HGSET545

Katy Salen's views - but what does the research say?

Grockit makes Test Prep products for the GMAT, SAT, ACT, LSAT, GRE and other university admissions tests.

This was a great succinct article with easy to follow principles. Thanks for sharing.

Providing multiple means of access to improve engagement- here is a way to add subtitles to instructional videos posted on Youtube.  

This is a nice article expressing one opinion on where games in educational publishing is going!

Very good synthesis of applying Flow in Education; in time for next Monday's topic on Flow. Good takeaways in the "Implications for Teachers" section.

Thanks for sharing Malik. I think this article provides a nice overview of flow and one main takeaway was the importance of positive affect. I agree that it is a good predictor of flow in an activity.

An application-oriented paper that explores designing effective learning games through the use of Flow, Motivation and Fun.

http://www.thersa.org/events/rsaanimate/animate/rsa-animate-drive This RSA animate featuring Daniel Pink focuses on motivation. Although not Pink's thesis, to me it provides the explanation for why bonus pay to teachers (or students) for student achievement, particularly on tests is wrong-headed and damaging to educators and schools as professional environments in the long run. You can't pay people to care but you can organize school environments in which meaningful learning can be achieved. Teachers generally want to succeed and simply need a well-managed opportunity.

Thanks Uche for sharing this talk. I found Dan's insights interesting especially when he said that management is a technology that cannot lead to engagement. It struck me that it was a delicate balance between managing from the outside and developing self-management from inside.

WoW in School: Good idea, or fad?

An intriguing essay calling for an end to the demarcation between online (digital) and offline (face-to-face). This author argues that the two do not exist in a vacuum, but rather are enmeshed completely in our lives, such that online activity, used appropriately, should not detract from offline use, but rather give it meaning.