A good summary, a good reference, an opinion and assessment I can relate to.
tc
(just in case anyone is still checking this blog...)
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Help Wanted in SL: Sheriff and Taxman to Watch Casinos
Looks like SL is dealing with some "real life" issues with the land rush / frontier town mentality - all the bad habits and tendencies of people without oversight or law enforcement come out in full force - gambling, adult content / promiscuity - I guess you can say that there's one redeeming feature, in that avatars can't drink or do drugs (yet).
I refer to my previous posts in class discussion and on this blog about the inevitability of regulation and law enforcement and formal rules appearing in a "new world".
Perhaps this whole SL experience is an interesting experiment in repeating history, demonstrating what is so universal in the human condition, and why just being in the audience and watching this phenom play out is like watching a soap opera, a documentary, or an existential drama. Perhaps there is learning possible if you compare the trials and tribulations of SL with RL historical events. No doubt, someone will make the comparison and get a PhD studying it, very soon I would guess.
I refer to my previous posts in class discussion and on this blog about the inevitability of regulation and law enforcement and formal rules appearing in a "new world".
Perhaps this whole SL experience is an interesting experiment in repeating history, demonstrating what is so universal in the human condition, and why just being in the audience and watching this phenom play out is like watching a soap opera, a documentary, or an existential drama. Perhaps there is learning possible if you compare the trials and tribulations of SL with RL historical events. No doubt, someone will make the comparison and get a PhD studying it, very soon I would guess.
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Donors Choose
This is sort of an educational game — if you choose a very loose interpretation. It definitely is a cool idea though and I highly recommend taking a look at it. Also, if you have an American Express card, you've a chance to gain another $5M for them by voting for the project.
Take a look!
Take a look!
Sunday, July 8, 2007
Low Tech. is cool too!
Most of this course has, so far, focused on high tech, digital simulations and games, but, despite being a computer programmer by (former) profession, I'm almost more interested in the low tech options available.
For example, ropes courses are a fantastic and exceptionally effective tool — and I say that as a former ropes course director. One of the best experiences is having a bunch of campers come to me in the morning and leave in the afternoon as a cohesive group. I was really able to see the change in the group and it was significant each and every time!
For example, ropes courses are a fantastic and exceptionally effective tool — and I say that as a former ropes course director. One of the best experiences is having a bunch of campers come to me in the morning and leave in the afternoon as a cohesive group. I was really able to see the change in the group and it was significant each and every time!
The big draw for them was usually the high elements (forty foot traverses, rock walls, suicide rappells, etc.) because they were sort of more glamorous, but my favorites were the ground elements. The ones where you have a suspended tire and have to get all your students through it or something similar. The leadership they elicit is nice to see, but what I loved was how it truly gives everyone an opportunity to shine because you need a story and strong role-play component as well. I've had students project a concert hall filled with screaming fans and dangling electric cables onto a piece of rope and a tire. And it gives campers the opportunity to role-play as well and to shine and show off skills of all kinds.
After the experience of that summer, I seriously considered doing that sort of corporate training, but it's too much of a pain to drum up business…
As an teacher I've tried to implement some of these techniques wherever possible and when I've been able to, it really engages the students.
Saturday, July 7, 2007
PowerSet - the new search
This new search technology seems to be promising — have any of you seen this already? Just reading the blogs alone is educational! Unless, of course, you aren't an English-freak…
I know this isn't really a game in and of itself, but I wonder if it couldn't be used to teach effective English sentence construction?
I know this isn't really a game in and of itself, but I wonder if it couldn't be used to teach effective English sentence construction?
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
Augmented Reality
The next step? How good is simulation for learning now?
I'm being converted. But still a skeptic.
; )
tc
I'm being converted. But still a skeptic.
; )
tc
Thursday, June 28, 2007
A visual and audible voyeuristic look at people and their avatars...
This diversity of virtual world users shows a variety of reasons and expectations for using virtual worlds... from overcoming race and physical handicaps, to fun and leisure and building of self-confidence and making real dollars...
Interesting.
So, does this virtual world allow different learners with different and personal preferences for experience and learning to satisfy their perceived needs and also learn something? Or, does this new phenomena not so much support explicit or measurable objective and universal learning goals, but more give learners a way to build their selves, their sense of self-efficacy, their sense of personal control and freedom - those characteristics that support more effective learning in a more structured, traditional instructional environment?
tc
Interesting.
So, does this virtual world allow different learners with different and personal preferences for experience and learning to satisfy their perceived needs and also learn something? Or, does this new phenomena not so much support explicit or measurable objective and universal learning goals, but more give learners a way to build their selves, their sense of self-efficacy, their sense of personal control and freedom - those characteristics that support more effective learning in a more structured, traditional instructional environment?
tc
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Dads and Kids Bonding Over Digital Games - part II
There's a pattern here... I am liking this dyadic learning process and relationship development.
I guess I better start learning how to play these games now, so I have at least 8or 9 years to get a leg up on my daughters!!!
; )
tc
(I'll blow them away when I pull out my old pocket-sized game of Simon...)
I guess I better start learning how to play these games now, so I have at least 8or 9 years to get a leg up on my daughters!!!
; )
tc
(I'll blow them away when I pull out my old pocket-sized game of Simon...)
One Teachers's Favorite Educational Games Site
Another article available in this free on-line trade mag is a somewhat biased (towards the "Yay!" column) opinion column on the future of educational games and their impact on motivation and, among other things, "analytical thinking, team building, multitasking, and problem solving under duress":
Computer Games: Educational Technology's Next Frontier?
tc
Computer Games: Educational Technology's Next Frontier?
tc
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Legend of the Syndicate
An interesting article forwarded to me from a colleague about the publication of a book detailing the history of a guild that has been together for 10 years playing Massively Multiplayer Online Games including Ultima Online, EverQuest, and World of Warcraft. The book should be interesting for those interested not only in gaming, simulations and virtual worlds, but also in the social networking that go along with them.
http://books.slashdot.org/books/07/06/26/0239237.shtml
http://books.slashdot.org/books/07/06/26/0239237.shtml
Monday, June 25, 2007
An Interview with James Gee...
First Big Question from this interview (retrieved 25 June 2007):
"All of the research that has determined that video games have positive effects has been about low-level brain activity, such as visual acuity and multi-modal processing. Where's the research that shows that games can provide other positive effects, be they improved application of logical reasoning, increased sensitivity to moral issues, or something else?"
James Gee response:
"Here a few things worth looking at:
Jones, S., (July 6, 2003). Let the Games Begin: Games and Entertainment Among College Students." Pew Internet & American Life Project.
Durkin, K., & Barber, B., (2002). Not so doomed: computer game play and positive adolescent development. Applied Developmental Psychology, 23, 373-392.
Gros, B., (2003). The impact of digital games in education. First Monday (www.firstmonday.org), Issue 8_7.
Fischer, G., (2003). Beyond "Couch Potatoes": From Consumers to Designers and Active Contributors. First Monday (www.firstmonday.org), Issue 7_12.
However, I would not want to claim that "video games have positive effects," but rather that "video games used in different ways have different effects." We learned long ago that a technology -- television, for example -- is not "good" or "bad." When children watch television passively, it is not particularly good for them, but when they watch with adults who get them to think and talk about what they are watching, then it can be good for them. I argue that video games can be good for children and adults when played actively and thought about at a meta-level in terms of their design features and the sorts of interactions they allow or encourage.
Furthermore, I don't claim that there is now lots of research showing games are good for deeper purposes. Rather, I argue that game technology has a great potential to be useful in getting people to learn and think about things (socially, cognitively, and morally). We need to study this potential and make use of it in new settings beyond the commercial markets to which most games are directed. This enterprise is just beginning. It has taken us years of research to sort out the uses and effects of literacy as a technology in its various social, historical, and cognitive settings and situations. So the questions really are these: Is game technology a worthwhile thing to study? Does it hold potential for spreading to contexts outside gaming?
What is most powerful about video games, I would argue, is that the "consumer" (player, learner) is also a "producer." Players actively co-create the virtual worlds of games by the decisions they make and the actions they take. In opened-ended games, the game is different for every player. Further, they can fairly easily build extensions and modifications to many games."
Tom's thoughts:
So, we, as Instructional Designers, are left with this challenge, to interpret the "high-potential" for use at a "meta level", map that to specific learning situations and instructional designs and events, make decisions on its use based on our knowledge of appropriate learning principles (and theoretical foundations) and be able to justify that design element to our users and customers and the end users.
I find this argument intriguing, but lacking sufficient tangential and supporting oomph... for the same reasons Gee himself stated. Are we really just looking at yet another round of skepticism and opposing hype around a new technology? I believe 100% in technology's value, but I have some reservations about overselling the technology without the stated application of thoughtful design.
Surely, there's a lot to be done in this field to establish repeatable, research based results and knowledge, and to integrate this and other new (and in my opinion, more readily integrated) social technologies.
It's tough to counteract the inertia of history and to accommodate the burden of proof - especially when we have multiple historical references that show the it's not the tool but how we use it - and in light of the fact that we still can't seem to find significant and consistent value in the research on other relatively new technologies - i.e. LMS, WWW, virtual classrooms, etc.
"All of the research that has determined that video games have positive effects has been about low-level brain activity, such as visual acuity and multi-modal processing. Where's the research that shows that games can provide other positive effects, be they improved application of logical reasoning, increased sensitivity to moral issues, or something else?"
James Gee response:
"Here a few things worth looking at:
Jones, S., (July 6, 2003). Let the Games Begin: Games and Entertainment Among College Students." Pew Internet & American Life Project.
Durkin, K., & Barber, B., (2002). Not so doomed: computer game play and positive adolescent development. Applied Developmental Psychology, 23, 373-392.
Gros, B., (2003). The impact of digital games in education. First Monday (www.firstmonday.org), Issue 8_7.
Fischer, G., (2003). Beyond "Couch Potatoes": From Consumers to Designers and Active Contributors. First Monday (www.firstmonday.org), Issue 7_12.
However, I would not want to claim that "video games have positive effects," but rather that "video games used in different ways have different effects." We learned long ago that a technology -- television, for example -- is not "good" or "bad." When children watch television passively, it is not particularly good for them, but when they watch with adults who get them to think and talk about what they are watching, then it can be good for them. I argue that video games can be good for children and adults when played actively and thought about at a meta-level in terms of their design features and the sorts of interactions they allow or encourage.
Furthermore, I don't claim that there is now lots of research showing games are good for deeper purposes. Rather, I argue that game technology has a great potential to be useful in getting people to learn and think about things (socially, cognitively, and morally). We need to study this potential and make use of it in new settings beyond the commercial markets to which most games are directed. This enterprise is just beginning. It has taken us years of research to sort out the uses and effects of literacy as a technology in its various social, historical, and cognitive settings and situations. So the questions really are these: Is game technology a worthwhile thing to study? Does it hold potential for spreading to contexts outside gaming?
What is most powerful about video games, I would argue, is that the "consumer" (player, learner) is also a "producer." Players actively co-create the virtual worlds of games by the decisions they make and the actions they take. In opened-ended games, the game is different for every player. Further, they can fairly easily build extensions and modifications to many games."
Tom's thoughts:
So, we, as Instructional Designers, are left with this challenge, to interpret the "high-potential" for use at a "meta level", map that to specific learning situations and instructional designs and events, make decisions on its use based on our knowledge of appropriate learning principles (and theoretical foundations) and be able to justify that design element to our users and customers and the end users.
I find this argument intriguing, but lacking sufficient tangential and supporting oomph... for the same reasons Gee himself stated. Are we really just looking at yet another round of skepticism and opposing hype around a new technology? I believe 100% in technology's value, but I have some reservations about overselling the technology without the stated application of thoughtful design.
Surely, there's a lot to be done in this field to establish repeatable, research based results and knowledge, and to integrate this and other new (and in my opinion, more readily integrated) social technologies.
It's tough to counteract the inertia of history and to accommodate the burden of proof - especially when we have multiple historical references that show the it's not the tool but how we use it - and in light of the fact that we still can't seem to find significant and consistent value in the research on other relatively new technologies - i.e. LMS, WWW, virtual classrooms, etc.
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Anybody thought about the effect this new "world" has on our mental models?
Read this stuff about the big hullaballoo about adult content...
Listen to the words and references they make in their entries, pick out the jargon, new phrases, and word representations of how they view the SL world, with islands and a mainland, and...
If nothing else, this endeavor will embed the language, culture and ideas of a "new world" on our real world, and changes the lexicon.
Can it create a unique and new mental model for someone who is learning in SL?
tc
Listen to the words and references they make in their entries, pick out the jargon, new phrases, and word representations of how they view the SL world, with islands and a mainland, and...
If nothing else, this endeavor will embed the language, culture and ideas of a "new world" on our real world, and changes the lexicon.
Can it create a unique and new mental model for someone who is learning in SL?
tc
Millions of Us
a splinter faction, hiding out in the hills of San Francisco...
read their "about us" - no mention of the word education... hmmmm...
also, Gaia - interesting, more anime like, game like for the teens who enjoy that
I believe, that this virtual world phenom will expand, SL will implode like Netscape did as they are burdened with the weight of being the trailblazer and struggle to keep their original idealism and intent manageable in the face of a competitive market and litigation and the adult content issues (remember, Netscape introduced many of us the web using a "browser"...), competitors will spring up, divert the resources and attention, and in the end, it will be, as Millions of Us clearly states, about "the future of marketing, technology, entertainment and brand-building".
read their "about us" - no mention of the word education... hmmmm...
also, Gaia - interesting, more anime like, game like for the teens who enjoy that
I believe, that this virtual world phenom will expand, SL will implode like Netscape did as they are burdened with the weight of being the trailblazer and struggle to keep their original idealism and intent manageable in the face of a competitive market and litigation and the adult content issues (remember, Netscape introduced many of us the web using a "browser"...), competitors will spring up, divert the resources and attention, and in the end, it will be, as Millions of Us clearly states, about "the future of marketing, technology, entertainment and brand-building".
Friday, June 22, 2007
OK, mark one for the adult column...
Today, while chatting with other dog owners in the park (there had to have been 15 dogs, mostly labs, all dripping wet from churning up the creek), I spoke with an adult trainer - he's a 6 Sigma Blackbelt, trains people in SPC (statistical process control), and other 6Sigma concepts / skills / knowledge.
I asked him, do you ever use simulations in class? He said, "No, not yet." But he expressed interest in a couple of applications for the statistical analysis stuff. He also said he's used games with much success (based on verbal and written feedback from adult students) after using games - from MIT, developed in house at Kodak, etc. He told me that his class participants love the hands-on experience of manipulating information and scenarios to understand and explore how systems change / respond to changes, and how to envision and augment mental models about mathematics, stats, calculations, etc.
I am fully convinced, that computer visualization / simulation / and graphical representation of logical and theoretical concepts is a winner for adults and for kids. I am also convinced that people like the games and virtual hands-on when applying new learning / knowledge / skills using some interactive system - and that includes computer games, roleplays, etc.
So, I am more compelled to find ways to use these two models with different age-group learners to add practice and exploratory modeling and cause-effect visualization, and to add a little fun and interest / motivation generators in a class, as one element in an instructional design / delivery agenda.
Now, the question remains, how to get the software / games, how to evaluate those games for applicability to the class, determine the what levels of what prior knowledge and skills are required to make them more used than confused, and when in a sequence of instruction / learning to apply them.
I like the idea of using them to gain interest as a demonstration by the teacher / facilitator first, setting of expectations for when games and sims will be made available to the students, and how they can prepare to use them effectively to reduce any computer skills or knowledge anxieties.
Now, I suppose I should entertain the questions about how to use SL (if it seems appropriate for the audience and objectives of the instruction - and yes, I believe there should be objectives... not inflexible, not just test-prep, but defined expectations to work from / customize with the class) as an exploratory and presentation environment in which I can perhaps generate interest, time on task, etc. by using it.
I would also like to work with a serious user of SL to watch how they would go about organizing, prepping, scripting, and administrating an instructional event for SL - and in the delivery, rely on a learner or learners to help direct the presentation of information / imagery / etc. to make it most appealing. I really believe strongly in involving students in the learning process and delivery (age 10 and up though) - it's not just for androgogy anymore.
I would also like to work with students to assess motivation levels for the class in a way that can be measured before, during and after the instruction using alternative media.
I'm going soft, I know... but I am learnable I guess...
tc
I asked him, do you ever use simulations in class? He said, "No, not yet." But he expressed interest in a couple of applications for the statistical analysis stuff. He also said he's used games with much success (based on verbal and written feedback from adult students) after using games - from MIT, developed in house at Kodak, etc. He told me that his class participants love the hands-on experience of manipulating information and scenarios to understand and explore how systems change / respond to changes, and how to envision and augment mental models about mathematics, stats, calculations, etc.
I am fully convinced, that computer visualization / simulation / and graphical representation of logical and theoretical concepts is a winner for adults and for kids. I am also convinced that people like the games and virtual hands-on when applying new learning / knowledge / skills using some interactive system - and that includes computer games, roleplays, etc.
So, I am more compelled to find ways to use these two models with different age-group learners to add practice and exploratory modeling and cause-effect visualization, and to add a little fun and interest / motivation generators in a class, as one element in an instructional design / delivery agenda.
Now, the question remains, how to get the software / games, how to evaluate those games for applicability to the class, determine the what levels of what prior knowledge and skills are required to make them more used than confused, and when in a sequence of instruction / learning to apply them.
I like the idea of using them to gain interest as a demonstration by the teacher / facilitator first, setting of expectations for when games and sims will be made available to the students, and how they can prepare to use them effectively to reduce any computer skills or knowledge anxieties.
Now, I suppose I should entertain the questions about how to use SL (if it seems appropriate for the audience and objectives of the instruction - and yes, I believe there should be objectives... not inflexible, not just test-prep, but defined expectations to work from / customize with the class) as an exploratory and presentation environment in which I can perhaps generate interest, time on task, etc. by using it.
I would also like to work with a serious user of SL to watch how they would go about organizing, prepping, scripting, and administrating an instructional event for SL - and in the delivery, rely on a learner or learners to help direct the presentation of information / imagery / etc. to make it most appealing. I really believe strongly in involving students in the learning process and delivery (age 10 and up though) - it's not just for androgogy anymore.
I would also like to work with students to assess motivation levels for the class in a way that can be measured before, during and after the instruction using alternative media.
I'm going soft, I know... but I am learnable I guess...
tc
The Song of the Dodo
A tremendous book about island realities and evolution. A very tangential and divergent path to take on this SL thing, but I love this book - and David Quammen is such a fantastic writer... I used to really enjoy his column in Outside magazine a long time ago, before it became too commercialized.
I thought of this when I thought that in SL, if and when the corporate 800-lb gorillas take over SL, that is, if it ever starts generating enough eyeballs and dollars to get them in there, that there will have to be islands of non-commercial stuff, like the places and islands where researchers, educators, and other people who are more interested in the greater good than in personal gratification that SL offers many. And islands do funny things to people.
I thought of this when I thought that in SL, if and when the corporate 800-lb gorillas take over SL, that is, if it ever starts generating enough eyeballs and dollars to get them in there, that there will have to be islands of non-commercial stuff, like the places and islands where researchers, educators, and other people who are more interested in the greater good than in personal gratification that SL offers many. And islands do funny things to people.
The Circle Game
An interesting perspective on what is believed to be the apex of the competitiveness of professional tennis - winning by physical dominance and hyperskill. The argument here is interesting in that if we build training and set goals to just win, we lose a little something in the process, the sense of a game, the strategy, the finesse, the pleasure of the hunt perhaps... And the mighty ad dollar and the sponsorships from athletic equipment companies contribute to this. What happens if SL becomes a marketer's paradise, driving the stakes high, quickly swamping the grass-roots level aura of SL and miring it in billboards, incredibly ornate and complex structures, and then dominate the rules, politics, and practices of the highly visible and powerful in the SL world. I think that like the physical world, people will struggle to find authentic and good things, those who provide that will be forced into a niche and constantly defending their space... and the quality experiences will be reserved for those who can afford and are in the know about using SL to be a better or more successful human in the physical reality.
Sorry, I'm not a gloom and doom type, but history is a very good teacher and we all want to think the next big thing will be different.
I can hear the Paul Simon song in my head now, "Train in the Distance" - I love that song, that album (woops, that word dates me a bit...).
tc
p.s. read the book "The Black Swan" - really!!
Sorry, I'm not a gloom and doom type, but history is a very good teacher and we all want to think the next big thing will be different.
I can hear the Paul Simon song in my head now, "Train in the Distance" - I love that song, that album (woops, that word dates me a bit...).
tc
p.s. read the book "The Black Swan" - really!!
There's gold in them thar SL hills...
Hey, if the Macarthur foundation is dropping in their ante, or, in fact, upping the ante, hooray! More opps to research this phenomena - and perhaps, view this technology as something that is perceived and used differently by some people, and has potential to be a positive tool. (not like the lens I have used so far, which is, sadly, quite narcissistic, as I don't seem to see my reflection in SL, and have no desire to find it...)
I will applaud those of you who go for the gold ring on this merry go round, and either prove or dispel the hype around SL.
For my interests though, I am intrigued by this technology, will not ignore it, and have learned a good deal by exploring, but, I prefer to focus instruction and being a part of others' learning in a way that is in person, personal, physical, and engages all 5 senses. Urrr... all 6 senses for those who like my wife, tend to know things in a way I do not yet understand. I envy that.
tc
I will applaud those of you who go for the gold ring on this merry go round, and either prove or dispel the hype around SL.
For my interests though, I am intrigued by this technology, will not ignore it, and have learned a good deal by exploring, but, I prefer to focus instruction and being a part of others' learning in a way that is in person, personal, physical, and engages all 5 senses. Urrr... all 6 senses for those who like my wife, tend to know things in a way I do not yet understand. I envy that.
tc
Here's One for the Memories
A snapshot of 6 of us on Numbakulla (210, 16, 24) - a tour led by Micah.Sorry, Jing and Deniz, you were not there yet and Jon, I'm not too sure where he had wandered then. Of course, we had um... 2 strangers in our midst...
As the class draws to a close, I want to thank everyone for a fun learning experience. I hope we'll keep connected via this blog, :-) or maybe have a reunion on SL, just kidding...
Missing Features of Second Life
Many of us have already commented on this particular post and now I've added my 2 cents to the fray as well. I highly recommend that we read this one and its follow-up posts in light of our experiences and attempted experiences in Second Life.
impact on time committment
I've posted my second question on the venerable Clark Aldrich's site. Now i get to see what the responses look like! I'm hoping for responses from more than just Mr. Aldrich himself…
Thursday, June 21, 2007
It's not a true representative sample or survey, but...
Are we really sure there's that many people who are game savvy, interested in gaming and / or prepared to learn from gaming and simulation on the computer?
Tonight I watched a friend's daughter's friends (4 of them at a time!!! All huddled up on the couch with these little multi-buttoned consoles they were thumbing and "driving" - for lack of a better word - they contorted their bodies with the gaming devices as if it were affecting their play) - playing a shooter game. They were monkeys, and the two boys were skilled at the game, the two girls were just playing along and expressed their blase attitude toward games and how they don't normally play them.
So I asked them, "Do you play games in school?" Nope. Although the one really good player (a male) showed some strong interest in the idea.
"Have you ever been in Second Life?" None of them had, although two of them had read about it (extensively they said). One commented, "You mean, 'Past Life'?" No comment when I asked about it - figured it was a teenager to adult non-sequitor.
Two of them thought they couldn't because they believed you had to pay for it. When I told them it was free, they were mildly surprised. One of the girls asked if you had to install anything. I said yes. She then said her dad wouldn't allow her to install anything on the computer they had at home.
All the while they were still playing and watching the quartered up TV screen (imagine 4 spasmodically changing square windshields packed into a bigger square screen of the TV).
I asked if they thought they would enjoy games if they were used in school, and the comments came back from the best male player, "Nah, we all just end up ADD in front of these games." (the "twitch mode" per Clark Aldrich)
I asked how they focused on such incredibly fast moving little screens (the best male player was able to outplay the others and watch their screens and know what was going on in their quadrant - they were working as a team - not well mind you due to the skills range and interest gaps - but the one "leader" was directing others and watching his own screen, and then directing the team to change their weapons), the one boy said you just lose focus of everything else. Hmmm... now how is that going to be good for teachable moments...???
Clearly, there was a strong divide in interest and skill levels among these 4 15-16 year olds, and it was just killing time together - like they were some interesting new species where instead of one person, they were four persons acting like a single organism. Very interesting, and I'm sure, a pre-screening of what my home will look like in 11 or 12 years.
Anyways, are we sure there's really sufficient generic interest and skills necessary to make gaming and simulation a part of the classroom? For what age groups and grades is this appropriate? And what about the male / female split? Yes, there's stats that show 2/5 of adult players are female, but what about the kids we could unleash this stuff on?
If I had seen all 4 of them (I have no idea what their academic status or proficiency was) engrossed, unable to carry on conversation with me, and all with a knowing nod let me know they were on line in SL a couple hours a night, I would have maybe changed my mind about it. But, from what I've seen among this "just driving" group, and my other buddy's kids and friends in the 10-13 age group, there's not a lot of consistency. My friend whose kids are 17-19 on the other hand, the boy is an ADD / Ritalin taker and a fanatic gamer (incredibly smart, and incredibly good, but struggling in his social "fitting in"), and his sister not interested but a very high-honors pre-college senior.
What gives?
tc
Tonight I watched a friend's daughter's friends (4 of them at a time!!! All huddled up on the couch with these little multi-buttoned consoles they were thumbing and "driving" - for lack of a better word - they contorted their bodies with the gaming devices as if it were affecting their play) - playing a shooter game. They were monkeys, and the two boys were skilled at the game, the two girls were just playing along and expressed their blase attitude toward games and how they don't normally play them.
So I asked them, "Do you play games in school?" Nope. Although the one really good player (a male) showed some strong interest in the idea.
"Have you ever been in Second Life?" None of them had, although two of them had read about it (extensively they said). One commented, "You mean, 'Past Life'?" No comment when I asked about it - figured it was a teenager to adult non-sequitor.
Two of them thought they couldn't because they believed you had to pay for it. When I told them it was free, they were mildly surprised. One of the girls asked if you had to install anything. I said yes. She then said her dad wouldn't allow her to install anything on the computer they had at home.
All the while they were still playing and watching the quartered up TV screen (imagine 4 spasmodically changing square windshields packed into a bigger square screen of the TV).
I asked if they thought they would enjoy games if they were used in school, and the comments came back from the best male player, "Nah, we all just end up ADD in front of these games." (the "twitch mode" per Clark Aldrich)
I asked how they focused on such incredibly fast moving little screens (the best male player was able to outplay the others and watch their screens and know what was going on in their quadrant - they were working as a team - not well mind you due to the skills range and interest gaps - but the one "leader" was directing others and watching his own screen, and then directing the team to change their weapons), the one boy said you just lose focus of everything else. Hmmm... now how is that going to be good for teachable moments...???
Clearly, there was a strong divide in interest and skill levels among these 4 15-16 year olds, and it was just killing time together - like they were some interesting new species where instead of one person, they were four persons acting like a single organism. Very interesting, and I'm sure, a pre-screening of what my home will look like in 11 or 12 years.
Anyways, are we sure there's really sufficient generic interest and skills necessary to make gaming and simulation a part of the classroom? For what age groups and grades is this appropriate? And what about the male / female split? Yes, there's stats that show 2/5 of adult players are female, but what about the kids we could unleash this stuff on?
If I had seen all 4 of them (I have no idea what their academic status or proficiency was) engrossed, unable to carry on conversation with me, and all with a knowing nod let me know they were on line in SL a couple hours a night, I would have maybe changed my mind about it. But, from what I've seen among this "just driving" group, and my other buddy's kids and friends in the 10-13 age group, there's not a lot of consistency. My friend whose kids are 17-19 on the other hand, the boy is an ADD / Ritalin taker and a fanatic gamer (incredibly smart, and incredibly good, but struggling in his social "fitting in"), and his sister not interested but a very high-honors pre-college senior.
What gives?
tc
Are we using the technology to it's fullest?
I'm still catching up on my reading and posting, but coincidentally, my first post also works well as a follow-up to one of Tom's earlier posts. It regards building the assessments and evaluations into the learning environment itself.
1st Question to Clark Aldrich Blog
This is my first comment/question to Clark on a subject his blog addressed back in April about "Costs for Simulations ...in Education". The link back to the article and the comment is embedded in the title.
How Killing People With My Dad Improved Our Relationship
For those carrying the flag of education for improving familial relationships, promoting healthy family values. You know, good wholesome quality time with Dad, picking off Panzers and Nazis.
Half Real
An interesting perspective on games - the middle ground between real and not real - rules and fiction.
tc
I like his definition of the slippery term "play". Interestingly, there's also a book I'm looking into called The Ambiguity of Play. And, if you look up the words work and play in the dictionary, you'd be surprised at the incredible number of ways the words are used, defined, and interpreted... difficult concepts for sure.
tc
tc
I like his definition of the slippery term "play". Interestingly, there's also a book I'm looking into called The Ambiguity of Play. And, if you look up the words work and play in the dictionary, you'd be surprised at the incredible number of ways the words are used, defined, and interpreted... difficult concepts for sure.
tc
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
The Marketing Perspective on Edutainment and SL
Slump in edutainment / game sales is said to be leading game makers to add back more of the video game sizzle experience - what impact will this have on the learning content? Can you really make an educational game that is profitable AND teaches the players something?
A marketeer's thoughts on how to swoop in on SL for marketing - for the value just the appearance of knowing what's going on in SL... but with a wise comment about the hype versus the reality of SL community numbers
I find it interesting that I had not heard of this SL phenom before I took this course, and now, when I look hard enough, everyone is saying how big this is... and how used it is, and what potential it has... and it's interesting that it got mainstream media coverage in BusinessWeek... it's going to affect us, but how much and for how long is my question... as technologies change rapidly per Moore, how much further out are we to the Minority Report full-body and mind VR and immersion, and how soon will we look back on this SL thing as if we were in the museum looking at a horse and buggy...
It's coming....
A marketeer's thoughts on how to swoop in on SL for marketing - for the value just the appearance of knowing what's going on in SL... but with a wise comment about the hype versus the reality of SL community numbers
I find it interesting that I had not heard of this SL phenom before I took this course, and now, when I look hard enough, everyone is saying how big this is... and how used it is, and what potential it has... and it's interesting that it got mainstream media coverage in BusinessWeek... it's going to affect us, but how much and for how long is my question... as technologies change rapidly per Moore, how much further out are we to the Minority Report full-body and mind VR and immersion, and how soon will we look back on this SL thing as if we were in the museum looking at a horse and buggy...
It's coming....
More thoughts for Clark Aldrich blog
I had some thoughts on the idea of "hard fun" that might help us build sims that are challenging, but not too challenging - to keep the learner's expectations for success high, and their internal pride and sense of accomplishment flowing a little at a time and in big rushes when they reach major learning milestones in sims.
tc
tc
My second comment on Clark Aldrich blog
I find the website to be emerging as both informative and persuasive in its apparent organization, and content - and the use of one case study, especially here in the form of comparing a class to teach behaviors that used one group who just read case studies and another that used case studies and a tool to practice the behaviors - is superficially significant, but not convincing without a more thorough evaluation and comparison of other known alternatives to teaching behaviors and the big and middle skills - I would be a failure if I tried to teach a class on behavioral modeling and learning if I used only printed materials and reading exercises. Am I out of line here? I just don't see the significant value add of VL without more information and a link to the original research. It feels like this might be pulled out of context a bit for the sake of persuasion. Whaddya think?
Is the Internet dumbing us down?
Not sure if anyone read this from MSNBC. It made me think about some of our discussions where we debated whether pandering to the digital natives with hypertext minds was a worthwhile effort. This article talks about the wisdom of the crowds vs the devaluation of the quality and depth of reporting and information from an expert.
Is there a middle way? Read to find out, :-).
Is there a middle way? Read to find out, :-).
Tom's blog comments for Clark Aldrich
I've added my comments on the lack of fidelity being an impedance to using these evolving and maturing 3D environments to promote learning for near or far transfer, outside of some conceptual, exploratory, and declarative knowledge learning that can be just as readily supported with less cog load and effort using more traditional multimedia and tools.
Top Secret Adventures from Highlights
I recently received an offer in the mail to try out Hightlights "Top Secrest Adventures" book club for my kids. I usually don't open this type of mail, but thought I'd check it out to see if it might be something worth subscribing to as a gift for one of the kids in my life. It is described as a bookclub in which...
"children are introduced to 27 different countries, one at a time, through a mystery and adventure series.
Starting with a jigsaw puzzle that reveals a mystery, kids become young puzzle detectives. They learn about the people, culture, terrain, history, and geography of the featured country while searching for clues to solve the who, what, and where of the mystery. Top Secret Adventures will help expand knowledge and stimulate curiosity in children as they gain understanding of other cultures."
It offers one no obligation, free adventure to decide whether to subscribe. I'm planning to accept the free kit to check out for my own curiosity sake in terms of how the "game" is set up. Once my curiosity is settled, I will give it to a friends son who is really into reading and interactive adventures...Yin's 2nd Comment on Clark's Blog
My second comment was posted in response to my impressions of Clark's VL product - from what little I could view via the Youtube clips. I am impressed by the inclusion of so much instructional support - scaffolding, feedback, and the avatar behaviors! A question I had been thinking of asking him the night of June 14 never got asked, so I'm posting it under his post, System Content: The 7 models in a sim
Yin's First Comment on Clark's Blog
I posted this response to Clark's blog on the Top 10 missing features of SL. Just some thoughts about my personal experience in SL. BTW, it's in 2 parts because I was not thinking too clearly at this point of the day (9 AM) and realized I wasn't responding to his post coherently, :-).
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
The Life of the Chinese Gold Farmer
youxi gongzuoshi, or gaming workshops...
interesting stuff, and how strange we are living, creating non-tangible, imaginary worlds and experiences...
are we avoiding or escaping something?
are we being environmentally friendly because people use coal-burning power and eco-tragic dammed up rivers to work on computers and caffeine instead of driving to work?
it's an interesting and complex new aspect of our global economy and human culture for sure...
tc
interesting stuff, and how strange we are living, creating non-tangible, imaginary worlds and experiences...
are we avoiding or escaping something?
are we being environmentally friendly because people use coal-burning power and eco-tragic dammed up rivers to work on computers and caffeine instead of driving to work?
it's an interesting and complex new aspect of our global economy and human culture for sure...
tc
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Miss Second Life 2007
I blogged about this on my individual blog but thought I should share it here with all of you. Apparently, there's a lot of SL blogs and a number of SL residents also have Flickr and YouTube accounts to share their exploits.
This blog belongs to Miss Second Life 2007. She keeps a fascinating diary of her life and store in SL, lists places to visit, creates tutorials on 3D modeling, and she has a SL guide for newbies and where you should go to kick off, etc.
Note: She has links to other SL blogs which may contain mature content (I didn't check everything out).
Second Life
Some more information on educational use of SL
I found all of these in the Second Life official guide.
Collaboration with other educators:
- Join the Real Life Education Group… Search for “Real Life Education” under groups and click Join. This way you’ll be in touch with all the educators while you are in the SL.
- Subscribe to Educators Mailing List… address: https://lists.secondlife.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/educators
- General page for education in SL: http://secondlife.com/education
Examples of education places:
- Campus region: main hub for classes participating in the campus. there are classes and projects being held on the mainland SL or private islands.
- Harvard’s Berkman Center owns a private island called “Berkman” where they built Auistin Hall to hold conferences and meetings.
- New Media Consortium has created an experimental space called “ NMC Campus” . They are exploring learning and collaboration in SL. For latest info : http://www.nmc.org/sl
- A group of librarians with the Alliance Library System in Illinois has created info island. For more info: http://infoisland.org
- International Spaceflight Museum…You can create something that could be impossible to built in real life educational settings.
- A stroke survivor created a space called “Dreams” to provide self-support for other stroke survivors.
Can you hear me now?
Just a quick blog...
This morning, I was trying to explain the ear to my daughter and the little tiny bones there... so I went to the web to find a picture, and found this site for animated models of the body parts and functions.
Also, in order to view it, I installed Shockwave 10.1 - and they have another site that allows you to download free games...
http://www.shockwave.com/download.jsp
I also showed her a picture of the huge pileated woodpecker that was just destroying a large dead limb that hung over the pool in the troutstream I was fishing in the other night - I stopped fishing for 15 minutes to watch and listen! to this magnificent bird - it was probably not more than 25 feet from my eyes, and either is used to us wacko fishermen standing in the stream, understanding us as no threat to their search for bugs, or just didn't notice me (I get that alot) - anyways, point being, I used an Audubon identification book for that one... but could have used the web to get sound and other non-book info for my daughter - who was more interested in our trip to pick cherries today than my Woody Woodpecker experience...
tc
This morning, I was trying to explain the ear to my daughter and the little tiny bones there... so I went to the web to find a picture, and found this site for animated models of the body parts and functions.
Also, in order to view it, I installed Shockwave 10.1 - and they have another site that allows you to download free games...
http://www.shockwave.com/download.jsp
I also showed her a picture of the huge pileated woodpecker that was just destroying a large dead limb that hung over the pool in the troutstream I was fishing in the other night - I stopped fishing for 15 minutes to watch and listen! to this magnificent bird - it was probably not more than 25 feet from my eyes, and either is used to us wacko fishermen standing in the stream, understanding us as no threat to their search for bugs, or just didn't notice me (I get that alot) - anyways, point being, I used an Audubon identification book for that one... but could have used the web to get sound and other non-book info for my daughter - who was more interested in our trip to pick cherries today than my Woody Woodpecker experience...
tc
Crash test dummies
Simulations can still be very useful to model or recreate expensive / dangerous events - made me start to separate simulations into those that you become personally involved with and are "social", and those that re-create other, less-personal phenomena.
Yes, I am a Times grazer.
tc
Yes, I am a Times grazer.
tc
Friday, June 15, 2007
Here is what I've found so far concerning educational use of SL
Here is a link to a video tutorial in SL http://blog.secondlife.com/tag/education/
Here is the SL event including John Bransford I was talking about today:
"Dr. John Bransford, prominent education psychology researcher and editor of the book How People Learn, gave his first presentation in the popular virtual world of Second Life. Dr. Bransford is the director of The Learning in Informal and Formal Environments (LIFE) Center, a National Science Foundation (NSF) Science of Learning Center. He presented his latest thoughts on different ways that virtual environment can help people learn and possibly reorganize our educational system., see http://life-slc.org/?p=382 and for the transcript go to http://www.simteach.com/wiki/index.php?title=John_Bransford_Transcript_2_October_2006
Here is a video by Jeremy Kemp at San Jose State University talking about how SJSU is using SL for distance learning http://youtube.com/profile?user=jeremykemp
Check out http://www.simteach.com/ for more info...
Here is the SL event including John Bransford I was talking about today:
"Dr. John Bransford, prominent education psychology researcher and editor of the book How People Learn, gave his first presentation in the popular virtual world of Second Life. Dr. Bransford is the director of The Learning in Informal and Formal Environments (LIFE) Center, a National Science Foundation (NSF) Science of Learning Center. He presented his latest thoughts on different ways that virtual environment can help people learn and possibly reorganize our educational system., see http://life-slc.org/?p=382 and for the transcript go to http://www.simteach.com/wiki/index.php?title=John_Bransford_Transcript_2_October_2006
Here is a video by Jeremy Kemp at San Jose State University talking about how SJSU is using SL for distance learning http://youtube.com/profile?user=jeremykemp
Check out http://www.simteach.com/ for more info...
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Our comments to Clark Aldrich's blog
You can add a comment to this post and create a link between our blog to your comment in Clark Aldrich's blog http://clarkaldrich.blogspot.com/ so we can all go in and follow up the conversation there.
The eLearning Guild Announces Immersive Learning Simulations (ILS) Member’s Choice Awards
From the web page:
"The Guild Members Choice Awards represent market share and satisfaction across all industries, company sizes, number of learners impacted, and job level of respondents.
More information about this 360o Report is available at www.eLearningGuild.com/360"
"The Guild Members Choice Awards represent market share and satisfaction across all industries, company sizes, number of learners impacted, and job level of respondents.
More information about this 360o Report is available at www.eLearningGuild.com/360"
When and should we take credit for this new generation of learners and thinkers and doers?
One more thought before I do something actually productive. Like homework, housework, and cutting the lawn.
What is it about our world and our past and the progress we've made toward more and better information, expanded bases and dispersion of knowledge, better tools, and more connected communities - that might have somehow seeped into the instructional design and teaching communities that could have had a profound effect on our upcoming generations...
How do we keep up with this monster we've created? Is there a parallel to Moore's law for technology in the world of human learning? Are we accelerating and pushing boundaries of how we learn, what we can learn, how we share it... that either pushes the envelope or struggles to stay ahead of the wave? Can research and scholarly activities keep up if the pace of the formal methods and peer review processes lags and does not follow suit?
tc
What is it about our world and our past and the progress we've made toward more and better information, expanded bases and dispersion of knowledge, better tools, and more connected communities - that might have somehow seeped into the instructional design and teaching communities that could have had a profound effect on our upcoming generations...
How do we keep up with this monster we've created? Is there a parallel to Moore's law for technology in the world of human learning? Are we accelerating and pushing boundaries of how we learn, what we can learn, how we share it... that either pushes the envelope or struggles to stay ahead of the wave? Can research and scholarly activities keep up if the pace of the formal methods and peer review processes lags and does not follow suit?
tc
It's a math, math, math, math world...
Whaddya think? Reform math... learning to use calculators or knowing how to figure out a restaurant tip in your head?
Can games and sims and modeling software / immersion in digital environments fit in here, make a difference - for either the "old math" or the "reform math"? Can we do both, can we integrate paper and bits, scissors and graphing UIs?
tc
Can games and sims and modeling software / immersion in digital environments fit in here, make a difference - for either the "old math" or the "reform math"? Can we do both, can we integrate paper and bits, scissors and graphing UIs?
tc
Can your kids do Rubik's cube?
I've been bouncing around the multiverse of YouTube and other digital community sharing spaces... trying to understand the allure and hypnotic draw of these silicon methodones...
It's definitely addictive, intriguing, and full of slights of hand, some real, some sarcastic, and then there's the banter of the easily impressed provoking emotional responses and flames and threads from the technorati and those who have followed something from it's origins or know the context...
Seems to mimic the situation where a newcomer disrupts a settled group, perturbs if you will, and sets off some form of correction and sorting out and re-framing of the interaction to either bring the newcomer into the circle by silent tolerance, chastise them until they stop interrupting, or have the rare form of patience to accommodate and integrate the person with caveats and direction.
I think that this has to do with my frustration with the new media and culture... I'm the newbie in someone else's world, and a wise man once taught me to listen first, act second. So, I'm trying to listen... but my mental models and reference points are not adusted yet to this very impressive culture of people who can and do speak well, thoughtfully, playfully, and with a tongue-in-cheek-don't-take-yourself-too-serious approach to interaction. I DO like that about this "world". My walls of caution and doubt (aka doubting Thomas) are crumbling a bit, and I'm enjoying the interaction as well...
Anyone ever thought about that aspect of this technology and scholarship and practice - how can we as instructional designers and instructors work with these audiences and genres in a way that is as much fun for us as it is for the end user audience / receivers???!!!
More thoughts... your thoughts???
tc
It's definitely addictive, intriguing, and full of slights of hand, some real, some sarcastic, and then there's the banter of the easily impressed provoking emotional responses and flames and threads from the technorati and those who have followed something from it's origins or know the context...
Seems to mimic the situation where a newcomer disrupts a settled group, perturbs if you will, and sets off some form of correction and sorting out and re-framing of the interaction to either bring the newcomer into the circle by silent tolerance, chastise them until they stop interrupting, or have the rare form of patience to accommodate and integrate the person with caveats and direction.
I think that this has to do with my frustration with the new media and culture... I'm the newbie in someone else's world, and a wise man once taught me to listen first, act second. So, I'm trying to listen... but my mental models and reference points are not adusted yet to this very impressive culture of people who can and do speak well, thoughtfully, playfully, and with a tongue-in-cheek-don't-take-yourself-too-serious approach to interaction. I DO like that about this "world". My walls of caution and doubt (aka doubting Thomas) are crumbling a bit, and I'm enjoying the interaction as well...
Anyone ever thought about that aspect of this technology and scholarship and practice - how can we as instructional designers and instructors work with these audiences and genres in a way that is as much fun for us as it is for the end user audience / receivers???!!!
More thoughts... your thoughts???
tc
Why simulate when you can record reality?
Some thoughts that came to mind when I saw a piece in the NY Times about the inclusion of YouTube in the presidential political cycle...
YouTube Passes Debates to a New Generation
Life and reality seem to create and now, record, and to some extent, but without a lot of rigorous structure for consistency and validation, analyze itself - because people have so many technologies at their fingertips, social examples, and outlets for their interaction and expression - why is it that we need to have second lives, made up worlds - it seems I could become the next go-getter entrepreneur and start to amass a posse of producers of high quality "real" information, commentary, and reference (for education as well as entertainment) by focusing on collecting and organizing and tweaking / fine-tuning content that is produced en masse everyday - the stuff that CNN and other big names are trying to get a grip on - because it captures so much of the attention of the people who aren't part of the big bulge under the bell curve, those people and events and niche thought spaces that Daniel Pink says are the big places to be around.
But wait, then I've become ABC or PBS or Disney... Instructional Television and Scholastic YouTube (aka ITSY) present the following bit (get it? ItsyBit... sounds like a dog snack).
Anyways, there's room for all, but I think there might be a big pool of people who fall into the category of those who disdain "school", but love reality tv and celebrity mags and even far-out competitors that show alien Jesus babies... who might benefit from a simulation or game based on collected and tweaked real life bits...
Just some thoughts.
tc
YouTube Passes Debates to a New Generation
Life and reality seem to create and now, record, and to some extent, but without a lot of rigorous structure for consistency and validation, analyze itself - because people have so many technologies at their fingertips, social examples, and outlets for their interaction and expression - why is it that we need to have second lives, made up worlds - it seems I could become the next go-getter entrepreneur and start to amass a posse of producers of high quality "real" information, commentary, and reference (for education as well as entertainment) by focusing on collecting and organizing and tweaking / fine-tuning content that is produced en masse everyday - the stuff that CNN and other big names are trying to get a grip on - because it captures so much of the attention of the people who aren't part of the big bulge under the bell curve, those people and events and niche thought spaces that Daniel Pink says are the big places to be around.
But wait, then I've become ABC or PBS or Disney... Instructional Television and Scholastic YouTube (aka ITSY) present the following bit (get it? ItsyBit... sounds like a dog snack).
Anyways, there's room for all, but I think there might be a big pool of people who fall into the category of those who disdain "school", but love reality tv and celebrity mags and even far-out competitors that show alien Jesus babies... who might benefit from a simulation or game based on collected and tweaked real life bits...
Just some thoughts.
tc
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
I couldn't help but notice...
Depending on whose watch you look at , whose book you read, or whose marketing research you subscribe to, I tend to fall into one of at least a half dozen generations...
The Chart
I prefer to think of myself as not a follower, a groupie, or a social lemming of any kind, but if pressed, I would like a t-shirt that said, "Generation Jones".
The Official Website (again, I don't subscribe to it in toto, but, some of it might be somewhat accurate, much like the specificity of a palm reading)
Since I was born in 1965, I must be something of a conundrum to any pundit in any of the circles where assigning such broad, zodiac-like characteristics, tendencies, and preferences for living styles is de rigeur - perhaps this is why I'm often so confused when I read about this mass categorization and stereotyping.
Thus said, and I am an offender for sure, it seems there is a tendency to lump a bunch of the younger population - both in US and globally - into this "Gen Y" group - as they obviously have some advanced form of perception and cognitive processing skills unachievable by any of us old farts - and assign to them some unique attraction for change bordering on chaos, an ability to process multiple cognitive streams of thought, and an intolerance for anything even slightly akin to deep and persistent thought about anything.
I for one, feel like information roadkill waiting to happen if I don't jump aboard this new catering train, and will remorsefully accept the lapel pin that clearly denotes me as "old school", a resistor, someone on a futile mission to suggest that maybe, just maybe, we ought to stop speaking in revolutionary terms, minimize our rhetorical subsetting, and acknowledge that there's always an exciting new media or cultural phenomena that adds to the complexity and profundity and intrigue of our field of study and practice, but that does not require that we stomp on the brakes, and reactively and frantically start redrawing our maps and references on this journey towards improved lives, wisdom and peaceful coexistence.
This electronic media is arguably a jolly ripe fruit waiting to be plucked and made into jam by those with the skill to sell it as the best thing since toast and tea - and no doubt can generate a significant buzz among those inclined to games, puzzles, and interactive and immersive existence through a flat-panel and glass fiber hookah, and even those among this community who prefer doing things in our native first life but find the alternative supplement of an occasional foray into a Billy Joel masquerade world of avatars and frippery an elegant distraction, albeit with motion constrained to keyboard clicks and teleporting.
So, after ranting, you're asking - if you're still reading - what the hell is your point Tom? Well, it's more of a question than a direct point - why do you think we are so good at lumping people together to promote new technology or ideas, but so poor at following through with making the technology work for that same big lump of learners, that generation, that marketing niche?
Everywhere I have ultimately ended up in my studies there is a distinction drawn between the technician and the professional, the leader and the worker, the visionary and the consumer of ideas. There must be by now, some example of the arguably more desirable half of each of those comparisons out there who can stand up and say, "I owe it all to Doom." Where is that person? And where, pray tell, (and when) did they learn all the people skills and transferable skills that are so highly prized amongst them?
I'd like to read the research case study on her (or him).
I'm looking forward to our chat with Clark Aldrich - as I am intrigued by his ideas and frameworks and constructive criticisms about games and simulations - and how we might modify the traditional game to make it instructional, without making it patently rejectable by the Gen Y intelligentsia as something their parents made - and how we just don't get it.
whew... that was a brain dump... if you're still reading, my apologies and I look forward to your flames and questions on my diatribe.
tc
The Chart
I prefer to think of myself as not a follower, a groupie, or a social lemming of any kind, but if pressed, I would like a t-shirt that said, "Generation Jones".
The Official Website (again, I don't subscribe to it in toto, but, some of it might be somewhat accurate, much like the specificity of a palm reading)
Since I was born in 1965, I must be something of a conundrum to any pundit in any of the circles where assigning such broad, zodiac-like characteristics, tendencies, and preferences for living styles is de rigeur - perhaps this is why I'm often so confused when I read about this mass categorization and stereotyping.
Thus said, and I am an offender for sure, it seems there is a tendency to lump a bunch of the younger population - both in US and globally - into this "Gen Y" group - as they obviously have some advanced form of perception and cognitive processing skills unachievable by any of us old farts - and assign to them some unique attraction for change bordering on chaos, an ability to process multiple cognitive streams of thought, and an intolerance for anything even slightly akin to deep and persistent thought about anything.
I for one, feel like information roadkill waiting to happen if I don't jump aboard this new catering train, and will remorsefully accept the lapel pin that clearly denotes me as "old school", a resistor, someone on a futile mission to suggest that maybe, just maybe, we ought to stop speaking in revolutionary terms, minimize our rhetorical subsetting, and acknowledge that there's always an exciting new media or cultural phenomena that adds to the complexity and profundity and intrigue of our field of study and practice, but that does not require that we stomp on the brakes, and reactively and frantically start redrawing our maps and references on this journey towards improved lives, wisdom and peaceful coexistence.
This electronic media is arguably a jolly ripe fruit waiting to be plucked and made into jam by those with the skill to sell it as the best thing since toast and tea - and no doubt can generate a significant buzz among those inclined to games, puzzles, and interactive and immersive existence through a flat-panel and glass fiber hookah, and even those among this community who prefer doing things in our native first life but find the alternative supplement of an occasional foray into a Billy Joel masquerade world of avatars and frippery an elegant distraction, albeit with motion constrained to keyboard clicks and teleporting.
So, after ranting, you're asking - if you're still reading - what the hell is your point Tom? Well, it's more of a question than a direct point - why do you think we are so good at lumping people together to promote new technology or ideas, but so poor at following through with making the technology work for that same big lump of learners, that generation, that marketing niche?
Everywhere I have ultimately ended up in my studies there is a distinction drawn between the technician and the professional, the leader and the worker, the visionary and the consumer of ideas. There must be by now, some example of the arguably more desirable half of each of those comparisons out there who can stand up and say, "I owe it all to Doom." Where is that person? And where, pray tell, (and when) did they learn all the people skills and transferable skills that are so highly prized amongst them?
I'd like to read the research case study on her (or him).
I'm looking forward to our chat with Clark Aldrich - as I am intrigued by his ideas and frameworks and constructive criticisms about games and simulations - and how we might modify the traditional game to make it instructional, without making it patently rejectable by the Gen Y intelligentsia as something their parents made - and how we just don't get it.
whew... that was a brain dump... if you're still reading, my apologies and I look forward to your flames and questions on my diatribe.
tc
What is Second Life?
I've been teleporting around Second Life quite a bit these days to find out how educational it is. So far, with not much great success.
I have come across some interesting articles about it though. One is by Tiffany Widdershins who wrote a satirical piece on it. (link in title)
Another site I discovered reports on the Second Life Best Practices in Education: Teaching, Learning, and Research 2007 International Conference in the virtual world of Second Life. The event was the first 24 hour, international conference ever to take place entirely within a virtual world. Tons of pictures in Flickr that you can browse through.
I have come across some interesting articles about it though. One is by Tiffany Widdershins who wrote a satirical piece on it. (link in title)
Another site I discovered reports on the Second Life Best Practices in Education: Teaching, Learning, and Research 2007 International Conference in the virtual world of Second Life. The event was the first 24 hour, international conference ever to take place entirely within a virtual world. Tons of pictures in Flickr that you can browse through.
Massive biology web site could democratize science
Upcoming opportunity for scientific learning games?
The Encyclopedia of Life - an interactive zoo that will take 10 years to build and be free and accessible to everyone. The information will be available to be accessed at both novice and expert levels. The site will encourage "citizen-scientists" to add their sightings, which will be clearly marked side pages, while "the key details and science parts of the encyclopedia will be compiled and reviewed by experts."
The Encyclopedia of Life - an interactive zoo that will take 10 years to build and be free and accessible to everyone. The information will be available to be accessed at both novice and expert levels. The site will encourage "citizen-scientists" to add their sightings, which will be clearly marked side pages, while "the key details and science parts of the encyclopedia will be compiled and reviewed by experts."
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Webkinz
I recently learned about a new "toy" that has an online game component called Webkinz. Webkinz are plush pets that come with a secret code that provides entry to Webkinz World, an online world where kids can interact with their virtual pets, answer trivia quesitons, earn KinzCash, play games, and chat with each other.
The process requires purchasing a WebKinz, creating an account at WebKinz World, going through a pet adoption process, setting up a room for your pet, making purchases and "caring" for your pet. The site advertizes to partents that interaction with WebKinz World will help to teach their children responsibility, how to care for a pet, and how to earn money. I wonder if the experience provided with a WebKinz pet can teach what it would be like to care for a pet. Having a couple of cats myself, I have a difficult time imagining that this type of virtual experience would really teach someone how to care for a pet...especially since a real cat is much more difficult to forget about or ignore when it crawls into your lap making demands...KE
The process requires purchasing a WebKinz, creating an account at WebKinz World, going through a pet adoption process, setting up a room for your pet, making purchases and "caring" for your pet. The site advertizes to partents that interaction with WebKinz World will help to teach their children responsibility, how to care for a pet, and how to earn money. I wonder if the experience provided with a WebKinz pet can teach what it would be like to care for a pet. Having a couple of cats myself, I have a difficult time imagining that this type of virtual experience would really teach someone how to care for a pet...especially since a real cat is much more difficult to forget about or ignore when it crawls into your lap making demands...KE
Two Worthwhile Links
Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online Teaching
Putting Educational Innovations Into Practice
Find peer reviewed online teaching and learning materials. Share advice and expertise about education with expert colleagues. Be recognized for your contributions to quality education.
Educause Quarterly on Wharton Business School Endowment for Learning Lab
Some interesting links to their instructional simulations, models, and games.
Putting Educational Innovations Into Practice
Find peer reviewed online teaching and learning materials. Share advice and expertise about education with expert colleagues. Be recognized for your contributions to quality education.
Educause Quarterly on Wharton Business School Endowment for Learning Lab
Some interesting links to their instructional simulations, models, and games.
Simulations gone wild, in a bad way
This is an interesting link - although not to an electronic simulation, to one that was done in "the real world" in the early 70's.
Just a counterpoint... that most simulations are immersive, but seem to not want to teach or instruct on an output or end state, but the process, and essential thinking and interaction skills (people-to-people, people-to-information, people-to-systems, etc.). And those that focus on the end state typically can be categorized into a group of repetitive or cyclic activities that have a fairly well bounded set of outcomes, or at least a set of outcomes that can be anticipated with a modest degree of accuracy.
Anyways, what I'm thinking is that everything we do in education is a re-creation, a model, a simulation, a re-presentation of something as a stimulus (a-ha! I knew I had some behaviorist in me!) and then some organization, interaction and presentations of meaning. So, to me, digital sims and models are just more complex (and often costly) evolutions in the progress and path of instruction.
Games, on the other hand, seem to offer both motivational properties, as well as a means to use rules as the boundaries and conditions and content for learning - or how we learn and interact with the content. In the end, a potentially interesting way to encourage learning without promoting it as instruction. Somewhat sneaky. Which then begs the question, "how can you sublimate the instructional / learning content and activities in a game if you must perform some form of behavioral analysis of responses and analyze the progression of learning by engaging the gamer / learner and breaking the "flow" (akin to asking some person to stop playing Super Mario to explain what they've learned, how they learned it, and if they could please demonstrate or recreate that learning or skill or knowledge (also difficult to do with a state-based game process).
In the end, if the process of eval and assessment were added to a game like instructional tool, perhaps if the outcome of that assessment and eval was of utility and re-use and of strategic value for the gamer / learner going forward, we could extend the game analogy, incorporate key instructional design qualities, and maintain the "flow" / minimize any distractions to the game.
Just some thoughts... that have less to do with the Stanford experiment than they do with gaming, sims, and modeling in general.
tc
Just a counterpoint... that most simulations are immersive, but seem to not want to teach or instruct on an output or end state, but the process, and essential thinking and interaction skills (people-to-people, people-to-information, people-to-systems, etc.). And those that focus on the end state typically can be categorized into a group of repetitive or cyclic activities that have a fairly well bounded set of outcomes, or at least a set of outcomes that can be anticipated with a modest degree of accuracy.
Anyways, what I'm thinking is that everything we do in education is a re-creation, a model, a simulation, a re-presentation of something as a stimulus (a-ha! I knew I had some behaviorist in me!) and then some organization, interaction and presentations of meaning. So, to me, digital sims and models are just more complex (and often costly) evolutions in the progress and path of instruction.
Games, on the other hand, seem to offer both motivational properties, as well as a means to use rules as the boundaries and conditions and content for learning - or how we learn and interact with the content. In the end, a potentially interesting way to encourage learning without promoting it as instruction. Somewhat sneaky. Which then begs the question, "how can you sublimate the instructional / learning content and activities in a game if you must perform some form of behavioral analysis of responses and analyze the progression of learning by engaging the gamer / learner and breaking the "flow" (akin to asking some person to stop playing Super Mario to explain what they've learned, how they learned it, and if they could please demonstrate or recreate that learning or skill or knowledge (also difficult to do with a state-based game process).
In the end, if the process of eval and assessment were added to a game like instructional tool, perhaps if the outcome of that assessment and eval was of utility and re-use and of strategic value for the gamer / learner going forward, we could extend the game analogy, incorporate key instructional design qualities, and maintain the "flow" / minimize any distractions to the game.
Just some thoughts... that have less to do with the Stanford experiment than they do with gaming, sims, and modeling in general.
tc
Thursday, June 7, 2007
Research Papers on Scratch
SCRATCH PAPERS & PRESENTATIONS | ||
Resnick, M., Kafai, Y., Maloney, J., Rusk, N., Burd, L., & Silverman, B. (2003). A Networked, Media-Rich Programming Environment to Enhance Technological Fluency at After-School Centers in Economically-Disadvantaged Communities. Proposal to National Science Foundation. Maloney, J., Burd, L., Kafai, Y., Rusk, N., Silverman, B., and Resnick, M. (2004). Scratch: A Sneak Preview. Second International Conference on Creating, Connecting, and Collaborating through Computing. Kyoto, Japan, pp. 104-109. Peppler, K., & Kafai, Y. (2005). Creative coding: The role of art and programming in the K-12 educational context. Resnick, M., Maloney, J., & Rusk, N. (2006). Scratch and technological fluency (Powerpoint slide 2.5MB). |
More Games!
I found this offering from the US military. I got turned on to this while I was teaching English in South Korea experimenting with MOOs. I'd love to get my hands on a copy of it, but either way, it looks impressive.
Get a (Second) Life!
If you're interested in getting involved in Second Life and education, this is a good starting point. You don't have to do anything just yet: I'm trying to figure out what we can and can't do. I hope to reduce the complexity a bit before we get too involved.
More later.
More later.
More virtual complex problems: In a Virtual Universe, the Politics Turn Real
More grist for the academic mill...
9 year old video game professional...
Interesting story. It gets into the issues of socialization, dealing with video game violence, etc. There are some academic opponents to video games mentioned, who claim the simulated violence has a real-world effect.
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Cartoon Doll Emporium
Of interest NY Times article this AM - for 9 year old girls, an alternative to SL.
Cartoon Doll Emporium
And some stats on popular kids interactive websites:
Virtual Playgrounds
Cartoon Doll Emporium
And some stats on popular kids interactive websites:
Virtual Playgrounds
Monday, June 4, 2007
Building on Marc Prensky's writings
Not sure if anyone has heard of Diana Oblinger, VP of Educause. She has written some good stuff about the Net Generation and builds on what Prensky observes about the games generation.
You can access her e-book or sections of it at this URL:
Educating the Net Generation
It's an interesting read.
She was scheduled to speak in February this year in SU but flight delays prevented her and we did a videoconferencing of her presentation. You can access the Real Media file here:
DO's presentation
Clark Aldrich's Blog
Check out http://clarkaldrich.blogspot.com/.
Some very interesting stuff about modeling, game concepts, game story, etc. Aldrich has written at least two books on learning through gaming, simulations, etc. This might help with reporting on modeling and simulations.
Some very interesting stuff about modeling, game concepts, game story, etc. Aldrich has written at least two books on learning through gaming, simulations, etc. This might help with reporting on modeling and simulations.
Sunday, June 3, 2007
Scratch that!
I already posted this to Blackboard, but I think this is a much better and more accessible location, so I'm going to recommend that y'all take a look a t this fantastic programming language/ide developed over at MIT called Scratch. I haven't read much about it yet, but I have played with it and it's got a lot of potential. It is designed for children today - a target audience that can grasp complex tasks, but probably don't want to spend a lot of time memorizing obscure commands. So you get pallets of commands and options and when you drag them out, they clearly indicate what you can do with them and how you can use them.
If any of you ever had an interest in programming, but were intimidated by the complexity and learning curve - try this out!
If any of you ever had an interest in programming, but were intimidated by the complexity and learning curve - try this out!
Examples of Educational Uses of Second Life
Examples of machinima that show educational goodness/uses in SL
- Introduction to Second Life (blip.tv) covers a wide range of uses of Second Life, from business to education to art
http://www.blip.tv/file/74378/(You Tube) - Ohio University Second Life Campus http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFuNFRie8wA&mode=related&search
- http://youtube.com/view_play_list?p=FE3EE856673AF8BA
- SLCNhttp://slcn.tv/ - TV in Second Life, check out the BPE conference videos
- SJSU SLIS Second Life Campushttp://youtube.com/profile?user=jeremykemp
- Case Western Reserve Universityhttp://blog.case.edu/case-news/2007/04/20/secondlife - articlehttp://chronicle.com/wiredcampus/index.php?id=2066 - video example
- Emergency Preparedness Training in Secondlife (Google Video) an overview of the Play2Train simÂ
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8182785842131047047 - Global Kids Educational Programs in TSL (HolyMeatballs.org) gives an overview of the educational potential of SL for teenagers.
http://globalkids.org/olp/pod/05.mov - Architecture on the Double (YouTube)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7bXu2ozXo0 - NOAA's Virtual Island (YouTube)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=is8YX32GAyQ
Saturday, June 2, 2007
Luis von Ahn
I know that this video is long, but it is fascinating and particularly relevant to this course. It's about using games to convince people to perform useful tasks. It's almost like a reverse of what we are doing. I tried to embed the video here in the blog, but I guess blogger doesn't like me and I don't want to fight with it.
What do y'all think?
What do y'all think?
Problems with posting?
Hello all,
When I bring the blog up, I don't see the New Post button or any of the commands up at the top.
How about you? You might not be able to add a new post for now, so just add a comment, please.
Dan
When I bring the blog up, I don't see the New Post button or any of the commands up at the top.
How about you? You might not be able to add a new post for now, so just add a comment, please.
Dan
Hellooo
1st post!
I received the book Second Lives by Tim Guest from my sister, who knows him. The book isn't out in US yet; she has the UK edition. Very interesting! The author has another book out My Life in Orange about growing up in various Bhagwan Rajneesh communes.
This book is about his personal involvement in the Second Life simulation, as well as how other people use it around the world. One of the most interesting involves 9 people with physical handicaps (cerebral palsy, etc.) who can't get around very easily in the real world, but who gather twice a week to become an avatar in 2nd Life where they can move around, meet people, buy things, do things, etc. It seems to bring them a great deal of satisfaction.
Other people's lives are discussed as well, a woman whose avatar is an "escort", another man who runs a mafia style operation involving gambling, etc., who actually makes Linden $ and can have people "rubbed out".
You can make Linden $ in 2nd Life, which have a real-world $ value by providing services or building things. There's a vibrant economy. I'm not exactly up on how things get built, but apparently materials aren't expensive, it's just a matter of knowing how to do it. I was able to build a shirt and pants for myself, but that's it so far.
Some of the people involved seem to feel their real world lives have been improved by their interactions in the simulation; the author, however, reports his real-world life going downhill as he gets more involved. Some even feel they need a 3rd Life to help them escape the complications of their 2nd Life.
All in all, as for educational uses, it occurs to me that if a group of learners could, as a class project, inhabit an island, they could really explore what it means to live in a society where cooperation can lead to greater rewards. The environment would have to be built carefully and there should be consequences, but I think there's some potential there. I wouldn't want students to inhabit the adult world, however.
I received the book Second Lives by Tim Guest from my sister, who knows him. The book isn't out in US yet; she has the UK edition. Very interesting! The author has another book out My Life in Orange about growing up in various Bhagwan Rajneesh communes.
This book is about his personal involvement in the Second Life simulation, as well as how other people use it around the world. One of the most interesting involves 9 people with physical handicaps (cerebral palsy, etc.) who can't get around very easily in the real world, but who gather twice a week to become an avatar in 2nd Life where they can move around, meet people, buy things, do things, etc. It seems to bring them a great deal of satisfaction.
Other people's lives are discussed as well, a woman whose avatar is an "escort", another man who runs a mafia style operation involving gambling, etc., who actually makes Linden $ and can have people "rubbed out".
You can make Linden $ in 2nd Life, which have a real-world $ value by providing services or building things. There's a vibrant economy. I'm not exactly up on how things get built, but apparently materials aren't expensive, it's just a matter of knowing how to do it. I was able to build a shirt and pants for myself, but that's it so far.
Some of the people involved seem to feel their real world lives have been improved by their interactions in the simulation; the author, however, reports his real-world life going downhill as he gets more involved. Some even feel they need a 3rd Life to help them escape the complications of their 2nd Life.
All in all, as for educational uses, it occurs to me that if a group of learners could, as a class project, inhabit an island, they could really explore what it means to live in a society where cooperation can lead to greater rewards. The environment would have to be built carefully and there should be consequences, but I think there's some potential there. I wouldn't want students to inhabit the adult world, however.
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