HGSET545

Thomas Friedman's recent op-ed on MOOCs.

"Do mouse clicking and video sharing count as legitimate forms of grass-roots mobilization?" A look at online video as a tool for engaging viewers in social action.

Completion rates for MOOCs and how different grading options affect them. 

"the reason why I make toys like this is because I think if there's one difference I could possibly make in the world, that I would choose to make, it's that I would like to somehow give people just a little bit better calibration on long-term thinking. Because I think most of the problems that our world is facing right now is the result of short-term thinking, and the fact that it is so hard for us to think 50, 100, or 1,000 years out. And I think by giving kids toys like this and letting them replay dynamics, very long-term dynamics over the short term, and getting some sense of what we're doing now, what it's going to be like in 100 years, I think probably is the most effective thing I can be doing to help the world. And so that's why I think, personally, that toys can change the world." - Will Wright

Thank you for sharing this! I completely agree...I think besides short-term thinking, another dangerous tendency is severe risk-aversion...

An effort to engage kids in coding by getting tech and non-tech celebraties to discuss coding in an accessible way. Also, attempts to motivate  them to get into a career where they can work in a really cool office...

for your reference

This takes rewards to a whole new level. Do you think people contribute to this website because the are motivated by the cash rewards or because they are genuinely interested in problem solving?

This game does a great job of incorporating the social aspect of gaming. In addition, Sokikom uses classroom management techniques to reward postive behavior through "class cash." It would be interesting to look at what behaviors are actually transferred into the classroom.

I found this via the IFLS (ask me in person for the full name, it contains expletives) facebook page. It is so exciting to see that the word is getting out the video games are not bad at all!

Quest to Learn supports a uniquely vibrant learning community that brings together students, educators, game designers, curriculum specialists and parents. - See more at: http://q2l.org/about#sthash.zlTuuiwE.dpuf

This is a really good paper that shows how to evaluate tools for education with learning curves. They use adaptive tutoring systems as an example but it can be applied to just about any educational tool, such as a website, tablet app, and so on. There is some math, but it is very approachable. 

Two ways to read about Wharton professor Jonah Berger's take on how game mechanics can be engineered to promote social currency. Do you agree with Berger's perspective? Here's the link to the academic paper: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1836457

Though geared to the for-profit tech and design industry, this article describes what designers at Ziba learned in 2012. How might we apply these insights to education?