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Mainstream Coding- not unlike Scratch

Consider the possibilities for a performance assessment while playing through this simple "escape the room" game. The validity of the experiment involved in the solution is questionable.

Escape games are very big in the publishing industry right now due mostly to their inquiry based assessment and the low development cost compared to highly immersive first-person games. The biology lab escape is one of the better ones that I've seen out there. Thanks Chris!

I played for about 8 minutes and then grew tired of the game. I am curious how assessors would have graded my performance. I found the easier way to "escape the room" was to close the browser window.

This article from the Economist gives a background on augmented reality, and explores future prospects: 2D bar codes, the evolution of Google Latitude, the future compass enabled Iphone.

I like the way the Nokia researcher describes "virtual reality" dividing into "augmented reality" (real world with layers of additional information) and "augmented virtuality" (virtual game worlds being made more information-rich). Helpful distinction.

"Virtual reality never really died, he says-it just divided itself in two, with AR enhancing the real world by overlaying information from the virtual realm, and VR becoming what he calls "augmented virtuality", in which real information is overlaid onto virtual worlds, such as players' names in video games... its potential is huge."

Interesting article about how technology is changing the way we define and share intellectual property. Is a professor's lecture the property of the professor, the University or neither? Does a student "own" the notes he takes in class?

Scratch isn't the only game in town :-) Note that I've already posted about App Inventor here (which is another "dive right in" programming environ)

Everyone should learn to program!

Great website that guides children through computer programming using Java in a really easy step by step way.

""The whole evening is about educating parents about the technology that's out there," said Laura Boss, director of communications for Newport-Mesa Unified School District, who stressed that parents should not be afraid of the every-changing technology and that being informed is the first step. "This is the world [today's] kids live in." The presentation encouraged parents to embrace their kids' digital world, support balanced use, monitor their kids' digital media use, and discuss what sites they are allowed to visit and what they can and can't download. A few tips shared during the presentation: Give kids a code of conduct. Remind them not to post/IM/text anything they wouldn't say to that person's face; Discuss cyber-bullying with kids and ask if they know anyone who has been bullied; Talk about the importance of privacy and how to protect it; and discuss their online identity and possible risky behavior. "Raise good digital citizens!" a slide stated."

Going back to our discussions on augmented reality, here's an app that takes us a step closer to the kind of future that was shown in a video in one of Professor Dede's presentations - instant translation!

I wonder if this type of technology might be augmented to "replace" physical QR codes and instead, if you hold up your phone to a building name plaque (e.g.Empire State Building) - could you get statistical/historical data associated with just the name text?