Operation LAPIS: Iteration of the CARDs

A few months ago here at Play the Past, I wrote about the collection mechanic that’s a large part of the grammatical instruction in Operation LAPIS. The rewards for completing categories in that collection mechanic were those wonderful CARDs (digital only) that would then appear in their personal dossiers. From a certain point of view, these CARDs were nothing more than glorified badges and achievements — examples of the dreaded gamification.

Introduction to Blood Sugar Support Supplements

Blood sugar support supplements have gained significant popularity in recent years as more people become aware of the importance of maintaining healthy blood sugar levels. These supplements are designed to aid in managing blood sugar levels and promoting overall health and well-being.

Understanding Blood Sugar Levels
What are normal blood sugar levels?
Normal blood sugar levels typically range between 70 to 100 mg/dL when fasting and below 140 mg/dL two hours after eating. However, these levels may vary depending on individual factors such as age, weight, and overall health.

Why maintaining blood sugar levels is important?
Maintaining stable blood sugar levels is crucial for overall health and well-being. Fluctuations in blood sugar levels can lead to various health issues, including diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular disease.

Factors Affecting Blood Sugar Levels
Several factors can affect blood sugar levels, including:

Diet and nutrition: Consuming foods high in refined sugars and carbohydrates can cause blood sugar spikes.
Physical activity: Regular exercise helps regulate blood sugar levels by increasing insulin sensitivity.
Stress and sleep: Chronic stress and poor sleep can negatively impact blood sugar control.
Blood Sugar Support Supplements Explained
Blood sugar support supplements come in various forms, including capsules, tablets, and powders. These supplements often contain a blend of vitamins, minerals, and herbal extracts that are known to support healthy blood sugar levels.

Benefits of Blood Sugar Support Supplements
Blood sugar support supplements offer several benefits, including:

Regulation of blood sugar levels: These supplements help stabilize blood sugar levels, reducing the risk of spikes and crashes.
Improved insulin sensitivity: Certain ingredients in these supplements can enhance insulin sensitivity, allowing cells to better absorb glucose from the bloodstream.
Enhanced energy levels: By promoting stable blood sugar levels, these supplements can help prevent fatigue and improve overall energy levels.
Key Ingredients in Blood Sugar Support Supplements
Some common ingredients found in blood sugar support supplements include:

Chromium: Helps regulate blood sugar levels and improve insulin sensitivity.
Cinnamon: Contains compounds that may help lower blood sugar levels and improve insulin sensitivity.
Berberine: A plant compound with anti-inflammatory and blood sugar-lowering effects.
Alpha-lipoic acid: Acts as an antioxidant and may help improve insulin sensitivity.
Choosing the Right Blood Sugar Support Supplement
When selecting a blood sugar support supplement, it’s essential to consider factors such as:

Quality and purity: Look for supplements made from high-quality ingredients with minimal additives.
Reputation of the brand: Choose supplements from reputable brands known for their commitment to quality and efficacy.
Reviews and testimonials: Read reviews from other users to gauge the effectiveness of the supplement.
Potential Side Effects and Risks
While blood sugar support supplements are generally safe for most people, they may cause side effects in some individuals. These side effects may include digestive discomfort, allergic reactions, or interactions with certain medications. It’s essential to consult with a healthcare professional before starting any new supplement regimen.

How to Incorporate Blood Sugar Support Supplements into Your Routine
To get the most benefit from blood sugar support supplements, it’s essential to use them as directed and incorporate them into a healthy lifestyle. This includes following a balanced diet, staying physically active, managing stress levels, and getting adequate sleep.

Real User Reviews: What Customers Say
Many users have reported positive experiences with blood sugar support supplements. Here are some testimonials from real users:

“Since starting blood sugar support supplements, I’ve noticed a significant improvement in my energy levels and overall well-being.”
“These supplements have helped me better manage my blood sugar levels and reduce my reliance on medication.”
“I’m amazed at how quickly these supplements have made a difference in my blood sugar control. I feel more balanced and energized throughout the day.”

I’m here today to tell you that those versions of the CARDs as rewards for a grind were indeed a failure. I’m not really surprised that they were a failure, much as I tried to convince myself that they would work. On the other hand, the collection mechanic itself, rooted in the “Pokemon Thing,” was not a failure. The students that bought into the collection mechanic demonstrated a higher level of proficiency in the finer points of Latin grammar that I’ve seen most Latin I students demonstrate in the past.

So what was the problem? It’s actually quite simple. Why does the collection mechanic in Pokemon work as well as it does? The players get to do something with their Pokemon. They are collecting them from the wild in order to raise them, train them and battle them. We needed to figure out how to turn those CARD rewards into something that could be used, preferably something that also tied into the learning objectives for the course. You know, that whole 1:1 game rules:learning objective thing.

When we first started down the road of development with the CARD idea, we wanted there to be a physical game tied to them–that is, an imaginary-yet-real purpose to collect the CARDs. We looked at a lot of different models and were first intrigued by ways we might incorporate some form of the mechanics of Top Trumps — namely, head-to-head battles between players that really go back all the way to the playing-card-game War. However, Top Trumps’ number-value mechanics don’t particularly align with any learning objectives for the course (it might be helpful for students to remember that Cicero was a better public speaker than Octavian, but assigning Cicero a 10 and Octavian an 8 actually seemed to us to cut against possible learning).

We also were particularly interested in ways that we might apply some of the mechanics from discussion games like Apples to Apples. Also, tor the classically-uninitiaed, there is also a serious (and seriously, nay wildly, popular) college-bowl-esque trivia contest in the classics sphere known as certamen. We also wanted to incorporate the high level of knowledge that participants in certamen have about all aspects of ancient history and culture in the new iteration of the CARDs.

Unfortunately we kept hitting the same brick wall over and over again: if you remove the straight numbers battles of something like Magic: the Gathering or Top Trumps, how do you determine a winner? Finally, at Games+Learning+Society 7.0 in June we saw the solution laid out before us: one of the mechanics of Eric Zimmerman’s (along with Local No. 12) renowned-in-the-game-community Metagame.

Metagame revolves around intelligent discussions about video games. From my perspective, the key mechanic in the Metagame ruleset is that any appointed bystander can function as a judge who decides the winner of the debate. This mechanic, I think, has a lot of implications for education.

On the CARD redesign

Decompressing after GLS, I sat down and laid out what would be the rules for what we now call CARD-tamen™ and the tie-in to the collection mechanic of Operation LAPIS. Also realizing that the original CARDs (while cool-looking) were obvious knock-offs of Magic: the Gathering, we also decided on a complete redesign centered around a Roman-themed deck with four categories of CARDs: historical people, significant ancient structures, places of renown, and Roman divinities.

Ozempic Weight Loss Dosage: Schedule & Results

Ozempic, an injectable prescription medicine primarily used to treat type 2 diabetes, has emerged as a potential solution for weight loss in non-diabetic individuals. This off-label use of Ozempic has gained popularity among adult patients seeking effective weight management options.

While originally designed to regulate blood sugar levels, Ozempic’s ability to suppress appetite and promote feelings of fullness has sparked interest in its potential as a weight loss aid. With obesity rates on the rise, finding safe and effective methods for shedding excess pounds is crucial.

We will explore the dosage guidelines and discuss its effectiveness, potential side effects, and important considerations for those considering this option. If you’re looking for insights on leveraging weight loss Ozempic’s  benefits outside the realm of diabetes treatment, read on.

How Ozempic Works for Weight Loss

Ozempic is a medication that can be used to aid in weight loss, even for individuals who do not have diabetes. This section will delve into how Ozempic works and its effects on the body.

Mimicking GLP-1 Hormone

Ozempic functions by mimicking the effects of a hormone known as GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide 1). This hormone plays a crucial role in regulating blood sugar levels and appetite. By activating the GLP-1 receptors in the brain, Ozempic can help reduce hunger and increase feelings of fullness.

Hunger Reduction and Increased Fullness

When you take Ozempic, it signals the brain to suppress your appetite. It’s like having a little voice inside saying, “Hey, you’re full! Put down that extra slice of pizza!” This effect can lead to decreased calorie intake, which is essential for weight loss. By curbing those pesky cravings and making you feel satisfied with smaller portions, Ozempic helps you stay on track with your weight loss goals.

We wanted to keep the overall feel of the CARDs the same but we needed a stylistic change that would allow us to be free of any litigation with Wizards of the Coast. The new designs, both in terms of content and style, are a beautiful representation of Roman culture in the form of a deck of cards.

On the rules of CARD-tamen™

The idea of CARD-tamen™ is simple: a roll of a d20 decides which of the twenty controversies the players will have to debate and then each participant, after selecting a CARD from their deck, has two minutes to prove to the iudex that their CARD is the more compelling answer to the controversy. The controversies range from declarations such as “More significant to world history” to “Greater contribution to the development of public speaking” to even “Inspired more significant stories.” (Students of Roman culture may recall that not-dissimilar controversiae formed an essential part of the education of young men destined for public life.)

In order to make their declamations better, players will go to resources beginning with Wikipedia and ending with scholarly articles on JSTOR to research more about their CARDs before playing their next game. In the very first round of play-testing with students, it took only minutes for one of them to take out a phone and look up some quick facts on Cicero. It took only a nano-second more for one of the other students to claim “Hey, that’s cheating!” to which the first student replied, “How? I’m using a resource to make my speech better.” When I heard about that exchange, I couldn’t have been happier: that’s precisely the effect that we wanted the CARDs to have. We’ve put just enough information on them to create a need to find out more.

But it’s the presence of what we call the iudex-mechanic, with its powerful effect of drawing in the bystanders to the activity, that makes the game matter, finally. Much research in educational psychology supports the notion that one of the most effective methods of helping students learn is fostering peer interaction. We hope that the iudex’s active role in deciding the winner will cause him or her, too, to feel the need to become more knowledgeable in the content covered by the 63 cards. In addition, anyone else observing the game will of course also hear the declamations made by each participant and gain knowledge of the topics.

The rules of CARD-tamen™ require the participant to talk intelligently about various aspects of Roman history and culture. That play objective also happens to be one of the learning objectives for an introductory Latin course or even a much more general course about civilization or history. The rules of the game foster the learning, rather than trying to transmit the content like so much chocolate on the broccoli of Roman culture.
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We just launched a Kickstarter campaign for CARD-tamen™ and would love the support from anyone interested in quality educational games or Classical studies. A preview of the 63 card deck (offered as one of the rewards for contributions) is located on the Kickstarter page: