SPE 2023 Annual Conference; Game-Based Learning Presentation

Written by Captain Carol

Educator, Artist, Designer, and Founder of the Blackwater Buccaneers. Captain Carol began educational tabletop games while pursuing her MFA in Visual Communication Design at Jacksonville State University.

August 14, 2022

Special SPE Offer

As a special thank you to my SPE family enjoy an ongoing 20% discount on Lumen PhotoVocab Game Education Edition in our online shop. Visit SPE’s Educational Offers webpage to find the discount code for checkout!

🎁 Want to try Lumen for free?
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🛒 Don’t miss out!
Grab your copy of Lumen by January 31st to take advantage of our official launch sale and save 50% with code BLASTOFF. The Education Edition includes access to exclusive digital extras, such as templates for creating your own version of the game, with more resources being added in the future.

Exciting news! My teaching and learning workshop proposal on game-based learning was accepted by the Society for Photographic Education and I’ll be presenting on game-based learning and Lumen at the 2023 SPE Annual Conference titled ‘Homecoming’ in Denver, Colorado this coming March! I’m so excited!

The Society for Photographic Education is ‘the leading forum for fostering the understanding of photography in all its forms’ and is essentially THE photography conference for educators and students. It’s a wonderful community that I’ve had the pleasure of being a part of since 2010, and it’s the perfect community for my game Lumen. I’m excited to talk about game-based learning and hopefully inspire others to give it a try either by using games in their classrooms or by creating their own, but I’m also super pumped to share Lumen with SPE. Lumen was created with photography students and professors in mind so I can’t wait to see the response from my target audience. I’m also super pumped to share Lumen with my SPE friends because for years I’ve been trying to figure out how to weave together my graphic design and photography skills and this is a project that definitely does that.

The 2023 SPE Annual Conference will be March 16-18, 2023 at the Sheraton Denver Downtown in Denver, Colorado. The schedule hasn’t been posted yet but you can find out more information on the SPE 2023 Homecoming Conference page.

Here’s the title and description for my teaching & learning workshop.

Game-Based Learning: Building Competence in Visual Literacy Through Simulation

Game-based learning is a growing academic practice that encourages the use of games and gamification to engage students and improve retention. This presentation will include an introductory talk on game-based learning and the development of Lumen, a card game designed to prepare students for photographic discussion and critique, followed by the opportunity to play Lumen with fellow attendees.

Lumen is a card game designed to serve as an icebreaker and a teaching tool for introductory photography students. The game introduces players to professional terminology useful in critique and discussion, while also encouraging critical thinking, debate, and analysis.

Lumen: A Game of Photographic Terminology
Lumen: A Game of Photographic Terminology

SPE Memories

SPE South Central

2022 Chapter Conference 


Come Together
October 14-15, 2022
Bossier City & Shreveport, LA

Presentation/Workshop: Game-Based Learning: Building Competence in Visual Literacy Through Simulation

Thank you for the opportunity to present on game-based learning. I love talking about it and this was my first time presenting on it outside of my MFA thesis and my first time presenting at a SPE conference. So many firsts!

Thank you!

 

SPE Denver

2023 National Conference: Homecoming

 

March, 2023
Denver, Colorado

Presentation/Workshop: Game-Based Learning: Building Competence in Visual Literacy Through Simulation

I had just received some of my new Lumen Prototypes in to take with me for my presentation on game-based learning at national and I was blow away by a few people who were willing to pay $200 for my prototype. Thank you so much! It’s my hope to eventually Kickstart an affordable mass market edition of the game but I really wanted to get this game to educators ASAP and you helped motivate me to go ahead and publish a small run of Lumen until I have time to figure out a Kickstarter.

Congratulations to the Raffle and Contest winners!

SPE St. Louis

2024 National Conference

 

March, 2024
St. Louis, Missouri

Blackwater Buccaneer’s 1st Vendor Table at SPE

Thank you to everyone who came and talked to me and my First Mate Karl, and an extra big shoutout to those of you who purchased a copy of the game, participated in our contest, and who played the game. This was our first time having a vendor table anywhere and we had a small batch of Lumen air shipped to us just in time for the conference. Whew! I’m so glad they arrived! 🏴‍☠️

Thank you SPE!

I attended my first SPE conference as an undergraduate student in 2010, thanks to the encouragement of JSU Photography professors Doug Clark and Sarah Cusimano Miles. That experience was transformational in so many ways and marked the beginning of my love for SPE.

The SPE community has always been a source of inspiration and support for me. For years, I felt like an outsider since my primary focus was on graphic design, but I’m so grateful to have had the opportunity to create a project that bridges my passions for design, photography, and education. Lumen brings people together for learning in a fun and engaging way, and I’m thrilled to share it with this incredible community.

Thank you all for your encouragement and for being such a meaningful part of my journey.

Best wishes,
Captain Carol