After School Special

pacman71

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I am taking my hobby to work. Going to have a crew of ten middle school kids help me to restore the cabinet and game. It should be fun.

Don't worry I am going to use an LCD screen, and I will hook the PS up at the very end. So hopefully there won't be a lawsuit.

I am going to have kids help me restore an really ugly painted galaxian cabinet into a galaga cabinet with a 60 in 1.

I have been looking for a way to get excited about teaching again, I believe sharing the hobby with some of my students and spending time with students who are eager to learn will reinvigorate.

I'll be looking for some parts: mainly a control panel and Bezel and marquee. If anyone sees parts posted shoot me an PM. Hopefully these are interchangable. When we begin, I'll post pics in the restoration section.
 
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This sounds very neat Mike, if I had any parts for those machines I would donate, a great way to sustain our own hobby...
 
Wow. I wish my teachers, were that cool back in the day. Hopefully you get some takers on the project. Kids are hard to keep motivated, as you know. Very awesome.

JJ
 
What do you teach that the school would allow you to do this, shop class?
 
What do you teach that the school would allow you to do this, shop class?

I am doing it after school. I am not a shop teacher. I teach science. I am always looking for ways to just get kids excited about something. We are going to jammatize the cabinet, and do our best to restore the cabinet.

I plan on bringing in a few community members and fathers to help restore the game. I have asked a local auto body shop to paint the cabinet, and they seem excited about having the kids over and showing them the priming and painting process.

I just want them to see that science is a process;not necessarily chemistry or biology. The kids are always interested in my hobby. So why not? Its an opportunity for them to meet some men and women in the trades and produce something cool at the end.

Its an upright. I am still looking for a control panel, bezel, and marquee for it. please keep your eyes open. I don't expect any donations, I am happy to pay for the parts.
 
Instead of a 60 in 1 maybe think about doing MAME. It will give a broader list of subjects for different kids to think about. Computers, interfaces, OS, programming, front end design, history, and on & on. And as an educational endeavor you have more leeway in the use of copyrighted material (i.e. roms).
 
Instead of a 60 in 1 maybe think about doing MAME. It will give a broader list of subjects for different kids to think about. Computers, interfaces, OS, programming, front end design, history, and on & on. And as an educational endeavor you have more leeway in the use of copyrighted material (i.e. roms).


While I think I could do a MAME, I'm not familiar enough to be comfortable teaching it or exactly how to set it all up. Another problem that MAME presents me with is that I am basically setting them up with a way to Napster games. I like mame myself, but if a parent complains, and I am doing something questionable, it will be my hind. Unfortuately no good deed goes unpunished. I wrote a 5000 dollar grant bused 154 kids to the chicago field museum and fed them lunch, and got in trouble because other schools in our district didn't have the same opportunity. One parent complained and I had to answer to my boss and school board. So I have to tread lightly all the time.

Project begins after spring break. I will post pics. It'll be a lot of fun.
 
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While I think I could do a MAME, I'm not familiar enough to be comfortable teaching it or exactly how to set it all up. Another problem that MAME presents me with is that I am basically setting them up with a way to Napster games. I like mame myself, but if a parent complains, and I am doing something questionable, it will be my hind. Unfortuately no good deed goes unpunished. I wrote a 5000 dollar grant bused 154 kids to the chicago field museum and fed them lunch, and got in trouble because other schools in our district didn't have the same opportunity. One parent complained and I had to answer to my boss and school board. So I have to tread lightly all the time.

Project begins after spring break. I will post pics. It'll be a lot of fun.

Now that is a dam shame...I think the schools have their ass so tightly puckered I'm not sure teachers are sure what they can and can't do..one parent complains and everyone jumps...what a joke :mad:

Project sounds fun...but hey the other schools classes didn't have opportunity so you might be in front of school board again...:D but this time you can shove some classic games in front of them and likely they will forget why they had you there in first place...:rolleyes:
 
You're not alone. Very cool!!

Not to thread steal, but you are not alone. I also do this for the kids.

My little crew had a Battlezone cockpit started until some little bastard on after-school-trash-detail stole a ton of parts and smashed the cab. Because it was a personal project of mine, and not school property, my administrator wouldn't do sh*t.

Now, it's mostly a small group of dedicated social reject kids who want to learn, have fun playing during lunch, and get appreciation from other kids when they "host" the games at school dances.


NARCdance.jpg

At a dance. We setup in the break area where kids could relax and blow-up rottweilers with NARC rockets.

frontview.jpg

Was sitting in the classroom for lunch play. Scrapped it because bottom was mush.

robo004.jpg

Rebuilding RoboCop (not finished)
 
Very cool that you are doing this! I salute you sir. Good luck and keep us posted on the progress(or at least the end result).


It was a lot of fun. We did finish the cabinet. I ended up putting an LCD in for safety's sake.

The kids had a tournament after school during the last week. (after school ) A couple of the kids got to the second bananas. Pretty good for not having grown up with them.

They seemed to love Frogger, and Ms. pac the most. There will be no shortage of students next year.
 
It was a lot of fun. We did finish the cabinet. I ended up putting an LCD in for safety's sake.

The kids had a tournament after school during the last week. (after school ) A couple of the kids got to the second bananas. Pretty good for not having grown up with them.

They seemed to love Frogger, and Ms. pac the most. There will be no shortage of students next year.

Where are the pics???
 
If I post them the district I work in will can my bass.

As I am sure other teachers will tell you... No good deed goes unpunished. While the chances are slim to get caught. I won't stake the security of my family.

In our district when we are out on field trip and the newspaper guys want to take pictures, we have to make sure that releases are signed. Unfortunately, there are crazy parents or x parents that might see the photos and then know how to locate an estranged kid.
 
If I post them the district I work in will can my bass.

As I am sure other teachers will tell you... No good deed goes unpunished. While the chances are slim to get caught. I won't stake the security of my family.

In our district when we are out on field trip and the newspaper guys want to take pictures, we have to make sure that releases are signed. Unfortunately, there are crazy parents or x parents that might see the photos and then know how to locate an estranged kid.

I understand. I am not asking for pics of the kids just the machine.
 
If I post them the district I work in will can my bass.

As I am sure other teachers will tell you... No good deed goes unpunished. While the chances are slim to get caught. I won't stake the security of my family.

In our district when we are out on field trip and the newspaper guys want to take pictures, we have to make sure that releases are signed. Unfortunately, there are crazy parents or x parents that might see the photos and then know how to locate an estranged kid.


My wife is a teacher and she is so tired of all the workshops,stupid whiny parents and their awful kids,stupid protocols and red tape,and superintendents and other school officials that don't have your back ever....that she can't wait to quit her job. Not to mention the fact that her pay may be cut and the number of students per class may increase next year.
Just shows you how much of a sad state the education system is in.
 
This is an excellent idea. I wish I'd had the opportunity to be involved with something like this during my school days. I hereby bestow the "Dead Poet's Society" teacher of the year award to you!
 
My wife is a teacher and she is so tired of all the workshops,stupid whiny parents and their awful kids,stupid protocols and red tape,and superintendents and other school officials that don't have your back ever....that she can't wait to quit her job. Not to mention the fact that her pay may be cut and the number of students per class may increase next year.
Just shows you how much of a sad state the education system is in.


My building had over 70 teachers in it 5 years ago. we are down to 42. Lets say its not due to enrollment either.

More central administration, more workshops, more paperwork, evaluations, and less time to do what they pay me to do. Oh yeah my rosters for this year have classes toping at 35 kids. I will see 180 + students a day for science. The took away the department head stipend so I get to do that for free this year.

The truth about education is for most cases is that parents make the biggest difference. The federal and state governments has put so many stipulations on how we are to treat each child that education is a joke. We spend Trillions rebuilding other countries.

I can tell you that spending money on workshops, inservice, and administration to hover over us will not improve the test scores. Getting rid of bad teachers, reducing class sizes, and putting me in a building that isn't close to 100 years old would be a great start. No air conditioning on a 96 degree august day in iowa with 96% humidity isn't promoting learning either.

I'm on the legislative advocacy team and trying to make a difference. People nod there head and vote their wallet.

Step down from soap box.

I do have a few pics. I'll photoshop the faces.
 
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