Stu’s Quiz Boxes (for Windows) might remind people of the TV gameshow, Jeopardy!, but it’s not that, it’s much better than that. You can use it to make an exciting, interactive and educational computer-based gameshow available to everybody. It can be used in so many different situations – in schools and colleges, at conferences and parties. But the main use is expected to be in classrooms, that’s why Quiz Boxes is all about POINTS, not DOLLARS. There is no link to gambling like there is with that other game.
As Interactive Whiteboards (IWBs) and data projectors become more widely used in schools, there is a need for motivating, interactive and educational software to complement them. Many of the IWB titles available involve working with one student while everybody else looks on. That’s where Stu’s Quiz Boxes is different. Firstly it’s all about teamwork – Quiz Boxes can be played by up to 6 teams!
So, once you’ve split your class up into the desired number of teams, it’s time to select a Quiz Boxes quiz to play. This is where real interactivity starts and why this Quiz Boxes website is so important. With Stu’s Quiz Boxes, you can quickly and very easily create your own quiz files. Now I’m hoping that everybody that creates a Quiz Boxes quiz file will be happy to share it – making this site grow into a huge repository of quizzes covering every subject under the Sun and beyond.
Actually, I’d better clarify this. Many people think that Stu’s Quiz Boxes is available for free. Technically, yes, you can download it for free. But if you use it, there is a cost. You MUST produce a good-quality Quiz Boxes question file on any subject and share it by emailing it to me for inclusion at this site. Click on the Quizzes page for more information about this. So, here’s what the game board looks like:
This is completely unlike any program I’ve ever written – not a single command button in sight. What’s more, the game is totally skinnable! You can create your own background images and button images if you are so inclined. Furthermore, you can also make it a multimedia quiz by adding your own MP3 files to each question if you want.
So imagine this game board filling an IWB. The teacher or a student is the M.C. or host. Split the class into 3, 4, 5 or 6 teams and select a point-value in a category to see the question panel:
Keep score automatically by pressing [tick] or [cross] against each team as they answer the questions. Play on through the board to reveal hidden “SUPER Quiz Box” where the team in control can risk any or all of their score on the outcome of the next question.
You can include MP3 audio in any or all question panels and select when they play by clicking the CD icon on the screen. You can also include a JPEG image in any or all question panels just like this one:
Then it’s through to the showdown – The Quiz Boxes Breaker. Stu’s Quiz Breaker is a full-featured, exciting, motivating and customizable quiz show toolbox, all in one program. There’s pretty much nothing else like it – especially not at this price! (free)
Now here’s the real power of Stu’s Quiz Boxes – The Question Editor:
With the Question Editor, Teachers can create question files. Students can create question files. One class can create a question file for another class to use. Build question files that cover every Key Learning Area and topic. Make the creation of question files a whole class activity! Every student can contribute questions individually, or groups can contribute a whole category of questions. Use the games for topic review. Use the games as a reward. Share your question files via the Stu’s Quiz Boxes website. Download shared question files from the Stu’s Quiz Boxes website. It’s a great group activity that can be used over and over throughout each year.
Then think about some extension activities for your students, like creating your own skins for your Quiz Boxes game:
With the Quiz Boxes Skin Builder, you just need to supply three photo files, cropped to specific sizes and named appropriately. The Skin Builder will automatically cut your foreground photo up into boxes and number them, ready to play! Make a skin to relate to YOUR quiz, and teach your students to do basic photo editing at the same time.
Find out more by clicking through the above menu links. If you have any comments or questions first check the FAQ page and if you still don’t have your answer, just ask your question below.
wow,
What an impressive game Stu, i teach grade 2, so this should blow their socks off, even if they are not big time Jeopardy Players..
Rob
Hi Rob, I’ve played it with K,1,2 grades before. Even if they are not great readers of questions, you can use images in your questions! Just follow the steps here:
http://jeopardygame.wordpress.com/2008/08/10/include-images-in-your-quizzes-step-by-step/
Amazing program. it works perfectly with the child i am tutoring as well! it is an amazing tool to accelerate the speed of learning.. and in a fun and exciting way for restless children too! this program is easy to use and to access. I just think it’s great that you people care enough to value the modern day childs education by offeriing this program… for free!! I’m a single teenage mother, 15 to be exact and its hard to make ends meet. Working at Mcdonalds does NOT cut it. I should have listened to my mom….
Thanks for the game Stu.
Does the game provide sound as well, just like the tv version?
Don
There are sounds, but not necessarily the same as the TV Show. I am not trying to make a 100% copy. But you can replace the sounds that are in there with those from the show – you just need them as MP3 files.
Stupid question I need to ask? Does the game prompt you to develop round two of double jeopardy or do you just make a second game with double values? If the latter is correct, how do I avoid the final jeopardy question from popping-up before round two is initiated and then completed?
Don
My version of the game is one round only, plus Final Jeopardy. It’s designed for classrooms where you often don’t have enough time to play an entire 60 questions.
Hi Stu
It is a great game. I have shown my mums friends and they think its great and my cousin who is a school teacher. Is there any more quizes you can download on to the game? If you want to put a image in on your make your own quiz how do you do it? once again it is a great game.
Hi Noah, plenty of quizzes on the QUIZZES page, linked at the top. Also look at the INSTRUCTIONS page for step-by-step guides for how to do everything in Jeopardy.
Hello!
Love the Jeopardy. I’m a math teacher. How do you put exponents into the editor?
Thanks!
Hi Scott. The standard font used for Jeopardy questions is Arial. You can use certain extended characters in the Arial font such as º ¹Ω ⅓ ⅜ ⅝ ⅞ ≤ ≥ ≠ ⁿ √ ∞ ∑ ∂ ² ³ µ ± ¼ π – you’ll find them all in Charmap. Click Windows Start button, then select Run and type Charmap then press Enter. Select the Arial Font and all the characters available are in there to Copy/Paste into Jeopardy’s Question Editor. Now obviously not everything you’ll want is in there, and in those cases, you’ll want to make your question in Word or something similar using a Math font of some type, then you can capture the screen to an image file, crop it and save it as a JPEG file with the appropriate name for the question number and then your question is displayed as an image file rather than manually typed in text. That process is explained here:
http://jeopardygame.wordpress.com/2008/08/10/include-images-in-your-quizzes-step-by-step/
Saludos. Estoy fascinado con este software, quiero darle una aplicaciòn bìblica con los jovenes de mi iglesia, pero todavia no tengo muy claro algunas de las aplicaciones del software por estar escritas en inglès, quiero saber si me pueden enviar a mi correo todas las aplicaciones en español, porfavor. Dios bendiga al creador de este programa y a Ustedes que lo comparten en internet. Gracias.
Nelson.
Hola Nelson, por favor, perdón mi español mal traducido. Si quieren enviarme sus preguntas en español, está bien. Si he entendido lo que estaba pidiendo, simplemente volver a preguntar de otra manera.
Stu, you should be classified as a National Treasure
!!!!
Let’s keep an eye on this website
http://www.nsw.nationaltrust.org.au/about/treasures.asp
and when the time is right, vote Stu onto the National Treasure list.
Very kind Paul and Deirdre. I’ll assume you like my Jeopardy game.
Hi!
I’m trying out your game for a training session and I’m almost there! It’s pretty cool and I love that it totals the scores automatically. Just wondering if the Stu’s Double Jeopardy heading is modifiable to our event, or is that offensive for me to even ask to remove it?
Hi Michelle. Glad you like it. The header is not modifiable (unless you roll your mouse over the category headings which changes it). Once I asked Microsoft if they’d change the title of Microsoft Word to “Stu’s Letter Writter”. They ignored me. At least you got an answer…
Hi, i am in the Stage 4 Jeopardy Tournament, and i think that this game is really good, and it gets kids interested. My friends and i all love it : )
See you in the grand finals
Congratulations on making the Grand Final Theodora. Your team’s done a great job so far. Just one more step to go. Good luck!
Hi Stu, I only have time to ask about 10 questions so was only going to use two columns. Is there any way to go from just using two columns right to Final Jeopardy or do you have to clear off all the columns? Thanks!
Hi Susan. Yes, you can do this. Have a read here: http://jeopardygame.wordpress.com/2008/08/16/jeopardy-v31-introducing-the-quickie/
Thanks Stu, you’re game is fantastic by the way!
Thanks Stu
Thanks to the internet and your willingness to share those of us not living in Sydney can still benefit from your great developments!
I posted this at:
http://favouriteweb20things.blogspot.com/2009/07/stus-double-jeopardy.html
Wow what a wondeful program you have created!!! Excellent!!!! I’m really amazed with this game and its educational application! I’m an ESL teacher in Mexico and I’m ready to create quizzes en this subjet and to share them!!
Thanks a lot! And God Bless YOU
Hi Yatziri. Hope your class likes it as much as you do!
ssssssssooooooooooooooooooooo cccccccccccoooooooooooooolllllllllllllllll! i’m making a game for my school. it was a task i had to do.
I installed the software on a Dell Vostro 1700 (NVidia GeForce video card) and the game does not display correctly. Tried updating drivers and changing the screen resolution. Any ideas?? Works great on other machines.
Hi Tracy. Your screen resolution must be set to 1024 x 768. I assume you are either running at 800 x 600 or you do have 1024 x 768 but you have Large Fonts turned on in Windows display settings. Click on the Display tab, then Advanced and change it to Small Fonts.
What happened to STU’s DOUBLE JEOPARDY, did you get sued or something?
No, not sued. I changed it for two reasons – I first wrote Jeopardy in 1997, but I want to add to the game eventually which will take it away from the general Jeopardy direction and introduce more features and options which will make it a different game. Leaving the name as Jeopardy, but making it a different product will confuse people. Hence the name change. Also, I respect that Sony Pictures owns the name “Jeopardy” and while I haven’t made a cent from this program, it still doesn’t make it right.
Stu,
Did you remove the Gambling component of Jeopardy as the winners of the Stage 4 tournament always seem to come through based on their risk in FInal Jeopardy ?
Hi Sharon, LOL. No, I haven’t removed the risk component of the last question (now called Quiz Box Breaker), I’ve removed the “gambling” connotation by changing the scores to POINT instead of DOLLARS. I was never really happy with “playing for money”, even if it was pretend money. That’s what Jeopardy is. That’s what Quiz Boxes is not.
hi as u know my name is jessica and im so into stu’z quiz boxes and i want to download it but i dont want to spend money on it so yeh can u please help me
thanks babe or man
byebye and love ya
Hi Jessica. You don’t have to spend any money on Stu’s Quiz Boxes, it’s free. Just get it from the Download page at the top. Instructions on the instructions page.
When will this be available for Macs? I use Macs in my classes.
Hi Jo Ann. There are no plans at this stage to develop a Mac version.
I think this is so fantastic. I found it about 2 days ago and used it yesterday in the classroom and the kids love it. Thank you Thank you.
Glad you like it PMM. I’m pleased it all went well first go for you.
This looks sooo great! I play jeopardy ALL the time with my class, but this version looks to be by far the most fun, ever! I only wish I didn’t have a mac in my classroom, then I could test this baby out some more!
Hi Stu,
Great software!
Is there a way to have QuizBoxes full screen independent of screen resolution?
A minimun screen res would be ok but it would be great if QuizBoxes went full screen automatically on startup. Thanks again! Regards, Berno.
Hi Berno,
Glad you like it. QuizBoxes is currently designed for a 1024×768 screen, which is the most common resolution used by data projectors which you would normally use with the program in a classroom. A resizing funtion for any resolution is on the wishlist.
Hi Stu,
Thanks for your speedy reply and the info!
Keep up the good work.
Kind regards, Berno.
What a great game but this is all double points. Is there a single and double points version to hold two sessions?
Hi Matt, This is QuizBoxes, not Jeopardy. There is only one round per game.
Very nice game, I´ll use in school. Thank you very much!
Sadly the software often sum up wrong the points. For example you have 1000 P. and get 200 P. Instead of sum up to 1200P, the computer gives the team a total of 200 P.!
Hi JBC. I have tried and tried, but I cannot replicate your symptom. The scoring has always worked perfectly for me, in fact, I use it in competitions where it HAS to work, and it’s never failed. Could you replicate the problem and let me know step-by-step exactly how you produced it?
Hi Stu,
A couple of weeks ago I introduced Quiz Boxes to 30 Zambian teachers during a one day workshop. They sure liked it! At the moment a working on some documentation for them. I started with your instructions page and I ended up with a “comic book” versions (text and screenshots) of the installation, playing Quiz Boxes and creating a Quiz. If you’re interested in this stuff please let me know if and where I can upload. Regards, Berno.
Hi Berno! Wow. Excellent feedback. If you can email me your documentation, I’d be happy to share it here!