A Multimodal Framework for Computer Mediated Learning: The Reshaping of Curriculum Knowledge and Learning

The multimodal resources of Toontalk, the hovering helicopter, the animated
character, the action-activated sound-effects, and the playful visual references, are an
invitation to act. The different ‘compositional layers∕levels’ of the environment
suggest ‘rules’ occur at different stages of learning through which the user can
progress. A user can play a game while the tools and other resources are being
manipulated, a game can also be taken apart whilst it is being played.

Ready Made Game Level

The ready-made game level includes games made and stored by users. The games are
stored in one of the house in the city area and in the Toontalk notebook. As well as
being games that can be played, these ready-made games serve as resources for game
making. Rules, objects, and backgrounds can be copied from one game to another. I
show that at another level these games serve as genre blue prints for users’ game
making, rules, condition and action. Many users start their game-making by working
with a ready-made game, adapting its appearance, and eventually adapting its rules -
that is, moving to the level of programming rules (ref the ping-pong paper).

Toontalk makes available a set of animated tools. These tools can be used to copy and
amend elements from other games, or resources stored in the Toontalk notebook. In
the game mode the tools are represented as static, hard objects with a Lego-Iike
texture in the game mode (figures 5.5 b. and 5.5 d.). In program mode when a tool is
selected by the user it ‘comes to life’, it morphs into an organic soft texture, it is
animated, with human like features (figures 5.5 a. and 5.5 c.). This change in texture
and form serves to suggest that it is the user, not the system, who is in control of the
tools.

Toontalk ‘Behaviour’ Level

Toontalk ‘behaviours’ are ready-made pieces of programming code that the user can
attach to objects in a game. These behaviours are available in a system notebook,
collected together as anima-gadgets. The notebook also contains sounds and images

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