Monday, July 15, 2019

Incorporating a Choice Array in PowerPoint Game Resources

Better late than never! A few years back I discovered how to incorporate a choice array into Animated Step-by-Steps®  that lent themselves to this treatment. 

In Helping Mister Potato Head, for example, students are invited to help Mister Potato Head  choose the correct body part from a field of three body parts.

Similarly, My Little Wagon encourages students to choose a specific toy (e.g., big red ball)  from field of 5 toys. The requested toy is then placed in a little red wagon.

I've recently added another resource to this roster of 'choice-driven' interactive resources.


Cars in a Row is an Animated Step-by-Step patterning game.  Given the instructions, "Don't mess with my cars!", Little Sister can't resist re-arranging the original pattern of Big Brother's car display … not once but several times. With each new pattern, students are invited to guess the color car to be added next (chosen from a field of 3 colored cars). Incorrect guesses receive a mildly negative 'huh ugh'; a correct choice drops the correct colored car into place in the 'pattern line'. 




You would think this 'choice-driven' component of the game would be simple, but it's actually quite complex to build in a choice array that provides correct feedback … while still providing an affirming consequence, i.e., the correct colored car falling into place. 

Here's the secret: 

Choice Rectangle/Platform:

The three car choices are placed on a rectangle that has been assigned the action, play sound - silence, i.e., a sound that's really not a sound … it's just recorded silence). To assign the action, Play Sound – Silenceright click on the rectangle graphic … select Action Settings … click the Play Sound box on the bottom of the list … select the sound silence (that you have created and imported). Now when a child touches the rectangle, nothing happens. The animation sequence does not move forward. The rectangle serves as a safe zone. 

Incorrect Choice Foils:

The foils (the wrong answers) for the question, "What color car is next?" are assigned a 'mildly negative, huhugh' response using the Play sound action. To achieve this goal, right click on the car graphic … select Action Settings … click the Play Sound box on the bottom of the list …select Other Sound … select the sound 'huh ugh' (or whatever you want to use to denote wrong answer). Assign the sound 'huh ugh' to both foils. 

Correct Answer:

The correct answer triggers an animation that drops the correct colored car into the pattern line. The graphic for the 'correct car' should have no assigned sound or action. As a result, it will trigger the next animations in the animation sequence, i.e.,  changing the grey car into the correct colored car and dropping that car into the pattern line. 

Hope this proves helpful in your attempts to design interesting, interactive resources. 

Now I must resist the urge to go back and retrofit resources created before the 'aha!' moment.  


…’til the next post …  (new posts every Monday)

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©2019 Carol Goossens’, Ph.D.
Augmentative Communication Consultant
Speech-Language Pathologist
Special Educator