lol

linking is just the easiest way, since the babbling is long and nerdy

yes! Just read through

I think it was a great proposal gift

Red did such an amazing job, and he was so happy

Dan was engaged before me, you know, and she turned out to be a dud. And we just celebrated 20 years. Let him know his heart will go on. XD

Yeah, that was quite awesome

lol. Right? His poor luck. But I think we're pretty solid, now. We survived living together 24-7 through the first months of the pandemic and never even shouted (many, many tense words and deep breaths, but no shouting)

I figure if we can make it through that, we can pretty much get through anything

My mom says hanging wallpaper and kayaking are the ultimate tests.

At the very least, if we get trapped in like...a bunker or vault a la Fallout, I already know we won't murder each other

But pandemic is a close second.

ArtWildentanzen: xD

putting together furniture

ArtWildentanzen: My husband tried to teach me to roll my kayak once and it almost lead to me hurling him into the sea.

..............I can somehow picture this so perfectly and....yep. Yeah. I've been there.

There are reasons I won't let Josh teach me tai chi. I don't want to punch him for only doing something I asked him to

oh yeah, no. why invite that stress into the relationship?

Here's a shocker: Moira's taking driver's ed this summer.

slkjdflkdsjfl

How're you feeling? lol

I am feeling complete surrender.

lol. Probably for the best

Also after homeschooling the girls for 10 years, this year they were like we want to go to public school next year.

Well Moira got into some really complex math territory and Mairead was like "I just want to know what gym class is like, and eating in the cafeteria."

And I'm like......

GOOD JOURNEYS, MY CHILDREN.

/ hugs you

I hope they have a really good experience. And you'll be there for them even if they don't

You know, I was feeling really lost and terrible a couple months ago.

really bad. like the worst in years.

but now I am doing better.

I knew eventually they would want to go and I had promised never to stand in the way if they really wanted it.

They both have a lot of friends over there from theater and sports and music stuff.

I get the struggle, though. You want to protect them. And you had a routine

that's a lot of change at once

for them and you

Like instant pivot.

I had next year's curriculum all planned for Mairead. Latin and logic and literature and etc etc etc.

/hugs

And she's just like BUT I JUST WANT TO SIT WITH MY FRIENDS AND SEE WHAT HEALTH CLASS IS LIKE.

I have a feeling she's going to hate it after about 3 months.

that's my bet. But I need to get a job now, so at least for this year she'll have to stick it out.

lol. It's possible. Some parts of it, certainly. But it's not a bad experience to have

No. And she's a good writer now. I taught her to read and write.

I mean that's a big deal.

And you've taught her to be curious

To teach someone to read from day one.

It really, really is

She is obsessed with becoming a broadway star or a barista, and I'm like WHY NOT BOTH AT THE SAME TIME?

lol. That is not implausible

we have pretty open conversations at least.

lol the only time moira was acting weird, it was during the pandemic

and she kept sneaking to her room

and acting like something was on her mind

and I finally confronted her

and I was like, ARE YOU DOING DRUGS?

and she was like, "Mom, I joined the Waste Reduction Committee. We have zoom meetings."

WHY DID THAT HAVE TO BE A BIG SECRET?

...if she managed to get drugs for the first time during the pandemic, I'd almost have to say kudos.

like...I have no idea how someone would manage that if they hadn't already. lol

seriously, although you'd be surprised at how much kids were still hanging out around here.

Fair

It was like being locked down with Greta Thunberg.

xD

Mairead suffered the most because elementary school kids were really the most locked down.

they really were.

She got a little addicted to roblox and her online friends.

and at the time I was like, this is better than no friends at all.

and now I'm glad she has more real life friends to do things with.

so we are weaning off that.

<3

anyway it is past midnight and I am old, I have to go to bed XD

BUT I AM GLAD I GOT TO TALK TO YOU

AND HEAR ALL THE THINGS

<3<3<3 DITTO

<3<3<3