Brandon Pittser Archives | Page 2 of 11

Major League Hacking

A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of serving as a judge for MadHacks, the Madison, WI chapter of Major League Hacking (MLH). MLH bills itself as the official student hackathon league, and rightly so! This event was serious business. MLH works with thousands of students on an annual basis, holding over 200 weekend-long invention…

March 20, 2017 // Brandon Pittser

Filament Games | Educational Game Developer

How to Embrace Failure

Dan White wants to talk about failure. Specifically, the way we view failure within the context of education. Many of our educator allies have spoken to us about their sense that sometimes, K-12 education is gripped by a culture of fear that’s driven by standards-based testing regimes and a hierarchy of institutional accountability that can create…

May 17, 2017 // Brandon Pittser

Virtual Reality for Impact

In case you haven’t noticed, we’re Virtual Reality enthusiasts at Filament Games, owed in no small part to the fact that the affordances of this emergent medium are so vast and varied. Virtual Reality is poised to change how we learn, or at least provide us with a new uniquely powerful modality towards that end.…

May 22, 2017 // Brandon Pittser

FGP3-7: Making VR a Reality in the Classroom

In this episode, we’re joined by two incredible educator pioneers who are leading the way towards using VR for learning. Hear from Maria Galanis, Instructional Coach at Shepard Middle School and Andrea Trudeau, Library Information Specialist for Deerfield District 109, as they discuss their best practices for using VR in classrooms. Hot Topics in This…

June 13, 2017 // Brandon Pittser

Speed Sketch! Sennett Middle School

Earlier this year, Filament Games adopted Sennett Middle School, and it’s hard to believe it, but the first school year of our adoption is already over! We’ve already had a ton of amazing experiences with our friends at Sennett, and we can’t wait to see what the next school year brings. Until then, enjoy this…

June 19, 2017 // Brandon Pittser

FGP3-8: Audio Design in Games and VR

In today’s podcast, Brandon and Dan are joined by Filament’s Ethan Cayko for a discussion of practical audio techniques for game development. Tune in for a technical discussion of audio and the ways it can impact a player’s sense of space and immersion. We’ll also discuss the lusory attitude, what exactly is meant by “head-related…

June 20, 2017 // Brandon Pittser

Bloom’s Taxonomy and 21st Century Skills

We draw on quite a few paradigms of thought when we develop games, and fortunately for us there is no shortage of taxonomies and frameworks to be found in the realm of education. Recently, during a casual discussion of educational frameworks (yes, we’re nerds) we decided it might be worth highlighting a few with regards to…

June 21, 2017 // Brandon Pittser

Filament Games Podcast Finale – Episodes 9 & 10

That’s a wrap! Season 3 of the Filament Games podcast is officially concluded with this exciting double-header. Check out our last two episodes of Season 3 below and stay tuned to our Facebook and Twitter to find out what’s next from the Filament Games Podcast team! FGP3-9: Retro Review: The Logical Journey of the Zoombinis…

July 10, 2017 // Brandon Pittser

Getting Patriotic with iCivics

Happy (belated) Fourth of July! Now that the lawn chairs are back in the garage and refrigerators are bursting with leftovers, I’m looking for ways to prolong my lingering sense of patriotism and national pride. Fortunately, iCivics has me covered. Recently updated for 2017, these games from iCivics are a great way to reflect on…

July 5, 2017 // Brandon Pittser

Medical Applications for Virtual Reality

Last time I checked in on the Virtual Reality space I was looking at VR projects that were creating a positive impact on the world, and I found no shortage of material. One thing I was intrigued by was the sheer number of medical projects already underway, so I did some investigation. As it turns…

July 17, 2017 // Brandon Pittser