Sloodle

I have learned what Moodle and Second Life are in ED670. But I never think about what will happen if these two come together.

Yes.They come together as Sloodle.Sloodle is an Open Source project which aims to develop and share useful, usable, desireable tools for supporting education in virtual worlds, making teaching easier. Through engagement with an active community of developers and users, the Sloodle project hopes to develop sound pedagogies for teaching across web-based and 3D virtual learning environments. Sloodle integrates the Second Life multi-user virtual environment and the Moodle learning-management system.

Amazing!Isn't it?

http://www.sloodle.org/

Technology is fantastic!I like it!

Second Life AS an addiction

A number of people have already mentioned that Second Life can help can help cure real-world addictions. The game's ability to provide real-time, world-wide counseling at little or no cost will definitely help those addicts with the means and knowledge to access Second Life. (A serious question to ask: How many crack addicts own computers, have internet access, and know how to use Second Life? How big could that particular population grow?) In any case, the Duke team has done some fascinating work on the intersection of VRs and RRs.

This lead me to a curious, not quite congruent idea: If a person can feel their addictions while playing Second Life, could virtual realities be addictive as well? Certainly not as destructive an addiction as crack-cocaine, but as serious as an addiction to eating, pornography, or television. Many sites have picked up on this, but they tend to treat it as problem for 'some people.' That is, some sites still consider addiction to VRs as a hypothetical condition represented by a tiny minority.

Addiction and Second Life
Second Life Insider

Yet, a number of people on both of those blogs have compelling enough anecdotal evidence to support the possibility of a real, serious, addiction. And even if only a tiny subset of people become addicted to WoW, SL, or Everquest (we used to call it 'EverCrack' in junior high), we must still come to a consensus as to how much VR is too much VR.

I'm not advocating panic and abandonment of SL. Rather, I think we should begin to think about how to create programs that help people deal with VR addictions, and build them over time. It seems unwise to simply chalk-up an addiction to the Internet or VR as a symptom of the 21st century, or a benign replacement for other forms of activity when so many questions remain.

Second Life AS an addiction

A number of people have mentioned

Agism in Second Life

As a part of my MUVE project on creating an environment in Second Life for health care professionals to learn to eliminate agism from their interactions with senior citizens, I transformed my avatar into a senior citizen. I explored SL as my senior citizen avatar and discovered some very interesting patterns. On the tame side of my experiences, I was simply ignored. On the blatant side, I was told outright to get a new avatar.

Many times other avatars would walk away as I walked (wheeled) toward them. If they did engage in a conversation with me, it was either very short or they used very simple language. Often times I would return as my younger avatar and, even though my name hadn't changed, no one recognized me as the older woman they had seen before. I was able to have conversations with a few of the same people and they were much more socialable.

The avatar that told me to get a new avatar was actually offended that I had such an avatar. He said that SL is for fantasies and, "don't you want to look better?" I role-played a bit and told him that there are some avatars that look very similar to their "RL avatar." I told him this is what I look like in RL. He said, "in that case, maybe you shouldn't be in SL." I tried to contact him as my young avatar, but was unable to find him.

My interactions as a senior citizen weren't all negative. I had several people who were simply curious as to my choice of avatars, but treated me no differently.

Overall, I was surprised by my experiences, especially after finding SL to be such a friendly environment before my transformation. As my younger avatar, I met many people from all over the world, many of whom gave me something for free (objects, landmarks, $L). I am disheartened by the agism I experienced in SL, but it confirms my concerns that SL perpetuates an unhealthy ideal body image.

Harvest Moon: More Than Just a Child's Play Thing?

My daughter started playing Harvest Moon when she was 9 years old. So, two years has past and she is still very interested and now my son is very involved with the game. Before I knew anything about SL, I just figured it was a nice, wholesome game for them to play. What I new about it was that the player designed a farm from the ground up with all of the animals, plants, and crops. the player planted the seeds, raised chickens and the player could even sell the crops for money in this virtual farm-world. So it seemed like a really nice and safe way for my children to experience the farm-life, work the land and work with the currency and make a little money. Plus, all decisions were theirs-this was their world. Now that I know about SL, I recognize that this virtual game was their first experience is SL and mine too! There are many games out there that appeal to children; trying to find quality games with limited violence that actually appeal to children is the trick. As one person states, "It's a welcome relief from all of the fast-paced games that are hyped today." In Harvest Moon you move at your own pace, and not so much at the pace of guests, limits, and other pressures that come with "fast paced" games. Check out a fun and meaningful virtual world- Harvest Moon.

11 Reasons Why We Play Games

An article reflecting on why we play games on gamerhelp.com by Jason Fryer:

11 Reasons Why We Play Games |
Note: explanations and example games are included under each!

#11: The Childhood Dream
# 10: No Ticket Required
# 9: Rivals Make the Best Losers
# 8: Games are Timeless
# 7: The "Eureka" Moment
# 6: It Feels Good to Be Bad
# 5: Bragging Rights
# 4: Saving the World
# 3: Only the Chosen Will Survive
# 2: The All Nighter Troof
# 1: The Fun Never Stops

11 Reasons Why We Play Games

An article reflecting on why we play games on gamehelp.com

Gardens and Sunsets

I found this page: http://secondlife.com/newsletter/2006_10/ and one of the first things I read was:

Zen and the Art of SL
There are many beautiful and serene places in Second Life to sit and watch a sunset or listen to the birds. Gardens of flowers, waterfalls, and secret places can be found throughout the world. Here are just five of the many beautiful gardens of Second Life.

1
Bliss Basin
2
The Lost Gardens of Apollo
3
Zen Gardens of Achemon
4
Lost Gardens of Slosser
5
Vanda?s Pocket Park

My first thought was ‘seriously?’ I get that there are places in Second Life that are very visually appealing. What I am aghast about is that people would visit gardens or watch sunsets in Second Life instead of in real life. To me you would lose more than half of the experience if you lose the ability to smell the gardens and perhaps feel the grass under your feet, etc.

I suppose if you couldn’t get to the gardens that you can see in Second Life that’s one thing. But we shouldn’t exclude what we can get to in the real life if we want the full experience.

People with Disabilities in Second Life

My classmates game the Inevitable Room about ageism got me thinking. Could Second Life be used in the same way for diversity training for those that work with people with disabilities? My research brought me around to another view of the situation.

I literally stumbled upon an article which talks about people with disabilities using Second Life for other things. A link to the article is provided below. Here is an excerpt from the article:

Another project, called live2give, was undertaken by nine adults with cerebral palsy, and seeks to provide a forum in which they can share in the everyday personal interactions that most people take for granted. The group of nine, who share a single Second Life avatar known as Wilde Cunningham, get to experience being around other people without being judged.

http://www.wired.com/gaming/gamingreviews/news/2005/04/67142

This is an amazing use for Second Life. Barriers are removed in-world that are impossible to remove in real life.

CNET Article> 10 Most Addictive Flash Games

In addition to a screen shot and short blurb about each game, the article's authors include a "Your Fired" rating - the more red letters in the word "fired" to more addictive the game. I'm sad to say that I've only heard of two out of the ten games listed; I must need to play more!

Which ones have you played?

1. Bejeweled
2. Chimgam
3. Bow Man
4. Desktop Tower Defense
5. Neopets Hasee Bounce
6. Line Rider
7. The Last Stand
8. Portal
9. The Helicopter Game
10. YetiSports

SL treats Addiction

I was so tickled when I saw this news story covering something near and dear to our own hearts-yes, the use of virtual games to treat such a serious problem as drug addiction. The virtual reality game coupled with therapy, puts the soobering addict into the situations where he loses control. With a therepist to support him through his weak moments, he has the control to chance his habits. Very interesting. Another practical, real-world applications for SL. Check out the Good Morning America piece.

SL treats Addiction

I was so tickled when I saw this news story covering something near and dear to our own hearts-Second Life. ABC says that the use of virtual reality games can be used to treat serious drug addictions. The virtual world is set up to appeal to a crack addict and all of his/her situations that he/she encounters in the drug world. The simulation is to be used while in therapy. And in fact the therapost has to be present while the recovering addict is placed in situations where he has to make decisions. Th addict talks through the choices he has and determines what triggers make him lose control. What a creative and useful application for Second Life.

Good Morning America

Educational gambling?

I was reading the newspaper the other day, and I misread a headline. The story was about Schwarzenegger's support for the gaming industry, but I thought I saw "educational gaming." I wondered, "Is there such a thing?" Well, of course not. A quick Google search revealed a lot of information about gambling education, but nothing about educational gambling. Then I wondered, "If there were such a thing, what would it look like?"

So what would educational gambling look like? I've thought of some possibilities:

1. Some kind of added educational content in existing forms of gambling. For example, a game of video poker might start with an educational video or a short article.

2. Educational content built into the gambling. The gambler would have to learn some content presented during the game to have a chance at winning the game. Of course, simply learning the content wouldn't guarantee a win. Casinos have to make money.

3. Gambling introduced to an educational game. You can bet on anything. Why limit gambling to sporting events, cards, and dice?

Second Life on Australia Network

If you have access to it, Australia Network is showing a program on Second Life.

From their website:
This documentary film takes us on the parallel world of virtual online games, known as MMORPGs (Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games). Millions of gamers all around the world spend on average 30 hours a week playing games in these boundless realms. A booming business has sprung up at the crossroads where these virtual worlds and the real world meet. Virtual islands are selling for hundreds of thousands of real dollars. Imaginary real-estate is going for thousands and thousands of dollars. Weapons and characters are being exchanged every day for a few dozen dollars, in auctions inside these realms. The film navigates its way back and forth between the virtual and real worlds. To get a deeper understanding of this new addiction and new business, we enter the MMORPG world through a gaming character: the 'hero' of the film. The hero helps us understand how the game works and the excitement it sparks. Through him, we carry our investigation over into the real world. Who are these gamers, and what is their psychological profile? Who does this new economy benefit, and how is it organized? A futurist film, at the outermost gates of the real world.

http://australianetwork.com/guide/ep_00045275.htm

It's on here in Hong Kong on Wednesday. I'll post a summary after I watch it.

Nobel Prize Games

OK, I think this is pretty cool. Nobelprize.org, the website of the Nobel Prize organization, has a section with educational games. These games are designed to teach kids (and adults too, I assume) about the work performed by physicists, economists, etc, who earned a Nobel Prize.

For example, in 1920, Charles Edouard Guillaume was awarded the Nobel Prize in physics for discovering the alloy Invar. So the site provides a game which teaches kids what alloys are, what invar is and why it is important.

There are a number of games on this site that educate the player about various discoveries or advancements in chemistry, physics, literature, etc, that earned a Nobel Prize. Check it out. It's pretty cool!

-Joe


http://nobelprize.org/educational_games/

Virtual reality TV

We've seen a lot of Second Life content on TV recently (crime-solving in SL on CSI: New York, broken dreams on The Office, etc.). I read an article on Reuters Second Life today about TV moving into SL. For some time there's been a version of Big Brother in Second Life. It wasn't new, but it was new to me, and it got me thinking.
I have to admit that I enjoy Big Brother. It is so boring and so fascinating at the same time. I could do without the elaborate games they have to play for special privileges and immunity. I don't really care about the scheming that the players do, either. What's interesting, to me at least, is the dull stuff: the vapid conversations, the dish-washing, the everyday things. It's sort of like watching animals at the zoo: They eat, they sleep, they stretch, they yawn, and it's hard to pull yourself away.
When I first read the article about BB in SL, I thought it might be kind of cool to see the show from a different perspective, to control the camera. And I it would on another kind of show. If there were a SL CSI, you might watch the autopsy from the perspective of the corpse or a car chase from above. But what would even happen on BB in SL? You don't need to brush your teeth or make breakfast in SL. What's there to watch?

Exploring Social Norms in Second Life

As a relatively new community member of Second Life, I have been grappling with the idea of social norms and how they are applied "Inworld." Is real life actually that separate from Second Life when it comes to social norms? Should it be? How is etiquette defined? We are dealing with avatars from around the world, which brings in a cultural element (proximity, for example). Real people with real emotions, values, standards, cultural backgrounds, control the movements, actions, and speech of the avatars. Should those real world elements be reflected in our second lives? Why or why not? I would love to hear about your musings and experiences....



Check out this video from NPR on the topic of proximity in SL.

The Office

On Thursday night, The Office (the best show on TV) had a hysterical scene about Second Life. Its amazing to see so many TV connections with Second Life. It makes me wonder if these connections were always there and I never noticed it, and now its more evident because of this class?
One of the funniest parts that I couldn't find on You Tube was Philly Jim. You all must see this whole episode

SceneCaster

SceneCaster is a space in which people can build a variety of 3-D environments and avatars, and then share their spaces with one another via Flickr and Facebook.

While I explored SceneCaster's website, I have not played with it yet, but I think that there are definitely educational/instructional possibilities here!

Google Earth

San Diego, California Fires - See Smoke in Google Earth

While learning about the fires that are affecting my friends and fellow classmates in California, I found some very useful information provided by Google Maps*. The NOAA has provided many satellite images (events, web site). CNN has also been using Google Earth to show maps of the fires. NASA has also released new satellite images of the smoke.

And here is a great resource from the MODIS Active Fire Mapping Program and the US Forest Service - they have some great maps for currently active fires in various map formats - the one for Google Earth is particularly useful.

Also, there is a fire map being managed by radio station KPBS in San Diego with up-to-date information about the situation there. The fire map is available in Google My Maps (see below), and you can use the KML option to view the map in Google Earth . via Google Lat Long. Here is the map:

View Larger Map

*This article has been adapted from an original post at the Google Earth Blog.

CSI:NY in Second Life

CSI:NY is integrating into the world of Second Life on Wednesday, October 24!

According to an article by TechCrunch author, Duncan Riley, the upcoming episode of this already popular show should persuade millions of new people to check out Second Life. CBS has set up several inworld activities allowing users to play forensic games, win virtual prizes, and solve the murder in the episode itself (with the conclusion not airing until next year). A link on the CBS website will point viewers to their options.

A preview of the video is here.

I am excited for this type of technology integration. Imagine how thrilled all those forensic junkies (I prefer CSI:Las Vegas myself) will be to actually interact with the show to "solve" the crime. The potential for a wonderful learning experience is amazing.

Maybe I'll see you there!

~"Ann Losangeles"

MUVE interoperability?

October 11, 2007 |

Second Life + Google + IBM = Open Source Avatars?

By David Cassel

It's like a science fiction story. Your avatar escapes Second Life, and prowls the internet, exploring new worlds and splurging its Second Life Linden currency on other online products.

It hits the other virtual worlds — World of Warcraft? Quake? Maybe it'll even stomp through Google Earth.

It won't happen today, but the first step was just taken: a call for interoperability.

Today Second Life and IBM announced they're developing an open standard for avatars that would let them roam from world to world. And according to the New York Times, it won't be just these two companies. After the announcement, the two companies held discussions with the biggest names in the industry at a virtual worlds conference in San Jose — including Google, Cisco, Sony, Intel, Microsoft, and Motorola.

They report that IBM's VP of virtual world technology, Colin Parris, laid out the case for interoperability. "Now, for every world I touch I have to build an avatar," he told conference attendees. "It's an obstacle to the development and spread of virtual worlds, both in the consumer and corporate space."

But not everyone's optimistic. "Such a virtual passport system may be years away," Reuters warned, "if it doesn't first fall prey to the kind of conflicting interests that occasionally bog down efforts to draw up standards in the fast-changing technology industry." IBM's Parris hopes to focus on the most promising niches for online avatars first, according to the article. "The nuts and bolts of how to make different software work together will come later."

Ultimately the years to come will see businesses and web developers grappling with two important about the future of the internet.

With limited hours in a day, can virtual worlds be made to be just as compelling as alternatives in the real world?

And perhaps more importantly — will people feel comfortable shopping there?

SOURCE

Second Life Humor

Online worlds to be AI incubators

Online worlds to be AI incubators

By Mark Ward Technology Correspondent, BBC News website

Artificial environments could be great places for AI's to learn

Online worlds such as Second Life will soon become training grounds for artificial intelligences.

Researchers at US firm Novamente have created software that learns by controlling avatars in virtual worlds.

Initially the AIs will be embodied in pets that will get smarter by interacting with the avatars controlled by their human owners.

Novamente said it eventually aimed to create more sophisticated avatars such as talking parrots and even babies.




LINK

Online worlds to be AI incubators

By Mark Ward Technology Correspondent, BBC News website

Artificial environments could be great places for AI's to learn

Online worlds such as Second Life will soon become training grounds for artificial intelligences.

Researchers at US firm Novamente have created software that learns by controlling avatars in virtual worlds.

Initially the AIs will be embodied in pets that will get smarter by interacting with the avatars controlled by their human owners.

Novamente said it eventually aimed to create more sophisticated avatars such as talking parrots and even babies.




LINK

Online worlds to be AI incubators

By Mark Ward Technology Correspondent, BBC News website

Artificial environments could be great places for AI's to learn

Online worlds such as Second Life will soon become training grounds for artificial intelligences.

Researchers at US firm Novamente have created software that learns by controlling avatars in virtual worlds.

Initially the AIs will be embodied in pets that will get smarter by interacting with the avatars controlled by their human owners.

Novamente said it eventually aimed to create more sophisticated avatars such as talking parrots and even babies.




LINK

Gaming as a Learning Tool

Just wanted to post some interesting sites I found that show a growing trend of gaming as a learning tool.


Games and examples
http://ww.acmi.net.au/games_lab.aspx

http://serc.carleton.edu/introgeo/games/

http://www.gamequarium.com/

Companies
http://www.kinection.com/index.html

http://www.muzzylane.com

Articles/Blogs
http://blogoehlert.typepad.com/eclippings/gaming_learning/index.html

http://popcosmo.org

http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/showstoryts.cfm?Articleid=6799

An Educational Exploration

Arctic Transect 2004, an Educational Exploration of Nunavut (AT2004), is an adventure-learning program that connected 3,000,000 students around the world.
College of Education and Human Development in University of Minnesota and Nomads Adventure and Education supported the learning program. A team of six educators and explorers traveled by dogsled from Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada across the Nunavut, the newest territory in the Canadian Arctic, to their final destination at the north end of the Baffin Island, stopping at seven Inuit communities along the way. In the latest issue of Journal of Online Education, an article describes the learning project. You could learn how it provides students with opportunities to explore real-world issues through authentic learning experiences and what educational perspectives the project adopted from the article. AT2004 is not an MUVE game but it provides close-to-real life experience to students.

Susan

Note: The images were retrieved from a link to an article that was originally published in Innovate (http://www.innovateonline.info/) as: Doering, A.. 2007. Adventure Learning: : Situating Learning in an Authentic Context. Innovate 3 (6). http://www.innovateonline.info/index.php?view=article&id=342 (accessed October 18, 2007). The article is reprinted here with permission of the publisher, The Fischler School of Education and Human Services at Nova Southeastern University.

Train For Success

Over the summer I had a great experience with Cathy Arreguin in her EDTEC 700 course on Multi-User Virtual Environments. During that class we had to find and attend an instructional class or session presented in Second Life. The learning event I attended was led by Anders Gronstedt, the owner of the Gronstedt Group which specializes in innovative and next generation training programs in marketing, branding, sales, and corporate communications. The Gronstedt Group continues to hold a weekly learning event at its "Train For Success" location in Second Life.


Tomorrow (Thursday, 9.00 AM SLT) at the "Train for Success," Jeff Corbin will be presenting to talk about the University of Denver's ambitious project to develop nuclear engineering training in SL. Jeff created SciLands, the archipelago of science islands in Second Life, and his team just received a $200,000 federal grant to teach nuclear engineering in Second Life.

Again, it is at the "Train for Success" tomorrow Thursday, 9.00 AM SLT.
Here's a link to the SL location: Gronstedt Group

If you are not able to attend tomorrow, try to attend another event at the "Train for Success."


SciLands Blog
Gronstedt Group

Where did the knowledge go?

Janet and I are Instructional Designers at TIAA-CREF. Each year we are engaged in training hundreds of financial consultants and advisors. Many companies are facing the same challenges as TIAA-CREF: training the gamer generation. This article is an eye opener. It came out around the same time as “Teaching Facts With Fun, Online Games”.

“The U.S. Government may face a true workforce crisis, as many of its employees will soon be retiring. The U.S. General Accounting Office reports that between 1999 and 2006, the following percentage of employees would be eligible for retirement:

• 50 percent of the Agency for International Development
• 45 percent of the Department of State
• 41 percent of the Department of Transportation and National Science Foundation
• 40 percent of the Social Security Administration”.

Taken from: The Maturing Workforce – Managing the Crisis Before It Hits By Eric Lesser http://www.learningcircuits.org/2006/January/

Here is an IBM report on the maturing work force.http://www-03.ibm.com/industries/government/doc/content/bin/Maturing_Workforce_IBM1291_07_FINAL.pdf

Where did the knowledge go?

Janet and I are Instructional Designers at TIAA-CREF. Each year we are engaged in training hundreds of financial consultants and advisors. Many companies are facing the same challenges as TIAA-CREF: training the gamer generation. This article is an eye opener. It came out around the same time as “Teaching Facts With Fun, Online Games”.

“The U.S. Government may face a true workforce crisis, as many of its employees will soon be retiring. The U.S. General Accounting Office reports that between 1999 and 2006, the following percentage of employees would be eligible for retirement:

• 50 percent of the Agency for International Development


• 45 percent of the Department of State


• 41 percent of the Department of Transportation and National Science Foundation


• 40 percent of the Social Security Administration”.
  

Taken from: The Maturing Workforce – Managing the Crisis Before It Hits By Eric Lesser http://www.learningcircuits.org/2006/January/

Here is an IBM report on the maturing work force.http://www-03.ibm.com/industries/government/doc/content/bin/Maturing_Workforce_IBM1291_07_FINAL.pdf

Defining and Understanding Virtual Worlds

Early 2006, Karl M. Kapp wrote an article titled "Teaching Facts With Fun." He talked about using simple online games to help new employees in corporate American and the government learn the fundamental facts about the company, the products, and services. Read more here http://www.learningcircuits.org/2006/February/kapp.htm

Recently, Karl wrote "Defining and Understanding Virtual Worlds" where he talks about using Second Life for learning. See the full article here http://www.learningcircuits.org/2007/0507kapp.html

My Visit to Second Life

Well, I decided to check out some music, but apparently 3:00 in the afternoon isn't the time to do that. I'll have to check it out later in the evening...

I also tried to go to a bunch of the sites listed in the beginner's guide, but I couldn't get into the Second Louvre...not sure it exists anymore, or maybe I just haven't been able to figure out how to travel properly.
Angie

Addicting games as Learning games?!

One of my eighth grade students showed me this website. I checked it out and found some very fascinating learning opportunities. There are some violent games there and some games that seemed to be of an adult theme. Most of the games however, seemed safe enough. I played this game called 'Revenge of the Stick'. I see several learning applications there. First of all, it's fun to play as it is a rpg format. The player has to track resources, money and rewards to efficiently achieve a high score. Another cool aspect of the game is that you can post your high score and compete against other players. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did. You can find it at http://www.ugoplayer.com/games/revengeofthestick.html and other games at http://www.addictinggames.com/ Tried to get some screen shots but couldn't figure it out, sorry.

Have fun!

Physical Therapy Game

Hi folks,

Wired Magazine's website has a great article about "therapy tiles" which provide patients with a game-like method for conducting their physical therapy. The article describes common physical therapy activites as "tedious" and "monotonous," but describes these therapy tiles as a method for engaging patients which actually achieves flow, thus speeding the patient's recovery with, apparently, less effort on the part of the patient.

The tiles provide feedback on accuracy, the pressure of the patient's interaction with a tile and the speed with which they pressed or stepped on a tile. The game aspect of this appears to provide greater motivation and gets the patient to achieve a state of flow, making the therapy more enjoyable and, surprisingly, more effective.

You can review the article here: http://www.wired.com/medtech/health/news/2007/10/therapy_tiles

Understanding Games

Understanding Games is series of four games trying to raise awareness for the basic concepts of video games. The tutorial-style episodes deal with rules, motivation, learning and identification in video games. The player is guided through each episode by the narrators Bob and Bub, who explain core concepts of games to the player. The player can experience these concepts directly while playing the integrated games.

Game 1

Game 2

Game 3

Game 4

Understanding Games is a diploma thesis project I did at the University of Applied Sciences in Potsdam, Germany in communications design. The game design theory behind the four episodes is based on various books I’ve read during my research. If you are interested to read more about these topics I highly recommend you the following books.

I am also thinking about a way to somehow integrate these recommended readings into the episodes, so if you have an idea how to do this, please let me know.

Chen, Jenova: Flow in Games. http://jenovachen.com/flowingames/thesis.htm

Costikyan, Greg: I Have No Words & I Must Design. http://www.costik.com/nowords.html

Crawford, Chris: The Art of Computer Game Design. http://www.vancouver.wsu.edu/fac/peabody/game-b…

Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly: Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience. New York : HarperCollins.

Gee, James Paul: What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy. New York : Palgrave Macmillan.

Gingold, Chaim: Miniature Gardens & Magic Crayons: Games, Spaces & Worlds. Georgia : Institute of Technology.

Huizinga, Johan: Homo Ludes: A Study of the Play Element in Culture. Boston : Beacon Press.

Johnson, Steven: Everything Bad Is Good for You. London : Penguin Books.

Juul, Jesper: Half-Real: Video Games between Real Rules and Fictional Worlds. Cambridge, Massachusetts : MIT Press.

Koster, Ralph: A Theory of Fun for Game Design. Scottsdale, Arizona : Paraglyph Press.

Linderoth, Jonas: Animated game pieces. Avatars as roles, tools and props. Aesthetics of Play Conference. University of Bergen. http://www.aestheticsofplay.org/linderoth.php

McCloud, Scott: Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art. New York : Harper Perennial.

Salen, Katie; Zimmerman, Eric: Rules of Play: Game Design Fundamentals. Cambridge, Massachusetts : MIT Press.

Salen, Katie; Zimmerman, Eric: The Game Design Reader: A Rules of Play Anthology. Cambridge, Massachusetts : MIT Press.

Homepage:

http://www.pixelate.de/

e-Clippings Learning as Art

This is the blog for Mark Oehlert, a fascinating learning professional and avid gaming follower. He has many links, interesting blog posts, and this is worth visiting for many resources and interesting posts or just to add his del.icio.us posts to your network if nothing else. He has numerous game links, gaming research and games for education links.

http://blogoehlert.typepad.com/

Gretchen Regehr

Gadgets, Games and Gizmos for Learning

From Author Karl M. Kapp's Site Gadgets, Games and Gizmos for Learning

“This site is a continuation of the book (Gadgets, Games and Gizmos for Learning) and a place to build a community discussion around knowledge transfer and the gamer/boomer knowledge gap. Feel free to add a comment on the blog, create an entry in the wiki and play some of the great educational games in the Games and Simulations section. The goal is for knowledge transfer between the author and the readers but, more importantly, between and among the many readers of the book. Share your insights, ideas and concerns on the blog. Provide input and new links on the Wiki Glossary. ”
Karl M. Kapp

River City – a Research on MUVE and Learning Scientific Inquiry

Multi-user virtual environments (MUVEs) are not necessary to be heavily game-specific. One of the most well-known MUVEs is River City project created by a group of professors from several universities in 2000.

This National Science Foundation funded project is based on a scenario that a city in 19th century is suffering from public health problems. Students create their own avatars and step into the online virtual environment to explore the possible sources for diseases, using many levels of skills. The project offers free implementation opportunities for middle schools and non-profit educational institutions globally. About sixty teachers for 4000 middle grades science students in the US and Australia have participated in River City Project. I knew they planed to expand the exploring base to India and China but I am not sure if they had done that now. According to research papers, students participated in the course said that they felt like playing a game while doing research like real scientists.

This originally Harvard Graduate School of Education based project intended to find a way to help students understand how to identify a problem, create a hypothesis, then test it. They created River City project to explore the strengths and limits for learning with MUVE technology The research scope has now been expanded to study how to make the curriculum robust enough to be effective across levels of engagement, students’ prior academic history, class size, and differences in teachers’ training.

To learn more:

• Instructional perspectives for River city Project from Chris Dede, the principal investigator of the project
• Take a tour of River City
  

Second Life @ Georgia Tech: A Librarian & Professor Experiment

From an article in Campus Technology:
"Georgia Tech librarian Brian Matthews has teamed up with GT computer science professor Blaire MacIntyre to develop a space in the Second Life virtual world from which students could "check out" land parcels in order "to hang out, explore, and learn the basics of the software."

From Brian Matthews' blog, the Ubiquitous Librarian:
"We're inviting (recruiting) students to hangout, explore, and learn the basics of the software. Our rational is that if there is an interest, let's say 20 students or more, then we'll work toward purchasing an island for them. The idea is still in the very early stages, but ideally we're following this basic principal: just as a student can checkout a book, they can also checkout a plot of virtual land. In this framework it becomes a discovery experience."

Hey Ed Tech 670 Gamers! Are you living your Second Life yet? Check out this swell camp I set up.



Here is the URL to my 670 blog:

http://robloeffel.blogspot.com/

Links> Avatars and More

This week I've noticed some game-related stories/posts via my Bloglines feed and I thought that some of these might be of interest to others too!

• Avatars Everywhere: 27 of the Best Avatar Makers
  
• Games that warp your sense of reality after long periods of play
  (Now it semmes that the trick is to figure out how to apply such engaging aspects to instructional games.)
  
• Tech Savvy Educator's Posts on Games

Halo 3

Wired magazine's latest issue has a great story on how they test the gameplay of the popular Xbox game, Halo.

Halo 3 is coming out soon, and this article looks at what game designers at Bungie Studios do to make the game fun.

Note to all students: We'll be talking more about the blog assignment when we meet again Monday.

Out of Hibernation

It's that time of year again: EDTEC 670 is yawning and stretching after a nine-month nap. This year is unusual: we have more students in the online section than on campus. This should make for some different and interesting dynamics.

Also new this year: a more formalized project based on Second Life. This will be an opportunity to closely examine the affordances of SL and come up with learning activities that aren't just glitz.

I'm directing the campus section and webcasting the presentations to the distance students. Karl Richter is in charge of the distance section, and Cathy Arreguin will be on board for her Second Life expertise during October and November. The Dream Team!