Therese Weel

Well,  time to just jump to the core of the matter here and post about  value of serious games.  

I gathered some notes the other day  and organized them into 4 main categories.  I note that my summary overlaps  serious games and virtual worlds.  Wishful thinking on my part. I'm looking forward to when serious games begin to overlap more fully with virtual worlds. 

I feel compelled to paraphrase after reading the welcome thread and our varied interest in these topics. It seems Serious Games engage us and help develop our skills  While Virtual Worlds  help us explore to our creative side and our sense of self.

I invite you reflect and refine.

A Pathway For Learning

• Allows learner to create a unique mental model
• Empowers through governance of game play
• Enables a clear learning pathway
• Internal versus external control
• Provides a blended learning in a socialising environment through audio, visuals, avatar P2P

A Tool to Construct Knowledge

• Challenge attitudes and assumptions
• Identify blind spots and knowledge gaps
• Build knowledge, decision making, contingency skills
• Create excitement which anchors retention
• Providing individual and organizational ROI

A Venue to Refine our Identity

• Develop confidence, self-esteem and identity.
• Especially true in  role playing games, 3D,  persistent multiverses where the player develops and projects an identity
• Player may assume different character traits and experiences the results first hand.
• Practice makes perfect.

 A Safe Place To Explore

• The more closely a game simulates the real world the more we engage and benefit from our virtual experience.
• 3d technology provides improvements in engagement, interactivity and thinking skills.

Finding the time to participate in these seminars is a challenge for us all.

In the last Scope seminar on online facilitation. Nick and Sylvia used some tools to give us an 'at a glance' overview of the discussions. We'll also be using these tools in this session.

Mind Maps

We will be building several Mind Maps based on the discussions and Sylvia will be posting them in the resource area.   We are using Mind Meister and I encourage everyone in the conference to participate in building the map.   I am only to happy to give you the keys  to doodle or build your own map on a thread of interest to you.   Send me an email at Therese@datadesigns.ca or reply to this thread.

The Value of Serious Games Mind Map  direct Link

 http://www.mindmeister.com/maps/show/92740

Our Wiki

I'll be rearranging and adding to this wiki as the conference progresses

http://scope.lidc.sfu.ca/mod/wiki/view.php?id=464

You are  encouraged to drop things in as you browse around.  Dive in - You get extra points for spelling mistakes and being off topic.


Introductory Powerpoint.

We also have an introductory power point on Serious Games to seed our discussions.  It is attached to this post and you will also find it online here.

http://scope.lidc.sfu.ca/mod/wiki/view.php?id=464

What is a Serious Game?
Serious Game Examples
The Value of Serious Games


Therese

Hello everyone,

I am  impressed with the opportunity the internet affords as a tool for self learning.  In 2003 I explored web publishing by converting  a front page site that I had been using to post my trip photos to some blogging software.

My first blog was a personal blog. Eventually I decided personal information and  photos were better shared privately so I transitioned over to do some "serious" tech writing in 2006.

Currently my blog is used to informally post information that I find of interest.  The value is mostly internal.  An opportunity to note and reflect on what I find interesting.  It can be a time consuming discipline.

This is a writing sample from last year on blogging software that may be of interest to this group.

http://virtualtoolshed.ca/pdfs/VT-Blogware.pdf

Therese

 

That`s what Wendy Kopps Princeton professor said to her in 1989 when she was searching for a topic for her senior thesis.

http://www.teachforamerica.com/assets/documents/0606_ReadersDigest_Money.Makers.The.Problem.Solver.pdf

Wendy`s idea was the ground work for http://www.teachforamerica.com

A wonderful example of social entrepreneurism.

Today in our country, nine-year-olds growing up in low-income communities are already three grade levels behind their peers in high-income communities.

Half of them won't graduate from high school.

Those who do graduate will, on average, read and do math at the level of eighth graders in high-income communities.

This is our nation's most pressing problem.

But it doesn't have to be this way. While the problem is daunting, we see evidence every day in classrooms across the country that when students in low-income communities are given the educational opportunities they deserve, they excel.

It is this—the clear potential of students—that makes the disparities in educational outcomes so unconscionable and fuels our sense of urgency and responsibility to do everything we can to ensure educational opportunity for all.

Watch videos of corps members and alumni talk about their personal views on this issue.

http://www.teachforamerica.com/mission/index.htm