HGSET545

This is a superficial treatment of a significant event in the life of this school. I hope teachers and admins were more thoughtful than is represented here.

This is a great overview of connected learning, an initiative/movement to enhance educational experiences

Our schools and system are mostly designed for extroverts and for their need of lots of stimulations. The ideal students in schools are believed to be extroverts although researches show that introverted students tend to be more knowledgable. Instead of emphasizing too much on group work which benefit both extroverts and introverts, schools should also teach students how to work on their own. That's because solitude is critical for creativity and where deep thoughts are formed.

This article discusses play in virtual worlds (focusing on World of Warcraft) with an emphasis both on the learning that takes place and the engagement. You'll have to log in with your Harvard ID to get the article, FYI. "Our observation showed that players are motivated by the game's scope, rules, and scenario to create and participate in virtual communities, and share their knowledge with others, while newcomers are encouraged to engage in collective actions, and develop their skill base. We also found that although current MMORPGs have not been designed as instructional tools, they provide an excellent fantasy environment for intrinsically motivating learning, where players can experience the elements of challenge, curiosity, and control [30]." "People engage in pervasive games that use the best of two worlds, the virtual and the physical, in order to offer to its players the sense of maximum enjoyment."

I saw connections between this and Betty's Brain, though SimSchool is intended for actual teachers, rather than motivating students by placing them in the role of teacher. The "How does simSchool work..." and Academic sections were particularly interesting to me. For the teachers in the course, would you find this simulation motivating?

Children who cannot use a mouse or keyboard can play computer games using their eyes Computer games which can be controlled by eye movements are being developed by researchers at a UK university.

Scientists recorded readers' eye movements when they were reading to monitor when they were 'spacing' out. Perhaps this could be used as a diagnostic tool for teachers?

EducationUSA just released a virtual simulation on their Facebook page. They state that it is the "World's first game-based adventure for international students to learn about opportunities in the United States of America." A short YouTube video is linked below. I would love to get your thoughts on this application. Can creating an avatar effectively teach (and prepare) international students for the U.S. college experience? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Fj01uSj4L4&feature=youtu.be

Digital tools are helping students with learning and sensory disabilities gain academic confidence and motivation.

"This new device actually has more memory and higher screen resolution than an Xbox 360 or Playstation 3," said Mike Capps, CEO of Epic Games. "So, these guys [Apple] are redefining mobile gaming again."

A fascinating talk on one aspect of motivation - willpower. Who knew that lower glucose levels decrease willpower, and that performing self-control on one task decreases subsequent control on the next task?

I came across some of Baumeister's articles while researching for my neuroscience project last semester and was fascinated. Thanks for posting this talk; I really look forward to watching it!

Discussion of productivity in university education, and Obama's comment on controlling tuition costs. Reference to Baumol's disease and the possible role of technology in modernizing the traditional approach.

Here's another perspective on engagement: how to make games more addictive (or compulsive?) by creating "smarter game loops" with fewer exit points. The example discussed is "Game Dev Story," a management simulation for a game development studio.

""Blended Learning Boot Camp: Extending Classes Online""

A webinar on Blended Learning at 4 pm on Wednesday, March 14

Salman Khan (graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Harvard Business School) talks about the flipped classroom and how tech changes the shape of future "classrooms" in an Education Week interview.

Two faculty members test out social media (Twitter and Google+) in the classroom. They evaluate the pros/cons of using these technologies, admittedly not knowing if/how it affects learning outcomes yet.

Educators interested in "flipping" their classroom (that is, providing traditional lecture material for review at home and problem-solving exercises in the classroom) now have two more options to provide core content with a minimum of effort.

Diedrich on grading.