shaundmcmillan – Page 5 – Best Class Ever

Episode 23 – Dueling Ideologies – The Left & the Right

By shaundmcmillan January 24, 2021PodcastNo Comments

Which do you value? Equality or Patriotism? Compassion or Societal Order? Do you prefer, dogs or cats? Through personality tests we can often tell which side of the political spectrum people fall into. Do you lean left also known as liberal, or to the right, also known as conservative?

Episode 22 – Aliens & Angels

By shaundmcmillan January 17, 2021PodcastNo Comments

Whether in a galaxy far far away like Star Wars, or in the very near, very possible future like Black Mirror, science fiction deals with issues that we face in the here and now. Issues like race, politics, and religion might be too hot to discuss directly for a lot of us, but fictional realities allow us to take a step back and talk about what ifs. So let’s explore today’s world by looking at stories about tomorrow.

Episode 21 – Science Fiction Messiah Stories

By shaundmcmillan January 10, 2021PodcastNo Comments

What does the third Star Wars film also known as Episode 6, the third Lord of the Rings, the Matrix trilogy, and the Lion King have in common?

Episode 20 – Great Science Fiction & Fantasy

By shaundmcmillan January 3, 2021PodcastNo Comments

In 1936 J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Luis flipped a coin to see which of them should write a space-travel story, and which should write a time-travel story. C.S. Luis went on to write the Chronicles of Narnia, and J.R.R. Tolkien went on to write the single most influential fantasy fiction trilogy, Lord of the Rings. Today let's look at Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, and the Hunger Games.

Episode 19 – Quick & Easy Game Based Learning

By shaundmcmillan December 27, 2020Game Based Learning, PodcastNo Comments

Developing games is fun but it takes a long time and a lot of work. But recently I found an easy way to take any great story from history or literature and make it into a simple game. My name is Shaun McMillan, and this is the Best Class Ever.

Episode 18: The King’s Dilemma

By shaundmcmillan December 20, 2020Game Based Learning, PodcastNo Comments

Have you ever had to make a life and death decision that could determine the fate of your nation? No? Well today you are King Henry V, and you are outnumbered five to one. What will you do?

Werewolf Social Deduction Game Based Learning Comic

Join Us for a Game!

By shaundmcmillan December 13, 2020Best of, Game Based Learning, Journal, The ALLIANCE MegagameNo Comments

Want to play some board games or use games for education? Join us online. This article will explain how.

Episode 17 – The Key to Avoiding Tragedy

By shaundmcmillan December 13, 2020PodcastNo Comments

Socrates pointed out that democracies don’t necessarily promote the best leaders, and Machiavelli pointed out that virtues don’t always lead to success. Ultimately we can see how this played out in history through Shakespeare’s historical dramas. Today we will take a look at Shakespeare’s young Christian leaders. One of his most tragic, Hamlet, and one of his most successful young leaders, King Henry V.

Episode 16 – What Makes a Great Political Leader?

By shaundmcmillan December 6, 2020PodcastNo Comments

Let's look at what the famous Greek philosophers, Machiaveli from Italy, and Shakespeare have to say about great political leaders and how that would apply to today.

King Henry V Shakespeare choice architecture

How to Quickly Turn a Lecture into a Game

By shaundmcmillan December 1, 2020Best of, Game Based Learning, Journal1 Comment

Love teaching? Love games? Ever wanted to bring the magic of learning into the magic circle of a game, or bring the magic of a game into the classroom? Here's how.