HGSET545

Cognitive enhancement - the next trillion dollar industry

Cooney center survey digital games classroom

The Parent Engagement Tracker (PET) is a secured information system developed to easily track, measure and link parental involvement to student achievement. The software is available via the Internet and Microsoft Access Principals are able to measure parent attendance of various parent activities, school compact parent requirement hours, and the popularity of the different types of activities on a daily, monthly, quarterly or annual basis. This is really new. I have never seen something that tries to incentivize parenting.Do you think this would be a good initiative for a school.

How did you stumble on this? The copyright date is still listed as 2010 and three of the 5 links, including "About Us" are not working. In addition to the fact that I do not think it would be successful or a good idea and PET is a terrible name, the company simply does not seem to be up and working. Perhaps it is the wireframe for a college project :)

I'm sorry that I didn't see this earlier. I definitely think this may have been a real organization. The Connecticut parents union seemed to be doing something with it and here is a link to their brochure http://ctparentsunion.org/PETBrochureFinal.pdf, IN addition, the Hartford Public Schools piloted the program in 2010. They might have disappeared but there is definitely evidence that they were an actual organization.

exergaming advocated by president's fitness council

why gaming teaches economics

You probably received an email from Drew Faust about edX. Here's an article written after the announcement.

Can we get some of the $60 M to revamp iSites? :-)

Game on!

Definition of "digital games" probably too broad... but three video case studies of teachers using "games" referenced in article worth watching: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLA3C69D48D4FFE87E

Agreed about the definition. However, "Almost all the teachers surveyed who said they used games reported that they used ones specifically designed for education, and the games most often corresponded with literacy and reading (50%) and math (35%).", which is encouraging. Kurt Squire is correct in that the data may include a good number of 'trivial games', but that is probably to be expected since the biggest barriers seems to be cost (50% respondents) and technology (46%).

This blog post describes the successes and failures of one school to integrate games into their latin language instruction. Teachers found the game compelling because it forced students to engage and prepare in a way that students do not in traditional classrooms.

An article about reasons that we shouldn't limit kids' computer play, or their total daily "screen time".

This article suggests lessons that other teachers can learn from jazz teachers in motivating students and talks about the social, constructivist, and personal aspects of jazz that make it a passion for students who may otherwise be uninterested in school. "Students need to be doing something every day to demonstrate their learning."

Hey Guys, this is an Atlantic article a friend sent me awhile ago and I thought some of you might think it's interesting. It's about Jonathan Blow a video game designer with a unique taste. He's in the process of creating The Witness a game that is more artistic, contemplative, and zen-like than FPS type games. This is a long article and to be honest I didn't read all of it, but if you're interested there's a video half way down that gives you an idea of what The Witness will look like. He says users will really have to observe, pay attention and think in order to play the game. Seems interesting to me!

Really cool!

I agree! It really makes me want to play Braid and keep an eye out for The Witness (which rings a bell--I wonder where else I heard about it...). This article paints a vivid picture of the game designer and the type of art he makes. Thanks for sharing!

The iPhone can be a freeing tool for the blind, especially when their needs are addressed through apps designed by blind people.

Following increasing amount of disruptive technologies in Higher Ed, and announcement of MIT/Harvard EdX platform, author claims to check in with students. Does not really live up to the title (as he does not write enough about conversations with students), but it is a question that does need to be asked. Here is part one of "Did Anyone Ask the Students?" http://chronicle.com/blogs/next/2012/05/01/did-anyone-ask-the-students-part-i/

An article about why we should support loose screen time rules with kids. Children are suffering today not from too much computer play or too much screen time. They are suffering from too much adult control over their lives and not enough freedom.

An article that talks about how to view violence in games from a new angle. Violence in videogames can help kids gain practical skills. The mystique of violent and scary themes draws children's natural curiosity, and dealing with it is a part of normal child development. It's not the violence itself that is attractive to kids. It's the opportunity to develop and master skills and have the freedom to make choices in the game universe. Also, the violent games happen to have the most emotional appeal to kids.

Excellent tool for wiki space generation.

Andy Robertson explores new ways to let games sustain us and broaden our understanding of what it means to be human.

The focus appears to be how people learn online, and not just getting content up. MIT is obviously a great partner, and a natural one for Harvard, especially in a venture like this.

Based on a survey by the Joan Ganz Cooney Center