Project schedule of the open source schools project

Working process

1. Project group entry into platform & chapter division


We will inform each project group individually abou their realistic educational objectives and advise them about their internal planning of the working process according to the information we received in the application form. Every project group can choose a chapter from the comic book provided by us, concerning the life of Eleanor.

2. Instructions for the teachers


Since we do not expect any prior technical knowledge from the teachers, we are starting the first e-learning tutorials in autumn 2008. In seperate modules teachers will be guided through the whole working process and get instructed about the work with Blender 3D. Several exercises will be designed and available for free download on our platform. Later on, these exercises can be used by the students.

3. Historical Research & the comic „Richard Lionheart“

The participants of the project start with historical research to find out more about the Middle Ages, Eleanor's life and the main historical events that have occured during her lifetime. Therefore, we provide the basic information, bibliographical references and the modern comic "Richard Lionheart", which covers the basic data of Eleanor and her family's life. The key aspects of the research, according to the next steps in the working process and the episode chosen by the project group, should be as follows: Who are the main historical characters and what was the sequence of events? How was the history influenced by certain events or decisions? What was life like in the Middle Ages, how were people dressed and how did they live?


4. Storyboard creation


Every project group has to write a short script about the chosen episode. This should include the relevant characters for the episode and the storyline about the main events and decisions characters have to make.


5. Graphic drafts (Figures, landscapes and objects)


The next step is the creation of the visual concept. First of all, students have to choose the figures, landscape elements or objects they want to design themselves for their episode. To make sure that these decisions are realistic, according to the number of members of the project group and the time they want to spend on this project, our team will advise them, since we are all interested in achieving satisfying positive results in the end.


6. Modeling & animation with Blender 3D


Blender is an integrated application that enables the creation of a broad range of 2D and 3D content. Blender provides a broad spectrum of modelling, texturing, lighting, animation and video post-processing functionality in one package. Objects come in many forms, shapes and sizes, so Blender has many different tools available to help you make your model efficiently, to edit, move, rotate and scale objects. In the project Eleonore Digital::Work Together it is the aim that students should design, model and animate only a few elements, figures or objects from their episode, since it is impossible to create a whole animated scene with that little time and prior knowledge. It is far more important that the students experience the basics of all working steps and to discover their full scope of creativity. It is the intention of - Work Together - that students should work together with experts in the fields of graphics and gaming to implement their creative ideas.


5.7. Conception about the games logic & Game Engine


As mentioned above, it is not the intention of the project to leave students alone with all working steps. Quite the contrary it is the intention to link the creativity and ideas of students with the technical know how of 3D-design and gaming experts. For the creation of the game engine, students and experts will have to work together constantly. Since this game will be designed as a life simulation, where the main challenge is that characters have to make decisions, the students have to describe their intended scenarios explicitly, so the experts can create the game engine according to their conceptions.


5.8. Testing & corrections


Before the final game is publicized on the website, students have to test it, to find defaults and obscurities and discuss corrections. Every project group will test the whole game to discuss their impressions on the platform with other participants. 



5.9. Online placement of the game for free availability


After the final testing phase the game will be presented on the project website and offered for free download. This publication should not only be on hand for the participating schools but is going to be promoted to schools all over Europe. We intend to repeat this project and finally publicize a whole learning CD- Rom with all the results.

 


Time schedule

2008:


  • Project planning and preparation for the first test run

  • School year 2008/09:

    First test runapproximately 5 schools are going to join this test run, so we can get impressions about the required capacities and problems in the working process.


Time schedule for the working process

(test run and official project)


  • Procedures over the course of one school year


    • Applications of project groups for the test run/until 31.12. 2008 for the official project starting September 2009. (5.1.)

    • Teacher's tutorials from October until January (5.2.)

    • Project start in February (5.3., 5.4.)

    • Graphic design, modelling & animations starting in March (5.5., 5.6., 5.7.)

    • Conceptions of the gaming engine starting in May (5.8.)

    • Testing in June (5.9.)

    • The final game is available on the website by no later than the beginning of the next school year.