Game Research Report: Jojo's Fashion Show 2

The game that inspired this report is Jojo's Fashion Show 2, a game about fashion design. The game is based on a mom-and-daughter team who participate in fashion shows around the world, including New York, London, Milan, Paris, in that order. Fashion designers show what they think customers will want to wear about five to eight months before that season to allow stores to order the clothes so we can buy them, and for the press to put the clothes in magazines, on celebrities, and in advertisements so we know what has been designed. The first Fashion Week was held in New York in 1943 to showcase American fashion design because it was World War II and buyers could not travel to Paris. Jojo's Fashion Show 2 is true to real Fashion Weeks around the world by using images of these places as backgrounds in the game. The game features Fashion Weeks in Los Angeles, California; Berlin, Germany; Santiago, Chile; Sydney, Australia; and Tokyo, Japan, which are some of the many other major world cities that sponsor their own Fashion Week featuring designers from that area or country.

Another way the game stays true to real fashion is that they include the most perennial fashion styles, the ones that repeat in every decade, in the game:

• Ethnic: Bollywood, African, Flamenco, Hippie, Chinese
• Trendy: Hipster, Provocative, Tropical, Biker, Goth, Western, Flapper, Pirate Gypsy, Rock & Roll, Futuristic, Punk, 70's, Mod, Hip Hop, Disco, New Wave, Cowgirl
• Preppy: Foxhunt, Sockhop, Military, New York, Valley Girl, Plaid
• Ready-to-Wear: Casual, Activewear, Beachwear, Surf, Swimwear
• Formal: Black Tie, Business, Cocktail, Bridal, Prom,
• Weather: Summer, Winter, Fall, Spring
• Color, Pattern, Solids, Plaid, Floral

It's fun seeing the different outfits and comparing them to current fashion trends: you can definitely recognize clothing from the past and present.

You can play the game online for free.

Resources (citations created using EasyBib)

"Fashion Week." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 27 Oct. 2010. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fashion_week>.

"Jojo's Fashion Show™." Play Games on Shockwave. Web. 27 Oct. 2010. <http://www.shockwave.com/gamelanding/jojosfashionshow.jsp>.

Jojo's Fashion Show World Tour: IWin Games | Jojo's Fashion Show World Tour Official Site. Web. 27 Oct. 2010. <http://www.jojosfashionshowworldtour.com/>.

"List of Astragon Games." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 27 Oct. 2010. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Astragon_games>.

Put It All Together (7/8 class): Fake Research Report on Monopoly Game

Background information on your topic- 5pts
At least one (1) image representing your topic with correct citation (as caption or in Bibiligraphy)- 2pts
Your personal opinion of topic- 5pts
Conclusion- 3pts Bibliography of Resources- 5pts

Fake Research Report on Monopoly Game

Background Information
Monopoly is the most played board game in the world and is the world's favorite family game brand. The game's concept was invented in 1903 by Elizabeth (Lizzie) J. Magie Phillips in 1903, a Quaker woman who wanted to explain the single tax theory of land monopolies. Her original game, called "The Landlord's Game", was commercially published in 1924, and reinvented by other gamers into "Auction Monopoly", then shortened to "Monopoly", which often featured customized sets for their own cities. Charles Darrow invented an Atlantic City version of Monopoly, which he sold the rights to Parker Brothers in 1935.

Personal Opinion
Monopoly is a great game because it teaches players counting skills, the value of money, to be shrewd in business deals, to watch your back. Playing the game also brings families and friends together because you can spend hours and hours playing the game. On the other hand, Monopoly can teach some people to be greedy and cut-throat as they play to win everyone's money and get monopoly of all the properties on the board. I like that so many variations of the original game have been marketed, but the main goal of getting as much money as possible stays the same. I also like that many, many other games also modeled on Monopoly focus on "getting rich" and geography at the same time.

Conclusion
Though the origins of the game are now known, it seems unfair that the original creator, Lizzie Magie Phillips, did not become a millionaire like Charles Darrow. On the other hand, she was a Quaker and so would not have sought her fortune outside her family and town by selling the game. Monopoly is a great financial game, which was the reason for its original invention by Lizzie Magie Phillips, and was retained by Charles Darrow and Parker Brothers. And the variety of versions of Monopoly and newer games with financial acumen and geography keep with the originality of versions created for different cities in the 1900's.

Bibliography of Resources (You should use the links from the Citation lessons to create an accurate citation)

Bellis, Mary. "Monopoly Monopoly - Charles Darrow." About.com Inventors . N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2010. <http://inventors.about.com/library/weekly/aa121997.htm>.

"List of licensed and localized editions of Monopoly - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia . N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2010. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_licensed_and_localized_editions_of_Monopoly>.

"Monopoly (game)." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia . N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2010. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monopoly_(game)>.

Mr. Monopoly image . N.d. World of Monopoly, http://www.worldofmonopoly.co.uk/history/images/toplogo.gif. Monopoly History . Web. 21 Oct. 2010.

Barbie's Next Career: Computer Engineer

African-American Barbie Computer Programmer
image courtesy of Amazon.

At the conference I attended I was given bumper stickers that said, "Barbie has a pink laptop", which I squinted at because I hate pink. Why does everything about girls have to be pink? I like blue and green! However, when Barbie's laptop, smart phone, bluetooth earset, and briefcase mean that she's a computer engineer, I have to overlook the pink, after all it's her signature color!

There was also a workshop, Barbie has a Pink Laptop: Redefining How the World Views a Computer Scientist, where participants discussed what it means to be a non-traditional "computer programmer" by virtue of not being male.

The blog Geek Dad has some things to add to the conversation...the last really had me cracking up...only a true geek knows the bounds of operating system (OS) wars :)...and Mountain Dew and a wrist brace should really also be accessories.

Quality Resources assignment

Creative Commons

1. define "Creative Commons"------->in Google type "define:creative commons"
A set of licences intended to offer the consumer more freedoms than traditional copyright (sometimes abbreviated CC)

2. what is the main slogan for Creative Commons?------->in search engine look for Creative Commons website and view website for slogan...be careful not to confuse the ad with the header (top of website with organization name, logo and usually slogan)
Share, Remix, Reuse — Legally

3. what is the main purpose of having Creative Commons licensing?------->on Creative Commons website click License (not The Licenses)
With a Creative Commons license, you keep your copyright but allow people to copy and distribute your work provided they give you credit

4. what are the main sites that feature Creative Commons works?------->on Creative Commons website, after clicking License, click Find Licensed Works
Google, Flickr, Jamendo, Blip.tv, SpinXPress, ********just added******** Wikimedia Commons

5. what does Creative Commons have to do with copyright? with fair use laws?------->after reviewing your answers to the previous questions, and reviewing from Creative Commons homepage click The Licenses, you should be able to answer the 2 questions on how CC works hand-in-hand with the creator keeping their copyright but allowing more free use of their work generally (copyrigt) and for educational purposes with fewer restrictions (fair use).
the creator can share their work of art but keep their copyright. The user can use more of the artist's work than allowed by fair use laws.

the artist keeps their work copyrighted but allows the work to be used more freely by others. Users can use more of a creative work under Creative Commons and not just for educational purposes, unlike under Fair Use laws.

Evaluation

1. The page on this link should be review from when we learned about search engines, but in context now that we are learning about evaluating web pages.
2. Web-Site Address: Jacopo di Poggibonsi http://www.umich.edu/~engtt516/index2.html

1. Was this an interesting or fun Web site to explore?
   2
2. Was it easy to read and understand most of the words that were used?
   2
3. Did the pictures, videos, or sound make this site more interesting?
   2
4. Did the pictures, games, or videos quickly come up on the screen?
   2
5. Did the Web site have working links to other interesting or useful sites?
   0
6. Could you find information on the author or sponsor of the Web site?
   0
7. Were the directions for using the Web site easy to understand?
   2
8. Was this Web site updated recently?
   0
9. Do you think other kids your age would like this site?
   2
10. Was the information on this site believable? (Did it seem to be true?)
    2

Score: 14 ---------> Great (or is it really?)

For Future Reference

5 methods to evaluate web pages, important in comparing what you know to what you see

• Eduplace questions
  
• 5 W's of evaluating website 
• 100 point system to evaluate a website
• 6 questions on evaluating websites
• O.P.E.N. Clearinghouse evaluation worksheet

Citation

2. what does plagiarism have to do with copyright laws?
Copyright gives the creator of a work exclusive rights to duplicate and distribute their work of art. Plagiarism violates a creator's copyright, by definition: taking someone's words or ideas as if they were your own.

For Future Reference

Important websites you may use in the future

• "How do I cite sources?"
• Websites to create citations for you
  
  • Citation Maker (easy) : copy & paste citations, or download .rtf file
  • MLA Elementary Citation (easy) : creates list of citations to be copied & pasted
  • EasyBib (easy) : add the information on resource and the site fills in as much as it can find; save citations using online accounts; add annotation
  • BibMe (medium) : create an account to download your bibliography
  • KnightCite (medium) : options between MLA, APA & Chicago; more formal citation where you input the information
  • CitationMachine (medium) : options between MLA, APA, Chicago & Turabian, includes in-text citation

New meaning to "Snow Days"

Imagine an indoor snow day! That's what Karl Lagerfeld, head designer of Chanel, created for his latest fashion show. Chanel featured lots of white...that's the new color. The snow background highlighted the white clothing even more. I was reading a fashion magazine this weekend and they used his backdrop for a photo shoot also.

[Chanel Spring 2010 Fashion Show image from http://www.inhabitat.com]

for my student bloggers

The Chefs 
Williams Sonoma has really good cookware (very expensive also), but since I rarely cook I mostly go for gadgets I never use. Now they have cookware in a beautiful color that I would actually buy...but not to use just for decoration ;)




The Artists and Art Enthusiasts 
Remember from our WebQuest that Comic Con is in San Francisco this week? Here are pictures of costumes...don't laugh too loudly!

Look who I met!!!!

This is Ms. Jensen, who taught computers at Willard before me. I met her at the conference we're attending,, the 2010 Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing.

Having a great time at my conference

I'm attending the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing. So far I'm having lots of fun, met lots of new and some old faces, and I have already learned lots of things I'm bringing back to class! I hope you are learning lots about effectively finding information on the Internet...I've got a fun activity planned for tomorrow!

Internet Search 1

1. Step 1: name 3 search engines. If you don't know 3, Google the words "search engine" to find 3
   
   Google, Yahoo!, Bing, Ask, Altavista, Dogpile...and more. Take a look at Wikipedia
2. Step 6: search for the meaning of your first name?
   What keywords will you use? If you can't find your first name look for the meaning of your last name.
   
   Keywords can start off with how you naturally phrase or say the question (natural language search). There is no right or wrong answer as long as you find the information. If your first try doesn't work you just change the words.
   
   
   What does your name mean? Copy & paste the definition in your post. Be sure to give copyright credit to the website where you found the name meaning! (See Ms. Agbowo's example)
   
   
   Meaning of the name Margaret: pearl
   http://babynamesworld.parentsconnect.com/meaning_of_Margaret.html
   
   Meaning of the name Agbowo: unknown, but it was my grandfather's first name.

Searching for My Favorite Car

1. What is your favorite car? Camry
2. Why do you like this car? I like this car because it has 4-doors.
3. What company makes (manufactures) your favorite car? Toyota
4. Use Google to search for your favorite car's website and paste the URL:
   www.Toyota.com/Camry
5. What words did you type in the search box or on Google's search page?
   camry website
6. How many results did your search produce? (after your search completes, the results are right under Google's search box)
   About 1,870,000 results
7. Include a picture of your favorite car (don't forget to give credit for copyrighted images)
   
   
   

   

   Image courtesy of media2.paultan.org

Ms. Agbowo's Favorite Car

What is your favorite car?:    MINi Countryman

Why do you like this car?:     I like this car because I like small cars, which MINi specializes in making. And the Countryman has 4 doors where the other MINi cars only have 2 doors. I used to want a MINi E because it's a hybrid MINi.

What company makes (manufactures) your favorite car?        MINi USA.

Use Google to search for your favorite car's website and paste the URL (website address) here:    (click Countryman): http://miniusa.com/#/learn/futureConcepts-m

What words did you include in the search box or on Google's search page?     hybrid mini cooper

How many results did your search produce? About 1,270,000 results (0.17 seconds)

Place a picture of your favorite car here:

http://www.thedetroitbureau.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/Mini-Countryman-overhead.jpg

Fashion Week on the move

Moving to London, baby! The next Spring 2011 fashions will be showcased by British designers for the next week or two.

Which way to go?

Question: which is your favorite: stripes, plaid, pattern, ruffles, or dresses? Which would you mix? According to current trends you can’t go wrong with any or all of these. I imagine a plaid dress with a contrasting striped belt and a ruffled bottom and a pattern headband. Then again, featuring one trend at a time also shows your current. The good thing is that you likely already have one or all of these trends in your closet. What will you be wearing?

White fashin is one way to go

Someone may tell you to put away your summer white outfits: they may get dirty at school, Fall season suggests deeper tones, old time fashion advice. But layering, color accessorizing, and thicker whites allow the fashionable to really standout with crisp white outfits or separates. And don't forget the shoes, fresh white kicks. I'm still not sure how some people keep their sneakers white [must be a lot of hand cleaning] but fresh, white sneakers always get noticed.

Spring 2011 Fashion Week almost done

Designers show their collections, or what they design for people to wear, during Fashion Week. Fashion Week is always one season ahead, about 6 months, so though we are just thinking about Fall, they showed Fall clothes in the summer. The process of designing before the season is called trend forecasting: just like weather forecasting, designers try to predict what we would like to wear and how to make their clothes different than clothes from before.

References are clothes designed before that designers study then decide how to make it different for today. For example my first blog was about how we're seeing the 1960's, '70's, and '80's. How did I know? Women have worn suits for a long time: 1960's suits were skirt suits, 1970's suits were meanswear suits, 1980's suits were power suits (with big shoulders). Aren't we seeing all that now? The difference is that the skirts are less balloon-y than in the '60's, the pants are not as wide-legged as in the '70's, and the shoulders are not as big as in the '80's.

If you're really into fashion or just want to see what a fashion show looks like, visit

• Style.com [Vogue magazine online]
• Fab Sugar [hosted by a blog provider based in San Francisco, CA]
• About.com Style [home of many blogs about style from different perspectives]
• Women's Fashion will show Fashion Week
• Teen Fashion is for your age group
•  Cool Kids Fashion
• DIY Fashion
• Kids' Fashion 
• Makeup
• Sneakers

Fall 2010 Fashion trends

Fall is here: we've bought school supplies, new clothes, and are getting used to the "school thing" after a few weeks of summer fun. Fall 2010 fashion can be explained simply by A Return To The 1950's, 1960's, 1970's, and 1980's. Have you heard of the tv show "Mad Men"? This show has single-handedly brought back '50's and '60's fashion, bringing a wave of nostalgia. This means big hair, big skirts, jeans, and comfortable shoes...think sock hop. The '70's were big: big shoes, big hair, big design, and big style! Almost anything went as long as it caught people's attention. The Fall 2010 inspiration is about disco glamor, where everything is shiny, sparkly and big. The '80's were about power during the day and big fun after work, so Fall 2010 mixes both these styles: menswear- and military-inspired for day, lace for night. What are you wearing this Fall? Is it on this list? If not, there's a lot more going on than just this and you'll give me something to write about.