Geography Contest (Post Mortem)

MakerWorld MakerWorld General
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Continuing the discussion from Contest: Geography vs Geology:

Let me preface this post by saying, this is neither sour grapes nor do I have issues with any of the models themselves. The fact that the contest changed from Geography to Geology/Geography was already discussed in the topic linked above. Quite frankly, it’s not as bad as combining Astrology/Astronomy into one contest :wink:; but still, you are designing for a moving target.

But that’s not the issue I’d like to discuss here. The thing that rubs me the wrong way is the word Education in this context. The theme for the contest reads as follows…

In this contest, we will continue to explore the integration of combining 3D printing with education. In Geology/Geography classrooms, it is common to use graphics or videos to present key concepts to students. We hope to 3D print these visual models so that students can better understand and learn.

[ideas for entries]

Please note that in order to ensure teaching accuracy, we ask that all creators clearly label the relevant geographic concepts and use correct coloring schemes to present the models.

Maybe it’s me, but when I read “THESE visual models,” I have a look at the previous sentence to see what that means. There I find “graphics or videos to present key concepts” as well as the words “classroom” and “students.” Should really be straightforward from here. I had a quick look at the Cambridge IGCSE syllabus for geography and picked the idea for my contest entry accordingly.

The syllabus lists three themes:

  1. Population and settlement
  2. The natural environment
  3. Economic development

…seems obvious that the inclusion of geology into the contest title (and the examples for entries) wants you to focus on 2. The Natural Environment. Fair enough, that’s probably what most people think anyway when they hear “geography.” In the syllabus it lists the following…

2.1 Earthquakes and volcanoes
2.2 Rivers
2.3 Coasts
2.4 Weather
2.5 Climate and natural vegetation

Since 2.1 was already mentioned in the examples and I figured 2.2 would be something that people would figure for themselves, I decided to go with 2.3 Coasts. So this ended up being my entry… and maybe I should have used the second model picture as the cover…

If you click the link, in the model description I list what it is, who it is for, and how to use it. Added a tiny teachers manual that gives the key concepts (see above “Contest Theme”) to teach the students and further reading links to BBC Bitesize and a YouTube video of students presenting this concept to get ideas for a lesson plan to best incorporate this model.

While I was waiting for the results, I put together a collection (here) of potential winners. First, I picked everything that wasn’t a sign that read “Canada is not for sale” or “Golf of America” because this has nothing to do with the contest. I ended up with about 30 models. Then I applied the same logic as above and focussed on what is presenting key concepts to students in a classroom and ended up with the 13 models that would be my pick.

I’m sorry to say that I threw out all the seismographs, because if those are in as geography concepts, then you’d have to accept thermometers, etc. as well… because how is measuring seismic activity different from measuring temperature, humidity, wind speed, etc. Instead they picked not just one but three to win the contest. The steampunk version is not even functional.

I never even considered the “Cave Miner” because here I also don’t know what the concept being taught is supposed to be; plus, it seemed too much like the iglu from the Christmas contest. Then, at least to my knowledge “lunar phases” are not part of geology or geography (that would be astronomy). Lastly, I dropped the board game because you could use the same setup to build burgers in a cooking contest. So I ended up with just under half the models in my collection matching the ones they chose to win the contest.

Don’t get me wrong, none of the models are bad. That’s not my point and I can see how this one…

…by SH Designs got 2nd place in the Board Games Contest, because it is a board game. And, this one could have as well…

However, I fail to understand how this one got the 2nd place in Geology/Geography Studies, when the criteria are very different. At least that’s what I got from the theme of the contest.

What is your guys’ opinion on this? Should I (we) just ignore the theme of the contest? Is a boardgame like this equally 2nd place in a board game contest as it is in a geology/geography studies contest? Is it just a matter of looking good; even though the theme, mentions “explaining concepts” and the steampunk model is non-functional?

Obviously, the judges decisions are final… and I’ll say it one last time… individually, there is nothing wrong with any of the models. But what is your opinion when it comes to models winning a contest? Should the theme of the contest matter at all or is the model to be treated wholly by itself, no matter how tangential (“lunar phases”) it is to the actual theme of the contest?

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I am just sad that the initial contest name was Geography, then the description hinted at Geology and then they ‘combined’ them in the title and description. But in the end all winners are geology related.

I designed my model with the initial geography education in mind:

An earth shaped Rubik’s cube where you have to put the world map back together from memory, knowing for instance which landmass is next to Australia and how it is shaped. In my mind pretty educational and pretty geography-y. So retroactively putting geography back in the description but in the end not taking any geography models into account when judging is in my mind the thing that went wrong.

I’m not saying my model was nice enough to deserve one of the awards though. And I do think the winners are deserving models, but I would have liked to see at least one Geography model since that is what the initial title was.

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Agreed and I just boosted your model. However, as far as the contest and the words “education” and “present key concepts,” I have to disagree a little… the Rubik’s cube mechanism in there is nice… but that’s not a “key concept” of geology or geography. But you already said…

… kinda how I feel about the board game and the cave miner… all nice models but where are the educational geology/geography concepts that are supposed to be teaching students in a classroom setting. Like I said, the contest theme in terms of educational models was my issue.

I’m gonna ignore your typo, because it’s clear you mean “geopraghy”… well, about 5 of them can be considered “geography” instead of “geology,” so it’s not really as bad. The three seismographs though… I mean three thermometers… people would have said, “what? geography? where?” but “weather” is part of geography and so are tools to measure it.

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Typo indeed (already fixed), and geology can be seen as part of geography since the latter is a very broad field of science. But when most people think of geography they initially think of maps so a puzzle like map design would be a perfect fit. Of course learning how a (picture) Rubik’s cube is solved is more advanced then remembering where greenland is so I don’t think it is the best educational aid.

And I am with you that some of the winning models aren’t educational at all either, but they are closely related and well executed. Most of the time I like the models that are on or over the edge of the contest boundaries, thinking outside the box. But you are right that if there is a line in the sand drawn beforehand, judging should respect that line

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I loved your model, it’s such a clever idea! It was one of my favorite ones.

Back to the topic, I have noticed a problem with contest themes and descriptions. It turns out more and more often that theme is one thing, description is the other, and in the end you still have to guess what they really had in mind. Let’s take the new Easter contest - the theme clearly says “eggs”, but when you read the rules it turns out that they don’t want “just simple eggs”. They could call it “fancy eggs” or something :wink: Of course, the number of off-topic entries is huge (but it was to be expected since it’s Easter contest).

This geology/geography thing caused a lot of confusion…

it killed me :rofl: I think everything is still ahead of us :slight_smile:

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I thought my model was good too.

But in fact every contest, in them I participate, has a strange winners.
I will stop participation.

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Well, over on the other post it was said that…

…we didn’t quite end up there but you saw that they had…

Paleontology and Fossil Models

…in the list of examples and there was plenty of dinosaur bones (fossils technically) there. So to be fair, this one could have made it just as much as the steampunk seismograph…

…but that’s display pieces… not educational models. Drop the whole “key concepts of,” “students,” and “classroom” from the contest theme and I’d have no issues at all with any of the models they picked to win.

ps: I know who I’m quoting above and I did read the .pdf with the rules for the board game. Sticking to it though. It’s, as far as the them goes, not a model that teaches any kind of geological/geographical concepts. I do like the model; just confused by the judges decision.

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I agree and it was functional. This one was also nice…

…I dropped both of you from my collection though for the same reason I dropped all the seismographs, didn’t consider compasses, or any other tools that were used for measurement.

ps: you just got a boost for you model

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Honestly, I don’t like contests that are very general like “Halloween”, “Christmas”, “Geology/Geography”, etc. I prefer those that are clearly defined from the beginning and narrowed down to a specific thing (like cardboard spools, Corcelain) - at least I know what to expect.

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…add Easter and Valentine’s Day to that list. But I thought when it first popped up as “Geography Studies” it would be just like the “Physics Education Design Contest,” just “geography” instead of “physics.” Back then it said…

This time, we would like for our designers to design 3D models based on Physics knowledge, aiming to assist physics education and help students (ranging from middle school to lower undergraduate levels) better understand abstract physics concepts.

…of course the “middle school to lower undergrad level” made it even more clear, because that was missing from the “Geography” description and there was really no need to add geology to it; but it is what it is.

Wait until a saucer with screw hole makes the list of winners because thinking outside the box… the square, triangle, and circle needed a saucer as well… even though in the description is clearly states…

Share your brilliant ideas on MakerWorld and showcase how you’d design unique add-ons or creative bases for these customizable porcelain pieces.

…it doesn’t say anything about redesigning any of the pieces though. Well, we’ll see next week,

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Ironically, they picked yours for their feature collection Geology Models | Collection - MakerWorld so you did in fact design a geology model after all. :rofl: :innocent:

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The purpose of my game is to provide a fun way to support learning key concepts taught to students around 3-5th grade of about the earth’s geographic features. In the game you have 5 different blocks representing the major biomes of the earth. The earth is divided into the 3 major climate zones; tropical, temperate, and polar. The game also includes 45 geographic feature cards that are selected by each player. The players have to follow the rules of biome block placement to complete the geographic feature. (So you can’t put desert blocks at the poles, or tundra blocks on the equator, etc.). Although the game is abstract, it can reiterate terms learned in the classroom in a visual and tactile way. Students can build a tropical rainforest, a savanna, taiga, mangrove, isthmus, archipelago, or many of the other major geographical features which helps reinforce learning of key terminology.

Our kids are all grown, but we homeschooled them through much of their education. Games and activities such as this were just the types of learning tools we would use to teach them concepts in a unique and engaging way.

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That’s not true… I said…

If that’s what the judges decide, that’s what the judges decide. I started the whole post with “this is not sour grapes.” Your second point…

…was more what I was wondering about. In a sense of the judges criteria for evaluation. It seems you agree with me that “they didn’t communicate it very well.” Since you placed top 3, I can just look at what the judges say about it…

Judges’ Comments

What a meaningful geology-themed game created by @SH Designs! It’s a fantastic way to explore the wonders of different geological landscapes while having fun. Fellow adventurers, have you had a chance to play this interactive game with your family?

So, I’ve highlighted the two bits that are a bit off from what they were asking for. Firstly, as they say themselves, it’s a game (first) that is geology-themed (second). And here, I’d say that we need to stay on the highway and decide what are primary and secondary criteria as far as the overall contest and picking the winners. They said for the theme…

So, if it were a model (first) that used gamification concepts (second) to illustrate the point – great; however, yours is the other way around. That quote, by the way, start with…

…and the judges say, “have you had a chance to play this interactive game with your family”… now unless you…

…that’s really not a classroom setting for most…

And that is great, but we are back to “staying on the highway”. This was to paraphrase, a contest for “visual models” that “present key concepts” to “students” in the “classroom.”

Lastly, I mentioned your model in the context of how I put my collection together based on how I understood the criteria. I also asked…

I’m not picking on you or your model. I wonder about the way the criteria for the contest (or any contest) are communicated and to what extend they are followed when the judges make their decision. This is not another “Tower of Pizza” thread. And let me extend the olive branch by saying, I liked the pun. The German reply you got there was probably because “pizza” and “Pisa” are phonetically much farther apart in German than they are in English.

Would you do me a favor please and read the description of my model that I’ve posted above. This is what I thought models would look like for this contest. I’m not saying I spent as my time on mine as you did on yours (nor am I saying mine should have been picked by the judges.) But if someone asks for a 2 bedroom apartment and you give them a mansion with 12 bathrooms, that is really not hitting the requirements. So, time spent on the model really wouldn’t be a criteria.

Anyway, didn’t mean to single you out (which I didn’t), no issues with you or the model; nor the fact that the judges picked it. Please read the description of my model and let me know if you completely disagree if somebody understanding of this contest would be this kind of “model” instead.

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Okay, now that you deleted the first paragraph, my answer doesn’t really make sense. Basically, it’s like this…

In Geology/Geography classrooms , it is common to use graphics or videos to present key concepts to students. We hope to 3D print these visual models so that students can better understand and learn.

…this was the contest description and this is what the judges said afterwards about your model…

What a meaningful geology-themed game created by @SH Designs! It’s a fantastic way to explore the wonders of different geological landscapes while having fun. Fellow adventurers, have you had a chance to play this interactive game with your family ?

…which is where I get confused by the communication from the contest organizers, because I would think that…

…otherwise this would be a geography model as well…

…then for the “Musical Instruments Design Contest,” we could have a “musical instrument-themed game,” etc. It really just a slippery slope from there. But that’s on the organizers and the judges and not on you nor your model.

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Understood. That’s why I deleted the first paragraph. I felt I was being defensive and didn’t clearly read your intent. But it was there and I apologize for swinging back.

I can see where the confusion can come in on the contest theme. I read it differently than you and probably many others.

The musical instrument contest is clear: “We encourage creators to design a model of an instrument that can actually be played”. I don’t think a game would work here as it did with the Geo contest which was to “explore the integration of combining 3D printing with education.”

I think their use of the word “model” is generally referring to an object that is 3D printed, not necessarily a specific geological model, such as a dinosaur skull or a volcano. Nevertheless, in my game, students make their own “geological models” using the biome blocks as part of play.

Best of luck to you on your design journey.

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I think you could have a musical instruments game that still fits the theme and rules of the contest through. Here is a free idea someone can have for the Instruments design contest. I don’t have the skills to make this happen:

A game in which you race to gain all the pieces of a musical instrument like a trumpet or a recorder or some type of actual working horn. Look up a Saxo-Flute toy and imagine the pieces being part of a children’s game.

First player to complete their instrument wins. The game could also include some basic songs to play with the instrument for fun after-game play.

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…sure :wink:, and there’s the slippery slope I was talking about. First plate one long stick and one short stick. Print as many short sticks as you have players-1 plus one long stick. Take turns in mixing the sticks and holding them in your hand. Everyone draws, person with the long stick wins and gets to pick a piece of [contest item]. Winner now mixes up the sticks and you keep drawing until somebody has [contest item] completed. (Two player variant: print a coin and call heads or tails.)

For clock kit contest collect: clock kit, clock face, and individual clock hands. First working clock wins. For Corcelain contest collect: base and handle. First assembled cup wins. Variation of the game: two handles for French onion soup, three feet for plant pot.

Afterwards, educational bonus… learn to tell time. Have a tea ceremony, learn how to make French onion soup, do some gardening activity.

Judges’ Comments

What a meaningful [Contest Name]-themed game created by XYZ. It’s a fantastic way to explore the wonders of different [Contest Theme Items] while having fun. Fellow adventurers, have you had a chance to play this interactive game with your family?

Granted, drawing sticks or a coin toss is really lazy as far as game play :innocent:… but even if you make it more complex, it remains a game first; albeit [Contest]-themed. Like I said, a model that uses gamification strategies would be a different story… but this way, it’s like adding articulated legs to whatever the contest item is… if the “game” is to collect the items of what the “contest theme” is.

You had it right in your first reply…

Actually, the full quote is not “explore the integration of combining 3D printing with education.” But…

…with the “these” in “these visual models” referring to “it is common to use graphics or videos to present key concepts to students” from the previous sentence. If it weren’t for that little extra bit of info, I’d agree with you. But in this case…

…but you see… by saying “these visual models,” that is exactly what they were referring to though. Either they need to write better descriptions or start using their descriptions as criteria when judging the contest.

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You too. And, please don’t take any of this personally… obviously, a matter of don’t hate the player hate the game. I am confused as to the judges decision and am just trying to understand the ins and outs of these contests better. I’m drawing from the list of models the judges picked as winners, yours is one of them… but none of the “I don’t get it” kind of comments are directed at you or your model.

Like I said, I read the comments in the Landmark contest related to your “Tower of Pizza”… so I understand where you were coming from with that knee jerk reaction. No harm, no foul.