The latest edition of Interface Magazine is about to hit all schools in New Zealand in time for the start of term 2.  In this edition of the magazine is my latest article written for them.  You can read it here http://www.interfacemagazine.co.nz/articles.cfm?c_id=26&id=432 The article discusses the huge potential that gaming and problem solving has in the classroom.  I have just spent a week in the South Island on the westcoast in Greymouth and Westport working with students and teaching them how to problem solve through using Gamemaker as a vehicle.  I have encouraged those students who I worked with to send me their completed work and have promised to publish their work onto the wiki that I produced for the event.  One student has already sent his work through and you can see his work and download it for your own gaming pleasure from the following wiki:  http://westcoast2010.wikispaces.com/Gamemaker Whilst you are there you might also like to look at some of the other work that I did whilst I was there.  I am currently uploading to http://blip.tv a video of one of the presentations I made and will embed this into the relevant wiki page in due course.

I have spent the last three days in Greymouth.  I had been invited down to the Westcoast by Gurden Consulting as a result of them seeing one of my presentations at Ulearn last October.  I flew into Hokitika on Sunday in what has to be the smallest commercial aircraft I have ever travelled in!  The first officer was doing everything, welcoming us on board, closing the doors etc.  It was a narrow, short, noisy turbo prop plane that did its job and flew me from Christchurch over the southern alps to the west coast.

Once in Greymouth, via Hokitika airport I have been working every day.  I have run four student workshops on Gamemaker and have also run a single workshop on Pencil Animation.  In addition I have also given two presentations, one to the local community and business leaders of the Greymouth district and one to a cohort of local teachers.  My presentations can be seen on the wiki that  I have made for the occasion.  My exploits on the coast have also made it into the local paper the Greymouth Evening Star!

After my final presentation today, I have been driven up to Westport to repeat the program again.   I love this part of New Zealand and it was a real treat to drive up the coast as the westerly whipped up the surf on the Tasman and watch the sun go down.  I am normally driving, so this time it was a treat to look and not concentrate.  I saw plenty of Weka on the way up.  It is a magic drive.

Tomorrow we start again.