Addicted to Games?

Addiction experts say video games not an addiction

From Yahoo News - experts are arguing over whether or not video game addiction should be considered an affliction on par with alcoholism or drug addiction. Video gaming produces very real physiological responses within players that could understandably become addictive much in the same way that a drug addict continues to seek highs from illegal substances...but does classifying game addiction open up a can of worms for classifying other media addictions as illnesses worthy of insurance support for treatment (e.g. television or internet addiction)? Are some people more wired to become addicted to games the same way there are people predisposed to become alcoholics or drug addicts? Is is the result of a generally addictive personality or are those who become addicted to games somehow different from those who become addicted to physical substances? Only time and research will tell.

Pen-Based Computing Breakthroughs

From the New York Times: Take Note: Computing Takes Up Pen, Again

"An ambitious new type of pen-based computer system could bridge the gap between paper and the digital world."

"The Livescribe pen is a more advanced version of the LeapFrog Fly Pentop Computer, which itself has some impressive abilities, even if it is intended for children. Fly users can draw a calculator on paper and make it work by tapping the keys with the pen; a speaker in the pen plays back the results. Users can also draw a piano keyboard on a piece of paper and play a tune on it."

Conference: Call for Papers

First Call for Papers

3^rd International Conference on

“Interactive Mobile and Computer aided Learning”

IMCL2008

Princess Sumaya University for Technology

Amman, Jordan,

16–80 April 2008

www.imcl-conference.org

The conference aims to promote the development of eLearning and mLearning in the Middle East, provides a forum for education and knowledge transfer and encourages the implementation of mobile applications in teaching and learning. The conference is organized by Princess Sumaya University for Technology in collaboration with Carinthia University of Applied Sciences, Austria and Royal Institute of Technology, KTH, Sweden.

Topics of Interest

• Design and development of course content;

• M-learning emerging hardware and software;

• M-learning applications;

• Mobile technology support for educator and student;

• Mobile Web and video Conferencing;

• M-learning objects and development tools;

• Service providers for mobile networks;

• M-learning standards;

• Life-long m-learning;

• Impact of m-learning on social change;

• Future trends in m-learning;

• Web and Computer-based learning;

• Tools for interactive learning and teaching;

• Platforms and authoring tools;

• New learning models and applications;

• Applications of the Semantic Web;

• Adaptive learning environments;

• Methods of content adoption;

• Project-based learning;

• Virtual campus and e-learning;

• Remote and virtual laboratories;

• Remote measurement technologies;

• Concepts for remote engineering;

• Multimedia and virtual environments;

• Cost-effectiveness;

• Real world experiences;

• Pilot projects, products and applications.

Passing of a Science Icon

Many folks have been chiming in with kind words for the late Don Herbert, known to many as "Mr. Wizard."

Marty Kaplan wrote: "in Don Herbert's New York Times obituary it says that during the 1960s and '70s, "about half the applicants to Rockefeller University in New York, where students work toward doctorates in science and medicine, cited Mr. Wizard when asked how they first became interested in science." A National Science Foundation official quoted in his Los Angeles Times obituary said in 1989 that "Don has been personally responsible for more people going into the sciences than any other single person in this country."

The impact of one person (and of the media in general) cannot be underestimated, and Mr. Wizard was a perfect example of that.

Evaluating Ed Tech - Preliminary Results

From eSchool News: Ed tech is raising student achievement
Results of $15 million in evaluation grants due soon

"The nine states that have received $15 million in "Evaluating State Educational Technology Projects" grants from the U.S. Department of Education (ED) over the last three years are expected to submit their final reports from these studies to ED officials this fall--and an early look at their results suggests that technology is having a positive impact on student engagement and achievement."

Responding to criticisms of ed tech

From the k-12 computing blueprint:

Reacting to the New York Times
Read how bloggers, journalists, researchers and one-to-one educators are responding to a controversial article in the New York Times reporting on districts that have scrapped their laptop programs.

One-to-One Profiles from Technology & Learning
Read about laptop districts in the following states:
• California
Despite financial hurdles, one Fresno-area school district is partnering with parents to get laptops into students' hands.
• Alaska
In the remote Alaskan interior, students are reaping the benefits of laptop computing.
• Texas
Learn about Irving ISD's one-to-one program, which supports technology integration through extensive online resources, especially at the high school level.