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Design Paradox: Instructional Games
Get PDFCurrent approaches to the design of games for learning can be roughly divided into two main camps:
one claiming that commercial games already employ many strategies that are valuable in the design of
instructional games and that formal instructional design methodologies are not needed, while the other argues
that the design of instructional games must apply traditional practices in formal ways and that games
designers must yield to the better-informed professional instructional designer. The main focus of this paper
is to explore the tension between these two viewpoints. A comparison of game design and instructional
design uncovers several paradoxes which must be reconciled before they can be properly combined to be of
use in the development of instructional games
Encouraging CS Novices to Write
Get PDFCommunication skills are arguably among the most important skills for Computer Science (CS) professionals, and if not at the very top of the list, then certainly near it [1]. Yet oddly, other than writing code and associated program documents, CS students are rarely given writing tasks in their CS courses. This paper will examine some possible reasons for why there are few writing tasks other than programming and documentation assigned in CS courses, and what benefits could be realized through more and varied forms of writing. A strategy that has been implemented twice at the author’s institution is outlined. It involves the use of short, 250-500 word “reading responses”, where students are encouraged to produce what are essentially editorial pieces on some topic relating to the course content. The details of the assignment, as well as the intended outcomes will be outlined. The concept proposed in this paper was implemented in the fall of 2006 in a small class of 30 first year students, and was used again in a larger section of the same course, where there were approximately 100 students. Some initial student reactions are outlined. Suggestions for further examination and development of the concept are suggested
Games for encapsulation and promotion of Native Cultures, or, Technical aspects of a system for teaching Aboriginal Languages using a Game Boy
No full textGames are thought of as a waster of vast amounts of time for students. Homework does not always get done.
Why not make the game the homework
Classifying Learning Objectives in Commercial Games, Proof of Concept
No full textAn important step towards gaining an understanding of how a particular medium can be used most effectively in education is to study its outstanding examples, regardless of their original purpose. It is assumed that “good” games already embody sound pedagogy in their designs even if that incorporation was not deliberate (Becker, 2006). The work described here will examine commercially and critically successful video games as though they had been designed as learning objects. Through this perspective, it is possible to identify and classify built-in learning objectives and from there to associate the mechanisms and strategies employed to teach them. A significant outcome of this work will be to describe how the existing strategies used to promote “learning objectives” in commercial videogames can be used in the design of educational games. An additional outcome will be a synthesis of the core requirements for instructional design of digital games for learning
Citizen, science, highways, and wildlife: Using a web-based GIS to engage citizens in collecting wildlife information
No full textRoad Watch in the Pass is a citizen-science project that engages local citizens in reporting wildlife observations along a 44-km stretch of Highway 3 through Crowsnest Pass in southwestern Alberta, Canada. The numbers of wildlife vehicle collisions and a recent proposal to expand the highway have raised concerns from both human safety and wildlife conservation perspectives. Through the use of a web-based GIS, interested citizens can contribute information that will be instrumental in making final decisions concerning measures to mitigate the effects of highway expansion. Currently, 58 people have contributed over 713 observations to Road Watch. We performed a preliminary comparison of 11 months of Road Watch observations and wildlife mortality data for the same time period to demonstrate that the use of citizen science not only augments more conventional approaches, but also results in the emergence of new knowledge and insights. A Kappa index of agreement of 14% indicates poor agreement between the data sets, highlighting that wildlife successfully cross the highway in areas not identified by the wildlife mortality data. This has important implications for design and mitigation efforts for Highway 3 and other roadways
Dāna (Dádiva) em religiões do Sul da Ásia: Pressuposições e o lugar de teorias
Get PDFThis paper analyzes three influential studies of dāna (‘giving’ or ‘charity’) in South Asian religious traditions. After clarifying anthropological and sociological theories of the gift, it argues that a reliance on these ideas has distorted attempts by these and other scholars of religion to make sense of dāna, and of related South Asian social relations and religious motivations. It concludes by underlining the need for the ongoing reflexive refinement of the categories and concepts used by scholars of religio
The Trafficking of Women for Sexual Exploitation: The Situation from the Republic of Moldova to Western Europe
Get PDFStatistics that report women are trafficked for the purpose of sexual exploitation range from 4 million globally and annually to 500,000 annually from Eastern to Western Europe
alone. Moldova, a post-Soviet country, contributes to the trafficking of women as a result
of diminished women’s rights, the feminization of poverty, corruption and government
hesitation to commit to prevention, legal and prosecution reform, all of which make
Moldova a prime country of origin
A Psycho-Cultural Approach to Video Games
Get PDFJerome Bruner has helped to shape the notion of constructivism, which is of prime significance when looking at pedagogy in games and much of the learning that occurs in games is constructive. In one of his more recent works, “The Culture of Education” (1996), he discusses the importance of nine tenets to the development and maintenance of culture. Many of these touch on recurring themes in many discussions of games (Beavis, 1999; Kafai, 2001; Wolf & Perron, 2003). Bruner believes that “education is not an island, but part of the continent of culture.” (1996, p11) The same can be said of games. Bruner’s tenets guide such a ‘psycho-cultural’ approach to education and this paper will examine these tenets through the lens of game design
From zookeepers to safari guides: The changing information environment.
No full textMcGraw Hill Conference, Calgary, Alberta.Presentation for McGraw Hill Conference