HGSET545

Good article and a series of links from main page about pros and cons of latest e-learning and student engagement efforts in failing districts.

From the Boston Globe (5/3), an article on the unveiling tonight of "Participatory Chinatown", which the Muzzy Lane guys shared with us back in March. Residents will be able to give it a spin.

Very disturbing findings. Here's a quick excerpt: "There is still debate over whether scientific collaboration leads to better results. Jonathon Cummings, an associate professor of management at Duke University, and his colleagues got a grant from the National Science Foundation to look at 491 research collaborations funded by the foundation. They discovered something unsettling: Collaborations of more universities fared worse than projects primarily executed at a single university. More collaborators meant fewer patent applications, fewer published papers, and less chance of the group seeking additional funding to keep projects going." "Dr. Cummings says it appears that the amount of coordination required to make progress on research-everything from setting up meetings to integrating knowledge among group members-outweighed the potential benefits of collaboration. In the wake of the study, he says, the science foundation now requires grant applicants for some programs to detail how they expect to manage the collaboration."

Can Pokemon be used as a teaching tool?

A video game is being created in the UK "that will engage and immerse young people in learning about democracy and the role of Parliament in scrutinising the government, representing the public, and making laws."

How can virtual worlds be used in government? Aren't they a game? Virtual worlds can be used as a game, but they are much more.

"Oregon became the first state in the nation to offer Google Apps for Education in K-12 classrooms"

Online games aid learning

gaming augmented reality education

videogame could help with college admissions

The Vatican embraces the use of digital media and social networks to promote dialogue among different communities, but cautions against "excessive exposure to the virtual world".

In order to progress in the game of The Lost Army of Fu Shi players must answer multiple choice questions regarding business studies, geography, science, etc. to get more time to "play" .

A book that argues video games are the key to human happiness?

There's been a lot of buzz about whether video games are habit-forming, and whether parents are exaggerating when they say their teenagers are "addicted" to game playing. Now new research on children who are heavy gamers suggests parents may have something else to worry about: depression.

Most of the news I found discuss whether video games have any negative effects on kids. IIn constrast, those educational games which play an important role in educating kids are neglected and not paid much attention to.

Optimal limits for focus and engagement.

Article provides examples on how game developers benefit from interacting with their own children (e.g. able to observe what features excite children that were not anticipated by designers)

a video game that teachers colonization. it has been developed by the ministry of Culture in Brazil with other collaborators. It is viewed as a tool for distance learning