Technolandy

Day 54 (of 2025/26) A new media for language arts…? And practice for #chrkennedy prompt engineering!

D&D… Dungeons and Dragons… in the late 20th century, was feared and banned. I am thrilled that it has become more than just accepted in the 21st century, but even encouraged and thriving and allowing other roll playing modules to be explored..

So… that has me thinking – should it be a unit within language arts? Spoiler: yes. Absolutely.

I keep coming back to the same idea: story lives best when students live it. And few tools let kids step inside narrative the way Role Playing Games do. Whether it’s D&D, indie systems, or a classroom-built world, RPGs hit so many BC ELA competencies it almost feels unfair.

Students collaborate to build meaning—co-creating settings, characters, and conflicts. They think critically as they negotiate decisions, consequences, and moral dilemmas within the story world. Oral language? It’s everywhere. From improvising dialogue to persuasive speeches (“Let’s not open the cursed door”), students practice authentic communication—listening, contributing, adapting.

RPGs also strengthen text creation. When students design backstories, map worlds, or journal their character’s choices, they’re engaging in rich, purposeful writing that naturally weaves in voice, perspective, and structure. And because the learning emerges from play, reluctant writers suddenly have something to say.

But the real win is belonging. RPG tables create space for every student to try on identities, test ideas, and explore who they might be—without grades hovering overhead. In a world where we keep talking about engagement and personalization, maybe the best move is to let students roll the dice and tell the stories only they can tell.

Heck – today, Chris Kennedy (cultureofyes.ca) https://cultureofyes.ca/2025/11/19/is-prompt-engineering-really-the-new-future-skill/ promoted that prompt engineering is important – Chris argues prompt engineering is a future skill — and table talk in an RPG is prompt engineering in miniature. Players learn to ask clear questions, revise on the fly, and coax specific outcomes from the DM. Try this: give students a ‘DM prompt workshop’ — they practice writing one-line prompts to shape a scene (mood, conflict, outcome), test them at the table, then iterate. It’s writing, oral language, and real-time editing all rolled into play. Need a a starting point, arguably the greatest DM anywhere, Brennan Lee Mulligan has a share: audio: http://www.patreon.com/rss/worldsbeyondnumber?auth=omk9t_gNLbpPuw5wmlTtCtNOKLoGK1ou&show=928334

And a visual short

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DRQCPhjlhgj/?igsh=MWliZTBoaTdjdXJnZQ==

Want to explore the human side of prompt engineering? Join in a dungeon! Trust me, AI responses can be much kinder and more forgiving than a DM who is modelling healthy choices and not having a 2L of pop to drink from!

Ahhh D&D where one can safely explore different names… genders… races… pronouns… oops, now it’s banned in 11 states and one province 😜