What’s Stu’s Double Jeopardy?

Stu’s Double Jeopardy (for Windows) borrows from the lasting legacy of the popular TV gameshow, Jeopardy! 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.

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 Double Jeopardy is different. Firstly it’s all about teamwork – Jeopardy 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 Jeopardy Quiz to play. This is where real interactivity starts and why this Jeopardy website is so important. With Stu’s Double Jeopardy, you can quickly and very easily create your own quiz files. Now I’m hoping that everybody that creates a Jeopardy quiz file will be happy to share it – making this site grow into a huge repository of Jeopardy quizzes covering every subject under the Sun and beyond.

Actually, I’d better clarify this. Many people think that Stu’s Double Jeopardy 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 Jeopardy 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 dollar-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 “Daily Doubles” where the team in control can wager any or all of their score on the outcome of the next question. Then it’s through to the showdown – Final Jeopardy. Everything you know and love about Jeopardy! is in Stu’s Double Jeopardy! But here’s the real power of this program – 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 Double Jeopardy website. Download shared question files from the Jeopardy website. It’s a great group activity that can be used over and over throughout each year.

Find out more by clicking through the above menu links. If you have any comments or questions, add them below.