2DIY on an Ipad – first look

I have been busy playing with one of my favourite pieces of software, except with a difference. 2DIY, but not on my PC.

Before joining 2Simple Software I was a bit of a fan boy of their stuff and was proud to be the first Teacher/advisor to blog about 2DIY.

2DIY is essentially a creative tool-set that allows learners to create their own two dimensional games. In today’s changing ICT curriculum, where it is more about making and creating, 2DIY has never been more important. In the past I have been involved with working alongside Tim Rylands to showcase the power of this software both in schools and at Learning without Frontiers.  2DIY always had (and still has) that wow factor. I have had children cheer when I have announced that today’s lesson would be on 2DIY.

So, I was thrilled this week to be given a beta version of the new iPad version .  I am not sure whether it will be with us tomorrow at Bett, but I will be on the 2Simple Stand on Saturday and you are welcome to nag me and have a play with my iPad.

So what is it like?

All the games making templates from the PC version are here and the graphics have been given a facelift. You can use this app to create quizzes, labelling activities and playable games.  These can be saved to the app or linked into a pupil’s Purple Mash account. The app works well and there are now sticky issues, which is really good for a Beta. One difference between this and the CD version is the inclusion of a joy stick rather than the arrow keys, a clever solution and one that works well.

It is worth pointing out that there are probably only two other primary focussed game making apps in the App store. And only one of these is any good!  Now that 2DIY is going to be added to our school suite of apps, we are getting closer to a complete package of  the apps we need.  The creators not consumers message which 2Simple evangelised us with during the original release of the software is even more true of iPads than computers. We need apps like this which allow children to build something for themselves.  Rather than the glut of drill and skill and photo altering apps.

So far the response from my Year 6 Class has been along the lines of “sick” and even “cool”.  One of my girls spent most of wet lunchtime building maze games. To the point where I had to wrestle the device from here as it was time for the next lesson. I am looking forward to using this app with more classes and building it into a programme of  Games Based Learning and Games Design. It is the missing link between Scratch and Kodu!