Book Description
In this groundbreaking look at the future of education, game scientist David Williamson Shaffer offers a new and powerful way of looking at school, technology, and even thinking itself: a new model of education for a high-tech, digital world of global competition. How Computer Games Help Children Learn looks at how particular video and computer games can help teach our children and students to think like doctors, lawyers, engineers, urban planners, journalists, and other professionals. In the process, new "smart games" will give them the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in a changing world.
Customer Reviews:
A Fascinating Concept of Games; needs more research.......2007-03-25
David Shaffer proposes here that we educate children by having them do the things adults do--only by simulating them in game form. This is an idea I haven't run across before, and I think it may have real merit.
I have a nine-year-old son who attends public school. His school spends a lot of money and effort on computer learning, but I have been frankly underwhelmed by the results. The educational software I've seen doesn't strike me as much of an advance over flash cards--just a lot more expensive. I consider myself generally a skeptic on the whole subject of computers in the classroom.
Shaffer's point is that not just any learning software will have educational benefits. The software must be a serious attempt to simulate the sort of tasks that adults do, such as running a business or designing a building. Shaffer calls these epistemic games. Shaffer's descriptions of some of these games do sound interesting, and he provides some evidence that children learn a lot from them. Shaffer's research seems to have dealt mainly with teenagers; his evidence for the benefits of these games seems much less solid for younger children.
I can't say that I'm convinced that computers in the classroom are worth the costs, but after reading Shaffer's book I'm willing to at least consider the idea. Shaffer may indeed have something here that could be a significant step forward in education.
That said, Shaffer's research strikes me as very preliminary. His studies involved only a few kids, who were far from randomly selected. The teachers were hand-picked, highly motivated, and interested in the subject they were teaching. The ratio of teachers to students was high, and the teachers put in a lot of effort. The kids were followed up for only a short time. This is a long way from being proof that the epistemic game concept works. In my opinion, it's very unlikely that conditions this favorable for learning could be maintained for large numbers of children for a long period at reasonable cost. Teachers putting in that kind of effort burn out quickly. Would epistemic games work with ordinary kids being taught by an ordinary teacher? Who knows? If this sounds like I'm being a bit of a sourpuss, the fact is that the history of education is absolutely replete with "reforms" that worked well with a few kids and a select group of teachers, but failed to improve education in the long term. American schools today are in very sad shape. Much of the blame for that goes to well-meaning educational reforms that were implemented too hastily, without evidence that they really improved educational outcomes for most children.
Overall, though, Shaffer's book is interesting and well worth reading.
innovative play.......2007-01-25
In this book, Shaffer takes the conversation about games and their relevance to society in general, and for children's learning in particular, to a new level. In a world where standardized thinking is rapidly being encapsulated in machines or outsourced, he says, education ought to be about providing young people with opportunities to learn innovative ways of thinking.
Which is where computer games come in: these games "are significant because they let us think in new ways" (p.191).
While touring a variety of video and other games, the book is centrally concerned with a new kind of game called an "epistemic game." In these games, players physically take on professional roles, like that of an engineer or architect, and use computers (and mentors/peers) to identify and solve problems - to think - like professionals.
In each of its six chapters, the book explores a specific epistemic game, such as Digital Zoo (about engineering), through a particular professional dimension, such as the specific "Knowlege" or "Values" of an engineer. (Promising commercial games are discussed along similar lines at the end of each chapter as well.) As a result, the book moves easily back and forth between personal stories and impressive studies, helping readers connect solid research on game playing with important learning theories.
This book is a must read for anyone interested in games, learning, and compelling visions for how to transform education.
A better way to teach today's kids... and then some........2007-01-11
Dr. Shaffer aims high and really hits the mark. Most recent, successful books about learning and video games go for the seasoned computer aficionado (me), or the rank computer newbie (my husband). Rarely do they target both. Shaffer's topics are deep and wide, but his language is fluid and unassuming; as a result, both audiences will find useful chunks of knowledge that resonate.
It is not hard to understand why todays twelve-year-olds would rather play SIMS or DOOM than finish their math homework. Shaffer (and his excellent team of graduate students) makes a very compelling case for why those experiences need not be mutually exclusive. In fact, if the games in the book become more the standard in U.S. schools, there might indeed be hope for our kids in the world-wide digital market after all.
Book Description
Get ready to look at books in a whole new way! These unique projects consist of far more than paper stitched between cardboard covers. Instead, they showcase a host of fabulous features and magically unfold like a map, contain cards that slip into pockets, include pop-ups perfect for celebrating all types of occasions, and tell stories on a scroll. There's even one that unrolls like a movie. And kids will really enjoy choosing the style that's just right for what they want to say and do--so their message will come through loud and clear. Gwen Diehn, whose work critics have called "remarkably creative and inspiring"* and "outstanding,"** makes crafting easy with her superb explanations of tools and techniques.
"What is wonderful about this title is the author's ability to interest and convince readers that they, too, can become creators....Great ideas for inspiring projects."--School Library Journal
*From Library Journal, for Simple Printmaking
*From Booklist, for Nature Crafts for Kids
Customer Reviews:
Great for teaching children.......2006-08-26
I recently purchased this book and have found it to be a terrific resource for teaching children how to make beautiful books.The instructions and diagrams are easy to follow and very clear. My favourite is the T.V. book. The children in my class had a blast making these books.
Good Reference.......2006-08-20
Good ideas for books to make with kids, and also some basic ideas to further explore in more complex books.
Great Book for Kids.......2006-06-04
I used several ideas in this book to teach an afterschool bookmaking class for K-3rd graders. The books are eye-catching and pretty simple to make, although I did a bit of prep work for the kids.
It was really wonderful to see how much the children loved their projects. They were extremely creative and innovative too, every child made the book their own by doing something interesting or different with the materials provided. This is in stark contrast to several adult bookmaking classes I've taken, where the adult students want to recreate the teacher's book EXACTLY.
Anyway, I highly recommend this book to anyone is willing to spend some time making books with kids. Children older than 4th grade MIGHT be able to use this book independently, depending on their experience and motivation.
Regardless, I think this book is wonderful for showing kids just how fascinating and rewarding it can be to make their very own books.
Book Description
Stickers surround us. Whether stuck to walls, signs, mailboxes and other elements of urban furniture, or to car bumpers, helmets and messenger bags, they represent a growing culture fascinated by the various forms and expressions, the myriad of messages, or the lack thereof. This book explores the fetish. From the designers and artists that create the stickers to represent their work and ideas, to the collectors and members of the new generation which utilize them to assert there own individual style. Stickers have become a new form of communication. This book is divided into various sections including: Urban Art, Cutie, Bumper, Artistic, and more. Includes work by: Airside, APE, Alife, Beatservice, Buro-destruct, Build, Delaware, Devilrobots, Flipsflopflyin, Garrettch, Gwg, Groovisions, Happypets, Issey Miyake, Peepshow, Rinzen, Michael Lau, Shepard Fairey, Sticker Nation, Moshino Katsura, Deanne Cheung and Young Kim.
Customer Reviews:
the best packing ever.......2007-10-01
i love my stickers book. it have a great packing an excellent content, everything an artist needs.
Book Description
From early saints and martyrs such as Saint Patrick, Francis of Assisi, and Joan of Arc to the first American saint, Elizabeth Ann Seton, the lives of saints and martyrs make fascinating reading. Covering the stories of more than fifty saints and martyrs, this treasury offers personal histories of each saint, tales of their most famous deeds, and information on patron saints. Illustrated with art from stained-glass windows and illuminated manuscripts as well as masterpieces of painting by Caravaggio, Goya, Ingres, Titian and many others, the book also includes a calendar of Saints' Days and an explanation of what it takes to make a saint. Chock full of interesting stories and quotes from the saints themselves, The Treasury of Saints and Martyrs is an invaluable reference work--and wonderful reading, too.
Customer Reviews:
Reads more like history than like enjoyable stories.......2005-07-07
This book has the attraction of high gloss pages with 1-4 pages per saint, but I would not recommend it for children. It reads more as a historical text than as true stories. It covers 46 different saints. The saints are covered chronologically from Mary and Joseph to Elizabeth Seton (1774-1821). Each saint is covered in 1-2 pages. The pages are 11 1/2 in. by 9 in., much of the space covered with beautiful pictures. The saints under each section heading are as follows:
EARLY DAYS....................ROMAN EMPIRE....................MIDDLE AGES
Mary..................................Antony of Egypt......................Hildegard
Joseph...............................Martin of Tours.......................Thomas a Becket
John the Baptist..................Nicholas.................................Francis of Assissi
Peter.................................Basil.......................................Dominic
Andrew..............................Augustine................................Catherine of Siena
Paul...................................Patrick....................................Thomas Aquinas
Thomas.............................Columba..................................Birgitta of Sweden
James...............................Benedict..................................Joan of Arc
John..................................Gregory the Great....................Ignatius Loyola
Matthew............................Bede.......................................Francis Xavier
Mark.................................Boniface..................................Teresa of Avila
Luke..................................Cyril........................................Martin de Porres
Christopher........................Methodius................................Rose of Lima
Veronica............................Wenceslas...............................Vincent de Paul
Early Martyrs.....................Stanislaus................................Louise de Marillac
.........................................Elizabeth of Hungary.................Elizabeth Seton
Inspiring imagery of heavenly inhabitants.......2000-06-19
A beautifully illustrated rendition of the lives of the most common Saints. If anything was left out of the history of any particular Saint, the images make up for it. I give it only 4 stars, due to small inaccuracies which should have been worked out with a little more research, and some misleading myths about Catholicism have crept into this work (hopefully by accident), such as the sale of indulgences. A good source of information for anyone wishing to make an introductory trip into the lives of the Saints, and how their example has led others to sanctity.
Book Description
The integration of new technologies with traditional storytelling drives the development of an exciting new kind of interactive story form that will involve audiences as active participants. This book provides a solid foundation in the fundamentals of classical story and game structure and discusses the surprising difficulties in bringing these two activities together. With this foundation in place, Glassner presents several ideas for ways to move forward in this appealing quest.
The author's conversational and friendly style make reading a pleasure.
Customer Reviews:
It is about time..........2004-11-28
With so much talk about stories, games and interactivity, it is about time there is such a comprehensive book about the convergence of all these concepts. Andrew Glassner not only captures the present trends and experiments going on in these areas, but has presented an in-depth background and methodology of each. The advantage of this book is that it is from perspective of someone that has pioneered developments in each of these areas. His casual writing style allows us to enter the creative thought process evaluating such diverse examples and creative relationships.
This book is not for everyone. It is a challenging read with such a broad spectrum of references, nomenclature, cultures. How do you get it into one book with the continuity of a single voice? Mr. Glassner seems to have achieved it. Digital interactive storytelling is an emerging art form that incorporates and challenges traditions, conventions and techniques from all story mediums. The book, Interactive Storytelling, becomes an expert roadmap offering a well organized journey through all facets of play, games and stories. It includes critical insights into the challenges and pitfalls of each. If you are serious about participating in the creation of the future of story and interactivity, it is a must own reference. No one book has been able to cover as much at the level of detail needed to be considered an expert reference. Even though there are many complementary books on more focused aspects of story, games and play, this book serves as a central hub of how such various ideas interrelate..
After a life time of earning a living from interactivity and stories, it is good to know you can always learn more. I recommend this book to anybody training or developing content for the future of interactive of entertainment
Exploring the convergence of Games and Stories.......2004-11-10
Lots of people have been thinking recently about the holy grail of computer games, that is the melding of good quality stories with fun computer games. On the surface, this seems like it should be easy, get some good writers together with some game programmers and voila, great things should result. This excellent book shows why things are not nearly as simple as they might appear to be.
The book first starts out with a basic summary of story structure peppered with examples from common movies and familiar literature. While this is a review for many, it serves as an easy read for the game programming side of the audience. It also helps establish a language so that everything can be discussed in a common way.
The next section discusses all games, not just computer games and looks at some of the elements that makes these games engaging and entertaining. Also a review for many, but helpful for the author side of the audience.
Finally, the really important section of the book looks at why these areas come into conflict. One fairly basic idea, which is that authors advance a story through conflict in the characters and that if a person has control of a character, they might justifiably choose to avoid conflict puts the author and the gameplayer at odds with each other. Another example shows why the commonly held notion of branching narrative structure has yet to yield a compelling experience.
While many of these ideas seem obvious, it's clear that they are NOT obvious to many of the game designers out there who over and over again fall into the same traps that are described clearly in this book. The great part of this book is that it pulls together these ideas in one place, with a common language for discussion all in a clear, conversational style. While the book doesn't offer a silver bullet solution to the merging of narrative and interaction, it does show clearly where first, naive assumptions can lead to supposed solutions that simply don't work.
This book is for anyone who's interested in the principles of game design from a high level, and not just pushing bits to make the next, best looking, video game. It belongs on the bookshelf along with other great explorations in the field including Chris Crawford's The art of Interactive Design.
Brings interesting ideas into the mix.......2004-11-08
This book first gives an education in the elements of storytelling and in game design. Once this basis is established, the book then delves into the various issues and contradictions involved in the idea of interactive storytelling.
The first half of the book is an introduction to the fields of storytelling and of game design. While I already was fairly well informed about some areas covered, it was worth reading through, as there were interesting tidbits along the way. Glassner's writing style is engaging and enjoyable, and his frequent use of real-life examples makes even normally dry, definitional material interesting.
The meat of the book is its exploration of the contradictions inherent in the idea of interactive storytelling and its proposal of some solutions. How do you resolve the idea of someone designing a story with dramatic elements yet have a player feel in control of his destiny? One extreme is the "Planescape: Torment" school of having only one story path you can follow. It can be an entertaining one, but the person playing is mostly doing tasks so that the next part of the story is revealed, vs. making the story himself. The other extreme is "The Sims", more a dollhouse than a game (though "The Sims 2" is more gamelike), where there are a few story-like elements and considerable freedom of action. Here the story is told almost entirely inside the player's head, as the player imbues his character's actions with meaning (e.g., "my character is staying home on the couch because he's depressed about his inability to get into art school").
Glassner explores what is good and bad about current offerings and offers some possible solutions. Classic problems are covered, such as how some computer game task cannot be overcome by the player, thereby breaking the story flow and also making the game unfinishable. One solution he discusses is having the game notice when such a hurdle is encountered and attempt to make the task ease up in order for the game to progress. This goes against the grain on one level, as people consider getting through some games as accomplishments; if the challenge changes depending on the player, this feeling is diluted. But if the goal is to actually allow all interested players to finish the game and the story, this solution makes perfect sense.
It is the exploration of ideas like these that make the whole book a worthy addition to the literature. Is the goal of the experience being designed to tell an engaging story, or to provide the reader mental and physical challenges within some themed framework? Can both elements ever coexist? Games that purport to tell stories have, to me, been mostly a failure to date. Yes, there might be a climactic series of challenges to overcome at the end with a certain dramatic tension, but my normal feeling at finishing such games is "whew, glad that's over, it was a ton of work to overcome all those starfighters/dinosaurs/orcs at that last system/island/dungeon." Or worse yet, the relief is often along the lines of, "thank the gods I don't have to do that repetitive task/walk those corridors yet again/delivery yet another frobitz to those people anymore." Compare this to reading a book with a wonderful ending, where there is no sense of work or boredom.
So, what is great about this book, for me, is that it challenges me to rethink many of the elements of storytelling and gameplaying and how these can work together. It brings these areas and their overlap into focus, questions current flawed attempts to reconcile the two, and, ultimately, makes you think about what entertainment itself is. Some ideas from this book have stuck with me; you owe it to yourself to read it if you have an interest in this field. It won't change your life, but it's likely to influence how you think about things.
Amazing.......2004-11-02
I never would have believed that someone could talk so much without having anything to say. I'm positively amazed.
I've waded through this book for hours trying to find even a shred of a concept among the heaped piles of trivia, irrelevancies, flawed arguments, bold and baseless assertions, large amounts of poorly analyzed information and fantastically impractical propositions, not to mention the incessant repetitions of said.
The fact is, this book contains neither illuminating theories nor useful practical suggestions, but only seemingly random (albeit grammatically compatible) sentences strung together in what must be the most extravagant display of Da-Da intellectualism to ever see print.
For example, after stating that on the one hand, the merging of games and stories seems natural and desirable, and on the other hand it has proven more difficult than expected (by whom?), the author treats us to this piece of sublime poetry:
"The quest to find a way to combine storytelling and gaming has all the qualities of a great story or game: there's a noble goal to be achieved, difficulties to overcome through understanding and insight, and success to be won by the careful use of skill, planning and execution".
This self-indulgent babble fills the book's pages to the point of choking. Another episode of it is exemplified when the author is considering the proper term to call users of his "participatory storytelling" idea, kindly sharing his profound thinking processes with the reader:
"What shall we call the people participating in these stories? I like players; someone taking part in a game is called a player, as is a performer in a play or film. Since a person participating in a story environment is doing a bit of each activity, the term "player" seems both fitting and economical".
Thanks to Mr. Glassner for his enlightening elucidations.
Later in the book, the author arrives at a conclusion that several difficulties that he claims to be inherent to interactive storytelling require the transition to a new aesthetic goal, which he calls "participatory storytelling". In addition to the fact that it is impossible to yield from this text either an intelligent overview of these difficulties, a coherent argument as to the superiority of "participatory storytelling", or even a solid definition of it, it seems the author has actually no grasp of the considerations relating to the subject matter. Mr. Glassner suggests, for example, the use of a fantastic science fiction technology he calls "living masks". A living mask, we are told, is a form of "interpreter" assigned to the player, who translates that player's input into the story world, transforming it into a more professional performance. In other words, this "mask" is supposed to be able to understand the player's intention, and then express it in a way that is more theatrical and more "in character" than a non-professional player would be able (or, Mr. Glassner claims, would want) to achieve. A computer rephrasing a human's speech to be more theatrical! Changing his tone to express more emotion! Manipulating his facial expressions to be more like "professional" acting! If this is at all possible, which is in doubt, this technology would certainly consume lifetimes to achieve!
But technology is not the only thing that the author seems to have no grasp of. Not by a long shot. The book drudges through an exhausting overview of what differentiates stories from games (Based, of course, on the mislead assumption that Story + Game = Interactive Storytelling). Since this comparison is about as appropriate as asking what differentiates a symphony from a papaya, Mr. Glassner has to invent some highly imaginative points of comparison which, other than providing an opportunity for several obscene atrocities committed against the English language as regards the definition of certain terms, stretched beyond recognition to be applicable to both stories and games, like the claim that both stories and games have a "referee" of some sort, have very little value. But even within his own twisted semantics, he simply doesn't seem to grasp the core concepts. When comparing the rules of games to those of stories, he focuses on stories, saying that their rules are hard to define because they are dependant on many practicalities - the laws of physics, the capabilities of the characters, or the ramifications of some actions. He's got it all backwards - all of these are the exact considerations which decide the rules of computer games. Stories, all stories, have one, and only one constant and inescapable set of rules - the rules of narrative.
It seems Mr. Glassner's understanding of interactivity is no better than his understanding of storytelling or games. He bemoans what he calls "The Myth of Interactivity: more interactivity makes any experience better". It's hard to say who exactly Mr. Glassner thinks are the subscribers to this "myth". After all, I've yet to hear someone express a wish that food or music, for example, were interactive, however that could possibly be achieved, yet these activities are among those most enjoyed by people the world over.
The examples given by Mr. Glassner serve both to undermine his point as to the overestimation of interactivity and to demonstrate that he, himself, has no idea of what interactivity is:
"Interactivity itself is hardly novel or interesting: an ATM is interactive... and the automatic doors in front of a supermarket are interactive. The whole world is filled with interactive experiences, from waving down a cab to sharpening a pencil".
For all of these activities save the last, the author is correct in claiming that they are, strictly speaking, interactive. The part about the pencil sharpening is outright puzzling. However, all these activities are perfect examples of why increased interactivity is better: first, they are the simplest, silliest forms of interactivity. Supporting a claim to the overestimation of interactivity with these examples is like supporting a claim to the overestimation of reading with the example of bumper stickers. Furthermore, each and every one of these activities could be improved with more interactivity. The interaction with an ATM would be much more interesting if, for example, it gave you financial advice instead of just spewing out cash, listening to your concerns and recommending a proper course of action. A door at the supermarket would be much more interesting if you could ask it for directions to the different products you're looking for, and a cab ride is improved immeasurably if you have an engaging conversation with the driver. Improve the interactivity of these experiences, and you improve their value (To learn more about interactivity, read Chris Crawford's book on the subject, and while you're at it, read his one on interactive storytelling, too).
What passes for a main argument in this forgettable book is that interactivity and stories conflict because stories are meticulously construed by master craftsmen and therefore cannot brook interference from the audience without being destroyed. And since this "interference" is the essence of interactivity, the two are incompatible. If Mr. Glassner were correct, which he most certainly is not, then it would be impossible to wed the two - this would be a shotgun marriage with neither party gaining anything, and the only question being how much each would lose on behalf of the other. As Mr. Glassner would have it, the interactive part would lose dramatically while the story would lose little (The storyteller retains control of the main characters, their actions and emotions, with the players making secondary contributions). An understandable position for a screenwriter.
However, what the author fails to see is that story and interactivity can actually be combined in a way that benefits both parties instead of simply making both lose their soul. This, however, requires a major paradigm shift because it is simply impossible to deal with the concept in the terms of current artistic media. The result will be nothing like traditional games and it will be nothing like traditional stories. It will have a different contract between storyteller and audience than that Mr. Glassner is howling like a frenzied fundamentalist to preserve, and it will have a very different kind of interactivity than that of a computer game, let alone the sports games that Mr. Glassner seems so interested in for some reason (being, is it were, the farthest thing from relevant to the subject which can still be termed "game"), and it will have a very different definition for the role of storyteller - to create a system of narrative possibilities out of which hundreds of thousands of moving and powerful stories can be constructed using the user's input. Is it possible? Yes. Do we have the technology? Yes. Will Mr. Galssner's book take us any closer to it? Don't bet on it.
After having despaired and having been irritated beyond measure in my attempts to extract even a modicum of benefit or interest from this oversized doorstop, I literally threw it away with force. Avoid doing the same with your time and money.
Book Description
Wouldn?t you love to create really great art for your games? The kind of art that keeps players coming back for more? Now you can! Game Art for Teens is full of step-by-step, hands-on projects that allow you to begin creating art right away. Each project includes easy-to-follow examples that help you master each concept, making it easy to put what you?ve learned to use in your own games. You?ll cover all of the basics?from 2D art creation and animation to 3D models, lighting, and reflections. Set the scene for your game by creating realistic settings, including buildings, terrain, rooms, and corridors. Draw players into your game by designing, developing, and animating compelling characters. Bring it all together as you cover game platforms and technical limitations. With a little bit of skill, a lot of imagination, and Game Art for Teens, the possibilities are endless!
Customer Reviews:
What an excellent book.......2005-02-05
I really rate this book, i am a professional game developer and trainer and i just think this book is amazing. It is really good quality, the explanations are clear and it covers all the necessary material as it should be.
It is an excellent Maya set of tutorials and is cheap and in full color ( some of the pics are a little small, slight complaint)
Only real gripe is that the title is wrong, i would have like to have seen some of the art brought into a game engine. But will give it 5 stars anyway as i like it so much
Average customer rating:
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Developing An Information Literacy Program K-12: A How-To-Do-It Manual and CD-Rom Package (How to Do It Manuals for Librarians)
Iowa) Iowa City Community School District (Iowa City
Manufacturer: Neal-Schuman Publishers
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ASIN: 1555703321 |
Book Description
The ability to make decisions by locating and using needed information may well be the key skill for success in the 21st Century. Here is all the information you need to implement this proven integrated curriculum in your school. Developed by the recipient of the 1997 National Library Media Program of the Year Award, this easy-to-follow manual provides a complete information literacy model with a matrix for recording which units cover which skills.
Included are a K-12 curriculum with details on when key basic information, research, and production skills should be introduced, expanded, and reviewed and over 100 pages of model lesson plans and units for specific curricular areas. This unique how-to provides planning and assessment forms, 100 possible student products (such as photo essays, I-Search papers, and hypermedia stacks), and all necessary documentation - assessment tools, sample forms, in-service and policy documents. The accompanying CD-ROM contains the forms, handouts, and transparencies needed to teach the lesson plans and units.
Customer Reviews:
Amazingly Useful!.......1999-01-23
This is one of the most useful books I have found for educational purposes. It provides solid information, but even better it has forms /work sheets. These are located in the book (for Xeroxing) and on the CD-ROM (for printing). You can alter the forms on the computer (CD-ROM) if you need to. For teachers, or librarians who work with the Internet and database programs, this is great.
Book Description
With a computer paint or drawing program, a printer, crayons, and a little imagination, kids can explore the world of color and the endless design possibilities of a computer by crafting multi-media art. This four-color activity book combines this tool of today with an old favorite—the crayon. Kids will learn how to print out and paint a picture frame; use a mouse to create a Matisse masterpiece; create a kite of rainbow colors; and more while learning about primary, secondary, and complementary colors. Crayons and Computers includes ideas to extend crayon creations beyond the confines of paper and into cyberspace.
Customer Reviews:
Fantastic book for integrating art with the computers!.......1998-10-11
My daughter is an art teacher and went to the workshop. She loved the book and the workshop. I have another daughter that is computer teacher. She asked me to get her a copy. The best book any of us have seen that helps integrate art and computers. The visuals are fantastic! Great job!
Book Description
Host of public television's Mark Kistler's Imagination Station, shows young artists the cool and fun way to draw in 3-D!
Hey, you! Open this book and learn how to draw in three dimensions! Mark Kistler's Imagination Station has thirty-six exciting drawing adventures. Mark teaches you the different skills you need in order to create such masterpieces as:
* Dinosaurs in the Sky
* The Cool Cloud Colony
* The Magnificent Moon Base
* The Delightful Diving Dolphins
* Professional Pollution Patrollers
* Super Solar System
* And thirty other excellent adventures that will have you drawing like this:
There's also a special guide for parents and teachers at the end of the book.
Customer Reviews:
A great beginning for any age.......2005-07-21
While aimed at kids, this is a great place to start at any age. If you have been looking at other drawing books, and the books you have seen before only make it harder, your search is over. Mark makes it easy for anyone at any age to get basic drawing skills, the building blocks you need to get started. He teaches the skills that other books make seem complex, without the stress or making it go over your head. His way of teaching is simply the easiest method a person can have to start drawing. And if the books are good, his old show on PBS and his videos are even better. Mark makes drawing so fun kids beg to use the book again and again. He does not start by intimidating you with the completed project, in fact you don't always know what you are drawing until you are done. He takes you one line, circle, or square at a time and before you know it you have a fun drawing. I also reccommend you try the books from Ed Emberly, or check my lists on Amazon for kids that want to learn to draw, or be a cartoonist or animator.
Excellent drawing tutorial for kids and for kids-at-heart.......2002-12-20
I bought this book to relearn how to draw properly. While the book is directed at a young audience, adults-at-heart like me will benefit from the drawing principles such as foreshortening, placement, size, overlapping, shading and shadowing, contour and horizon (plus 1 and 2 point perspectives). My disappointments were that a few later lessons repeat previous lessons and that it uses blank pages after each lesson for you to practice on. I suggest you use a separate sheet of paper to do this so you can pass this book to your kids and their kids and so on and so forth. Despite these, I still rate it 5 stars.
I can now draw simple everyday objects both as cartoons and as realistically as I can. They're not professional quality yet, the book recommends daily practice until they are and that's exactly what I'm doing.
This isn't the only book you should buy though if you want to draw artistically. In my case, I'd like to draw comics-style characters and objects so I can move on to animating them later. I got Tom Alvarez's "How to Create Action, Fantasy and Adventure Comics" (separately reviewed) which is also an excellent how-to book.
Want to learn to draw .....start here.......2000-11-16
Mark Kistler's books are EXCELLENT for anyone who want to learn to draw. The layout of the book is fun easy to follow. Although it is geared toward children it is appropriate for a beginner adult. It starts with simple concepts and gradually builds on what you've already learned. Anyone at any age will be impressed by what you will be drawing in a short amount of time. I bought this book for my children and was so impressed , I started drawing myself. My children love this book and so do I.
Page after page of drawing fun!.......2000-04-11
Mark Kistler's books are wonderful, entertaining books that canteach anyone (of any age) how to draw! I bought his books for my sons,and I quickly became a devoted fan and an avid drawing maniac myself! The book is packed with pages of fun drawings, as well as 'story starters' in which kids are asked to complete the story. Mark's enthusiasm for drawing and story-telling just bubbles up out of the pages of this book. As a mom, I appreciate his encouragement for kids to watch less tv, say NO to violent video games and drugs, and to expand their brain power by getting involved in art. This book is a 'must have' for all teachers and parents who would like to see their kids motivated to express their creativity and feel good about their drawing ability.
After working with this book, even you can draw!.......2000-02-12
If you think you stink at drawing, think again! Mark Kistler shows you how, step by step, to draw pictures that really look like something and tell a story besides!
Average customer rating:
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A Different Tune (Start to Read Series)
School Zone Publishing Company Staff
Manufacturer: School Zone Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Computers
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Ages 4-8
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
Reading Skills
| Words & Language
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0887435742 |
Book Description
Two Great Ways to Learn!
Double the fun and learning using the latest interactive technology and traditional storybook. The CD-ROM and the book contain the same two entertaining stories. Both stories include repeated and rhyming words plus illustrations with lots of picture clues to ensure reading success for beginners.
Minimum System Requirements
Windows- Microsoft Windows 98, or 95.
16 MB RAM 640x480x256 Color Video
8-Bit Sound Card
486-66 MHz or faster processor
40 MB free disk space
2x CD-ROM drive
Windows- Microsoft Windows 3.1.
8 MB RAM
640x480x256 Color Video
8-Bit Sound Card
486-33 MHz or faster processor
32 MB free disk space
2x CD-ROM drive
Mac OS- Mac OS System 7.1 or higher.
16 MB RAM
640x480x256 Color Video
8-Bit Sound Card
68040 or faster processor
32 MB free disk space
2x CD-ROM drive
Books:
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- Literacy for the 21st Century: A Balanced Approach (4th Edition)
- Literacy for the 21st Century: A Balanced Approach (4th Edition)
- Literacy for the 21st Century: A Balanced Approach (4th Edition)
Books Index
Books Home
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