Thursday, November 6, 2008
AECT 2008 - Round-up Reception
Many enjoyable conversations but the highlight was that I bumped into Sandy Patton, friend and traveling companion (Ecuador and Peru this year) of my mentor, Grace France. It was Grace who originally go me into AECT. Always a little odd traveling great distances and then bumping into people I usually see in Bozeman.
AECT 2008 - Keynote - George Strawn
Dr. Strawn is Chief Information Officer for the National Science Foundation, and he has been thinking about the future of education. He leaned heavily on Clayton Christensen's Disrupting Class: How Disruptive Innovation Will Change the Way the World Learns. Sustaining technologies make things we have better incrementally, but disruptive technologies, while not necessarily improving the existing systems as well, bring in the new systems. Incoming AECT president Mary Herring made the point to me at the SL prep session that virtual worlds may be such a disruptive technology for education. Strawn mentioned other books to read, including one of my favorites, VS Ramachandran's Phantoms in the Brain. Any time you would like to hear me declaim on the topic of constructivism, brain science and virtual worlds, just ask. Then try to shut me up.
Strawn mentioned a number of interesting points derived from his reading. Among them, as science learns more about learning, educational systems will be more scientifically engineered. As new technologies make it easier to publish, we may publish everything, and let the peer review take place later as needed. Teaching modules may be created by teachers, students and parents, then placed on-line in a wiki format to be adopted by teachers, schools and managers of teaching systems.
Strawn mentioned a number of interesting points derived from his reading. Among them, as science learns more about learning, educational systems will be more scientifically engineered. As new technologies make it easier to publish, we may publish everything, and let the peer review take place later as needed. Teaching modules may be created by teachers, students and parents, then placed on-line in a wiki format to be adopted by teachers, schools and managers of teaching systems.
AECT 2008 - Second Life prep
Luca is Seed Lane in Second Life, and after his presentation, I spent a happy afternoon working with folks setting up for tomorrow's Second Life related presentations. Tom Atkinson (SL Professor Tomsen) lives about two miles from the hotel, and is taking the lead in setting up real world connections to get us all on screen in Real Life and to put us on audio in Second Life. Cherly Comstock, (SL Ize Mesmer) is running things in-world in SL. Much technology will happen tomorrow. Hopefully, it will all work. (Tomorrow is Thursday. This is one of those items written offline and posted later.)
AECT 2008 - Ethics and AHS
Luca Botturi, University of Lugano, Switzerland, presented on Ethics in Eudcational Technoloties, specifically dealing with Adaptive Hypermedia Systems, that is, systems that pay attention to what you are doing and modify how they present things too you accordingly. Like the way Amazon.com decides what books to recommend to you. Or, in Luca's case, the way three computer programs, Push, Inspire and Adlego, modify how they present information to you based on your own previous behavior or preferences. Ethical questions are raised when automated systems decide how best to teach you. A thought provoking presentation.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
AECT 2008 - Games in the Classroom
Susan Stansberry of Oklahoma State University (a former Dillon, Montana resident) and Elizabeth Simpson from the University of Wyoming presented on using off the shelf entertainment games in the classroom and connecting them to state and national standards. We played Content Standards Bingo while watching a volunteer play Zoo Tycoon In building a zoo, we learn life sciences, math, language arts, earth science, by using the game as a jumping off point for lessons. $ 9.99 at Hastings. Full version has sea and dinosaurs. We got to see a bengal tiger eat a couple of camels, which turned out not to be a good decision on the part of the zoo manager.
Oregon Trail was mentioned as an educational game often used as reward rather than as the lesson.
Recommendation: Assign team roles. Mouse driver, note taker, researcher with scheduled circulation of positions. Similarly with game specific roles. zoo keeper, specialists in animals, habitat, economics, public relations, etc. in Zoo Tycoon.
Civilization, High School AP History class.
Lemonade Stand available online early economics.
Darfur is Dying mentioned.
Real Lives - Windows only - extremely realistic - girl not allowed to continue in school - raped - has an online demo.
Fun is essential emphasized by a participant. Much agreement here.
Some public libraries have games waiting to be played. Happy to work with you.
River City - Science - social game under development. I have heard a lot about this one and really need to see it.
Favorite game source like a favorite author - get kids into a good series. And games with similar structures cut down time wasted learning game interface.
Digital natives have to find information on their own in the game.
If you use Grand Theft Auto to discuss the cultural and social aspects, great. If you use it for another purpose, those aspects could be a problem.
Goals on the box may differ greatly from teacher and/or user goals.
Restaurant Empire - Authentic evaluation she has her Junior High students interview local restauranteurs about businesses. Actual Restaurant Association rubric used for evaluation.
Accuracy of games. Money in a game was off. Got into long classroom discussion of net vs gross.
Triangulation of information. Distrust. Compare sources. Have students check the game against other sources.
She asks the kids to find games that have educational relevance.
Brain Meld is a source of lesson plans using existing games.
Peace Maker - Very detailed game in which you are Israeli or Palestinian leader. Demo available online.
Introduce the game at parent night before the kids see it. Get the parents in first. Let them know they need to support the educational function of the game(s).
Serious Games Initiative recommended as source for health related game info.
Jing is free Windows or Macintosh video capture software connected to free screencast web service. Yow!
Joan Cook, lots here we need to look at.
Oregon Trail was mentioned as an educational game often used as reward rather than as the lesson.
Recommendation: Assign team roles. Mouse driver, note taker, researcher with scheduled circulation of positions. Similarly with game specific roles. zoo keeper, specialists in animals, habitat, economics, public relations, etc. in Zoo Tycoon.
Civilization, High School AP History class.
Lemonade Stand available online early economics.
Darfur is Dying mentioned.
Real Lives - Windows only - extremely realistic - girl not allowed to continue in school - raped - has an online demo.
Fun is essential emphasized by a participant. Much agreement here.
Some public libraries have games waiting to be played. Happy to work with you.
River City - Science - social game under development. I have heard a lot about this one and really need to see it.
Favorite game source like a favorite author - get kids into a good series. And games with similar structures cut down time wasted learning game interface.
Digital natives have to find information on their own in the game.
If you use Grand Theft Auto to discuss the cultural and social aspects, great. If you use it for another purpose, those aspects could be a problem.
Goals on the box may differ greatly from teacher and/or user goals.
Restaurant Empire - Authentic evaluation she has her Junior High students interview local restauranteurs about businesses. Actual Restaurant Association rubric used for evaluation.
Accuracy of games. Money in a game was off. Got into long classroom discussion of net vs gross.
Triangulation of information. Distrust. Compare sources. Have students check the game against other sources.
She asks the kids to find games that have educational relevance.
Brain Meld is a source of lesson plans using existing games.
Peace Maker - Very detailed game in which you are Israeli or Palestinian leader. Demo available online.
Introduce the game at parent night before the kids see it. Get the parents in first. Let them know they need to support the educational function of the game(s).
Serious Games Initiative recommended as source for health related game info.
Jing is free Windows or Macintosh video capture software connected to free screencast web service. Yow!
Joan Cook, lots here we need to look at.
AECT 2008 - After Workshop Wandering Tuesday
Thinking of my nieces, I took a walk around the grounds and across the street to Downtown Disney. The hotel is called the Buena Vista Palace, and all the conference rooms have names like Knight and Squire and Hampton Court. My workshops this morning were in the Windsor room, and the Second Life presentations Thursday are in the Ireland room.
My own room really does have the best view in the hotel, on the top floor, looking out over a small lake with swans. There are shops and restaurants in the hotel. The Outback Steakhouse has three big colorful fish tanks, and then a waterfall into a pool full of very big goldfish. There are three outdoor swimming pools, tennis and beach volleyball courts and lots of nice places to walk, surrounded by tropical plants. I heard some pleasant frog calls.
Downtown Disney is a short walk from the hotel. It is a shopping area. There is a huge toy store with many interesting displays. I saw very big characters from various Disney movies, and Monopoly cards about as tall as I am, and a Tinkertoy windmill the size of a real windmill. There is a Lego store with many lego sculptures, including a tyrannosaurus (about half life size) which looks like it is made from giant Legos, but when you look at the giant Legos, they are made from jillions of regular sized Legos. (Jillions is a word that means "a very large number but I don't really know how many".)
There is a Disney Store that makes all the Disney Stores in all the shopping malls look small and dark and quiet in comparison. There are stores selling pins and crystal and clothes and pearls and lots and lots of other things. I saw a glass Cinderella's carriage that sparkles wonderfully and a surprisingly large magic castle and a very fine crystal Winnie the Pooh and Eeyore that cost too much to mention.
There are also many places to eat. There is a Rainforest Cafe, and a restaurant full of dinosaurs which was so loud you could not hear a baby scream. Down on the dock, kind of out of the way, there is a Margarita Bar where you can drink and smoke a cigar by the waterside. Not for the nieces. There is a MacDonalds, of course. The place I really want to eat is Fulton's Crab House which looks like a full size riverboat. But I noticed that local employees were eating at the Earl of Sandwich, a sure sign of good food.
Since I was alone, and eating alone in a restaurant is always kind of odd, I came home and bought a tuna sandwich in the little market in the hotel and ate it on the balcony in my room. So, I really do wish you were here. If you were, I would take you out to dinner.
My own room really does have the best view in the hotel, on the top floor, looking out over a small lake with swans. There are shops and restaurants in the hotel. The Outback Steakhouse has three big colorful fish tanks, and then a waterfall into a pool full of very big goldfish. There are three outdoor swimming pools, tennis and beach volleyball courts and lots of nice places to walk, surrounded by tropical plants. I heard some pleasant frog calls.
Downtown Disney is a short walk from the hotel. It is a shopping area. There is a huge toy store with many interesting displays. I saw very big characters from various Disney movies, and Monopoly cards about as tall as I am, and a Tinkertoy windmill the size of a real windmill. There is a Lego store with many lego sculptures, including a tyrannosaurus (about half life size) which looks like it is made from giant Legos, but when you look at the giant Legos, they are made from jillions of regular sized Legos. (Jillions is a word that means "a very large number but I don't really know how many".)
There is a Disney Store that makes all the Disney Stores in all the shopping malls look small and dark and quiet in comparison. There are stores selling pins and crystal and clothes and pearls and lots and lots of other things. I saw a glass Cinderella's carriage that sparkles wonderfully and a surprisingly large magic castle and a very fine crystal Winnie the Pooh and Eeyore that cost too much to mention.
There are also many places to eat. There is a Rainforest Cafe, and a restaurant full of dinosaurs which was so loud you could not hear a baby scream. Down on the dock, kind of out of the way, there is a Margarita Bar where you can drink and smoke a cigar by the waterside. Not for the nieces. There is a MacDonalds, of course. The place I really want to eat is Fulton's Crab House which looks like a full size riverboat. But I noticed that local employees were eating at the Earl of Sandwich, a sure sign of good food.
Since I was alone, and eating alone in a restaurant is always kind of odd, I came home and bought a tuna sandwich in the little market in the hotel and ate it on the balcony in my room. So, I really do wish you were here. If you were, I would take you out to dinner.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
AECT 2008 - Tuesday General Observations
Both presenters use and recommend the same technique for generating code. Steal. Find a script (HTML, CSS, Flash Action Script) that does something much like what you want and modify it. Even if you can't read the whole mess, you may be able to figure out which bits to change to get things to work. This is a method I have used for many years, and tried to pass on to students. It may not be ideal, but we must often deal with the real.
Just like last year, after the first day of workshops I am totally satisfied that this trip was worthwhile. I have so much to bring back that I can use in the lab. The workshops may be pre-conference extras, but they are worth the extra days.
Just like last year, after the first day of workshops I am totally satisfied that this trip was worthwhile. I have so much to bring back that I can use in the lab. The workshops may be pre-conference extras, but they are worth the extra days.
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