Reflection of the Training for Trainers in Game-based Learning Workshop (Session 1)

I facilitated my first Training for Trainers (TOT) workshop in Creative Multimedia Department this Monday (9 April 2012). Before the training was started, I read a shocking email about the death of a colleague--Dr. Roskang Jailani (http://roskang.blogspot.com). Dr. Roskang was my Head of Department before I left UPSI in March 2008 for my PhD study. It was really hard for me to start the workshop, esp when it is dealt with games and game playing, in which fun is a must. Nonetheless, I should not disappoint others who attended the training. I started by mourning for Dr. Roskang--life must go on.

To me, the aim of conducting TOT among academics in the department is twofold:

• to share knowledge and interest of individual academics, which could keep others aware of the expertise and strength within the department, thus complementing each other in daily academic practices. 
• to prepare ourselves for continuous challenges to be faced when dealing with people in other academic institutions and business entities in the creative industry. 

As my colleagues are experts themselves in their own field of study, thus it was quite awkward to "train" them. But then such session would be a great platform to share knowledge, skills and experience. In sharing, it involves give and take. From the feedback I received, I should be more direct and less "theoretical". Since the trainers will eventually train school teachers, thus the content should be more directive, instead of constructivist. In fact, I was exposing them to possibilities of game, rather than feeding them with existing game-based learning (GBL) solutions. But they expect to pick-up-and-use immediately.

Ideally, one would need to establish the background understanding before he or she start using games in teaching practice, or else misuse might happen, which make the scenario worst then not using games at all. In practice, people are so use to pick-up-and-use approach. This prompted me to review my approach--how to make in-depth theoretical content become pick-up-and-use?

I thank the support of Dr. Zam, my current Head of Department for making the TOT happened. In fact, the TOT was more like a discussion rather than me talking all the time. Herewith slides and presentation recording to share with you.

[The slide presentation plus narration will be placed here later]