Federal Consortium for Virtual Worlds

I virtually participated in a few sessions of the conference held by the Federal Consortium for Virtual Worlds this past week. From my vantage point (about 20 feet away...and more than 500 miles away) it looked to be well attended by a wide range of professionals interested in virtual worlds. I suspect that they'll post video clips on the site at some point (as they seem to have done that for past events).

http://www.ndu.edu/irmc/fedconsortium.html

News you can play

http://www.playthenewsgame.com/

Just checked this game out - seems interesting and looking forward to seeing the results of my first "game" played on the site. I played a game that looked at lowering the legal drinking age to 18 - it illustrated a brief history of this issue, particularly how it has intersected with debates about the legal age to serve in the military/go into combat. I played as the state of Missouri (selected by the computer) and was able to indicate what I thought should happen, as well as predict what I thought would happen.

New evidence suggesting that young children benefit from technology use

Tech encourages students' social skills by Meris Stansbury (Wednesday, April 23, 2008).

This article highlights results of two a studies done with young computer users (preschool/early grades) and finds that there are indeed benefits to its use.

More evidence to support the value of games in Education

eSchool News had a few more articles in its most recent issue:

Gaming helps students hone 21st-century skills by Laura Devaney (Thursday, April 24)

and

Students want more use of Gaming Technology by Meris Stansbury (Tuesday, April 8)

Games on kids "must have" list for school...

Since I don't have time to read the full report - I'm just going to pull some quotes from other summaries...it is great that students can see the potential of gaming - and even articulate specific benefits of gaming over other other modes of instruction!

From: eSchool News

Students want more use of gaming technology
Results from Project Tomorrow's annual Speak Up survey reveal a disconnect between students', adults' views on technology in schools
By Meris Stansbury, Assistant Editor, eSchool News

What students want
"Educators are largely missing out on what could be a huge opportunity to capitalize on their students’ appetite for electronic games and simulations to teach them about core curriculum topics, results from a new national survey suggest."..."online or electronic gaming is one of the technologies that students use most frequently—and that educational gaming is one of the emerging technologies that students would most like to see implemented in their schools."

The disconnect between what students want and parents/teachers want?
"...Yet, only one in 10 teachers has adopted gaming as an instructional tool."
"64 percent of students in grades K-12 say they play online or electronic-based games regularly. On average across all grade levels, students are playing electronic games about 8 to 10 hours a week. More than 50 percent of students in grades 3-12 would like to see more educational gaming in their schools—yet only 19 percent of parents and 15 percent of administrators favor that idea."

but maybe kids know best...
One teacher, using games in her classroom notes “'We are witnessing a metamorphosis of sorts. Within the first few weeks, we saw students seeking assistance from their teachers before the scheduled time for math, so they could beat their friends. … It’s driving up math scores. When our students are experiencing success on the game, it transfers to success in the classroom.'”

"Just over half of the students surveyed (51 percent) said they’re interested in educational gaming because games make it easier to understand difficult concepts. Fifty percent said gaming would make them more engaged in the subject, 46 percent said they would learn more about the subject, and 44 percent said it would be more interesting to practice problems."


And another review of the same study From: Network World

Most kids want educational video games in school, survey shows. ... So?

Submitted by Paul McNamara on Wed, 04/09/2008 - 1:15pm.

"Among the survey findings:

• More than half of students in grades 3 through 12 believe educational gaming would help them learn;
• Only 16% of teachers, 15% of administrators and 19% of parents are on board today -- although there was significantly more support for further exploration of the potential;
• And, 11% of teachers say they're already using video games in class, no matter how much you roll your eyes.

Then there was this little nugget, which may explain better than any other data point why this topic is even being discussed: Only 3% of elementary school students say they do not play video games of any kind.

Students surveyed say learning via video games would help them better understand difficult concepts, become more engaged in the subject matter and practice skills."

to be or not to be...fun

From Wired:

Trying to Design a Truly Entertaining Game Can Defeat Even a Certified Genius

I think there's something to be said about finding the right audience...Arden may not have appealed to the WoW set, but I suspect there's an audience out there that would have thought it was the best thing since sliced bread to have less emphasis on fighting. I'd add a #6 that says something along the lines of - never underestimate the power of marketing (or the price tag for good marketing).

Trends and Continuums

A few recent articles of note from the Model Intel Classroom Site:

Ed Tech Trends: http://www.modelintelclassroom.com/resources_articles/ed_tech_trends

and:

Continuum of Technology Use:
http://www.modelintelclassroom.com/resources_articles/continuum_technology_use

The later article had a great image that suggests the disconnect between students' home and school use of technology.
To some extent it is an over-exaggeration - but it most certainly the case for some students that they will be making abundant use of technology at home and only occasional access to it at school.

Do you want fries with your game?

An Online Game So Mysterious Its Famous Sponsor Is Hidden

By STEPHANIE CLIFFORD

Published: April 1, 2008

McDonald’s is the sponsor of an enigmatic Olympic-themed online game called The Lost Ring.


So I was feeling a little out of the loop when I read this. Guess I need to get back on the Unfiction mailing list. ;) In any case, sounds like a great game - and good to see that there is still large corporate interest in funding immersive gaming experiences.

What a beautiful idea!

Experimenting With Makeup: What Puts the ‘Ick’ in Lipstick?

By NATASHA SINGER

Published: March 27, 2008

At a Saturday seminar called Cosmetic Chemistry in Boston, young girls and their parents find out what after-shaves and lipsticks are really made of.


A great hook to get girls interested in science. It reminded me of a recent site visit experience - wherein a facilitator was telling me about the Internet Scavenger hunts that he had kids create for each other as a way to hone web navigation skills. One of the most advanced girls that he worked with came up with a scavenger hunt that called for participants to find, among other things, brands of lip gloss. It struck me as disappointing that lip gloss was the most exciting thing this girl could think of to have people search for on the Internet - but in retrospect, I suppose what really mattered was that she was using the Internet - and getting her peers to do so as well. It's all about meeting people where they are - and this project makes a great effort to do just that.