Project Maestro

FAIN: HAA-266565-19

Stone Soup Productions, Inc. (Washington, DC 20036-2504)
Andrea R. Kalin (Project Director: January 2019 to December 2022)

The further development of a platform for middle and high school humanities teachers to incorporate content-based games into their classrooms.

Project Maestro empowers educators and students with limited computer access to make digital humanities games. Created from The Search for Harmony, a web game about the rich, forgotten historical legacy of classical musicians of African descent, this WordPress-based plugin transforms art and text on paper into digital assets for a prebuilt minigame, enabling new versions to be developed without requiring programming skill. This grant’s primary tasks are to build a set of minigames, design activity guides for instructors, and partner with education groups to refine the platform through workshops. The end product will be a website where instructors can publish work as playable games. The producers of this project seek $100,000 for platform development, adviser consultation, game design and documentation. This tool will allow educators and others in the humanities to use digital games as a means of creating engaging, informative experiences for students.

Associated Products

humanities.games (previously titled Project Maestro) (Web Resource)
Title: humanities.games (previously titled Project Maestro)
Author: Stone Soup Productions
Abstract: In an effort to build an online community early in project development, our production team has built a landing page to describe humanities.games and its accompanying outreach plans. Currently only a landing page, this site will continue to built out as the project continues.
Year: 2019
Primary URL: https://humanities.games/

humanities.games teaser (Film/TV/Video Broadcast or Recording)
Title: humanities.games teaser
Writer: James Mirabello
Director: James Mirabello
Director: Andrea Kalin
Producer: James Mirabello
Producer: Andrea Kalin
Abstract: As part of the efforts to promote humanities.games, our production crew filmed and edited a short teaser that shows how simple it will be to use the platform. Our cameras filmed a user creating their own character art and entering it into the Bridgerunner template created for Phase I – thereby bringing their own creation into the game. This video has become a central part of our outreach to potential educational partners as it shows the platform’s ease of use.
Year: 2020
Primary URL: https://vimeo.com/394495881
Access Model: Open Access
Format: Web

humanities.games updated teaser (Film/TV/Video Broadcast or Recording)
Title: humanities.games updated teaser
Writer: James Mirabello
Writer: Andrea Kalin
Director: Andrea Kalin
Director: James Mirabello
Producer: Andrea Kalin
Producer: James Mirabello
Abstract: As part of the efforts to promote humanities.games, our production crew filmed and edited a short teaser that shows how simple it will be to use the platform. Based on feedback from our initial teaser, it became clear that we needed to make a few revisions and we went back and re-filmed the process with a high school junior. This video will become a central part of our outreach to potential educational partners as it shows the platform’s ease of use.
Year: 2020
Primary URL: https://vimeo.com/454864636
Access Model: Open Access
Format: Video

humanities.game teaser (Film/TV/Video Broadcast or Recording)
Title: humanities.game teaser
Writer: James Mirabello
Director: James Mirabello
Producer: James Mirabello
Producer: Andrea Kalin
Abstract: Once the final platform was completed, our production crew filmed and edited a short teaser that shows how simple it will be to use the platform. Our team filmed two elementary school students researching and creating their own artwork to create a game about astronomy. This video will become a central part of our outreach to potential educational partners as it shows the platform’s ease of use.
Year: 2022
Primary URL: https://vimeo.com/707013087/295beb7dcc
Access Model: Open Access
Format: Web

humanities.games Screen Capture Teaser (Film/TV/Video Broadcast or Recording)
Title: humanities.games Screen Capture Teaser
Writer: Nick Ray
Director: Nick Ray
Director: Andrea Kalin
Director: James Mirabello
Producer: Andrea Kalin
Producer: James Mirabello
Abstract: Upon completion of the platform, the production team screen captured the functionality of the platform, showcasing the ability to upload your own art and the platform’s overall ease of use. This video was used to introduce the platform’s functionality to partners and advisors prior to demos and workshops, and will become a central part of our outreach to potential educational partners in the future.
Year: 2021
Primary URL: https://vimeo.com/692423531/7132472cdb
Access Model: Open Access
Format: Web

Humanities.games educator packet (Web Resource)
Title: Humanities.games educator packet
Author: Nick Ray
Abstract: Written by Nick Ray and assembled using templates designed by Orange Static, an award-winning design firm that creates pitch packages, presentations, and websites, the Educator Packet is an introductory presentation for potential educational partners. The packet details the project and the platform’s functionality and suggests different possibilities for collaboration.
Year: 2022
Primary URL: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1jWnT8mq75nfX58M4lDOgvoSJcAjqyDp4?usp=sharing

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