UA Museum Features Video Game Making Workshop

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Area high school students will have an opportunity to create their own video game during the first Saturday workshop at the Alabama Museum of Natural History’s GeoTech Lab at The University of Alabama.

The free workshop, which runs from 10 a.m. to noon  Saturday, Jan. 11, is open to students in grades eight through 12. With the help of lab mentors, participating students will learn GameMaker, a program that helps create video games. At the end of the lab, each student will have a game creation of his own.

The GeoTech Lab is a partnership with the UA department of geography and the museum, and it is funded through a grant from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

It consists of 15 iPads, seven laptops and 20 GPS units, as well as a host of software programs. The goal of the lab is to give students access to technology and resources that they may not have at home or at school, said Allie Sorlie, the museum’s education outreach coordinator.

“It is designed to be an extension to classroom learning, not a substitute,” said Sorlie. “The open lab times are a time for teens to come in, hang out and mess around with the technology. Students can bring in homework, questions about programs or just come to check out the space.”

Lab mentors, UA students from a variety of backgrounds and education levels, are available during the open lab hours to answer questions. The lab mentors also develop the Saturday workshops, which are new this year. The Saturday workshops are structured, more targeted programs that teach one specific skill or program.

In addition to GameMaker, future workshops will teach students how to use Sketch-Up to create their own 3-D printed object (Jan. 25), introduce them to PhotoShop, Illustrator (Feb. 15), Excel, PowerPoint, Prezi and other helpful programs (March 1), and help them discover more about the world around them with geocaching and story maps (March 15).

While the workshops are free, registration is required and students will need to bring a lunch. To register for Saturday’s workshop, visit www.geotechlab.weebly.com; registration deadline is Thursday, Jan. 9.

UA’s Alabama Museum of Natural History is in Smith Hall near the Quad at the corner of Sixth Avenue and Capstone Drive on The University of Alabama campus.