2,275 Matching Annotations
  1. Mar 2016
    1. We speculate that the disconnect between students “doing” science and the instructional use of video games is the direct result of continued content disassembly and the lack of cohe-sive reassembly for the purposes of a spiral curricula.
    2. In addition, preprogrammed con-straints on the gaming rule sets leave little room for student-driven experimental design, meaning that the types of experimentation being done are seldom user generated, nor do they address the earlier stages of problem solving, such as prob-lem identification or problem definition (see Bransford & Stein’s, 1993, IDEAL problem solving model).

      This goes against all research that proves learner-centered active learning works best.

    3. This led them, like D. Harris (2008), to suggest that although science gaming probably yields benefits, constraints on the classroom environment and the short time frames of studies have made it difficult to discern any immediate correlation between game use and academic success.
    4. Most participants lacked a reflection process for performance analysis, new knowledge generation, evaluation, and integration, which are essential for learning as a cycle of probing the world—a major knowledge-construction format for game-based learning

      Perhaps a debrief after facilitated by the teacher would help with this.

    5. Rather, educational games need to be designed and researched with careful attention to contemporary learning theories, including cus-tomization of task difficulty to the learner’s capabilities, metacognitive reflection on the learning taking place, and consideration of the rich situated interaction among learner, game environment and classroom environment.

      Why focus solely on "educational" games? Earlier the authors mentionned games like LA Noire and World of Warcraft.

      There are games now that use Math skills like no others before, such as the Kerbal Space program. I would be interested in seeing an update on this, with some newer research.

    6. More spe-cifically, students with low socioeconomic status (SES) saw the greatest affective gains in cooperative contexts

      Thinking back to our cycle 1 reading about how GBL can reach everyone.

    7. Results indicated that students who played the video games showed significant improvement with regard to math-ematics achievement as compared to their nongaming peers, but there were no significant improvements found in relation to students’ motivation.

      Is this because they were seeing the games as "homework"?

    8. ome students who may normally enjoy playing Wo W might now find the exact same activity onerous, raising impor-tant questions about context and intentionality and bringing the conversation to how educational gaming can both be regularly engaging and feel less like work.

      Have you ever felt like this? When I was in college, I had this feeling in my computer coding classes. I enjoyed coding for fun, but did not want to get evaluated on it. I eventually dropped that half of my major thinking I wouldn't enjoy it was a profession.

    9. by establishing hourly goals and trying to beat their best time.

      Would you consider this gamification of the work environment?

    10. “a voluntary activity structured by rules, with a defined outcome (e.g., winning/losing) or other quantifiable feedback (e.g., points) that facilitates reliable com-parisons of in-player performances”
    11. Games and play are an essential part of child development.

      Yes! This becomes very evident once you have a child, or if you need to care for a child.

    12. enculturation

      Full disclosure: I had to look this up, here's the definition - the gradual acquisition of the characteristics and norms of a culture or group by a person, another culture, etc

    13. Indeed, if you are looking for data to support that argument, then we are sorry, but your princess is in another castle.

      It is disappointing that they put all that time into it and didn't get a definitive answer.

    14. Mario diving into a green warp pipe as he begins his adventure.

      I wonder if they were this excited about it!

    15. we sought to determine whether or not the overarching technology had reached enough of a “tipping point” in the past 30 years to support the claim that video games can enhance classroom learning.

      Before reading the rest of the article, what do you think? Are we at the tipping point? Have we passed it?

    16. Civilization

      I also play this game for fun. I have an embarrassing amount of "time played" in this game.

    17. World of Goo),

      Interesting that they categorize this as a game that focuses directly on science. I have this game, and play for fun. What games do you play for fun that others might think focuses more on education?

    18. epic ques

      I hope the quest reward is epic! I like that they are infusing game terminology in their article.

    1. When it comes to university resources and funding, there are noabsolutes

      Especially with all the cuts from State funding.

    2. In this case, recognizing the potentialfor games to build learning communities and then creating physical spaces for gameplay and design served as an initial step to legitimize games as powerful research andlearning tools
    3. aimed at improving local K-12 teachersunderstanding GBL

      Why don't they have anything like this for higher education professionals?

    4. Interest-based research, in which students take ownership ofprojects to solve real-world problems under the guidance of faculty, has been the tenets ofthe successful program

      A list of some of the real-world problems they are trying to solve would be interesting.

    5. hey allow students to individualize their learning trajectoriesbased on their interests and goals, and the media and games course work extendstraditional lecture and writing papers to playing, making, prototyping, iterating anddeconstructing.
    6. Learning Sciences (LS) PhD program (fall, 2015)

      As of right now, this is my field of choice for my (eventual) PhD. I had not seen this program!

    7. Research and Development of Games for Learning

      @Remi, can we get a course like this at CU Denver?? :)

    8. While playing the game, the student discovered, explored and critically analysed options

      Imagine this project paired with a Skyrim affinity space!

    9. Final projects involve their collective expertise designing an activitybased on solving an authentic problem, connected by games and digital media, todemonstrate learning.

      A great examples of how GBL can teach multiple skills and competencies.

    10. he attention toGBL has attracted students majoring in computer science, electrical engineering, parks andrecreation, business, sociology and political science.

      Great to see all the attention this course is getting across multiple disciplines!

    11. EmulatingJenkinset al.(2006, pp. 5-6) model offostering a “participatory culture” including “relatively low barriers to expression, strongsupport for creating and sharing with one another, informal membership in which

      See cycle 2 reading "Jenkins et al."

    12. n The Anti-Education Era,Gee (2013)discusses the necessity of providing context andsharing experiences to make associations when moving forward with innovation
    13. Games bring alevel of interest and engagement to get real-world work accomplished while serving asunifying influences to seemingly disparate groups.

      This brings us back to our week 1 readings and the "equity" factor.

    14. GBL is recognized as a way to teach and assess twenty-first century skills
    15. He citesinitial resistance by college students who are accustomed to attending lectures andpassive learning rather than active, experiential learning.

      We often get "We're paying you to teach us" line when students start at our college. We use a lot of active learning, and they're not used to it.

    16. finding a game and figuring out how to incorporate the game into classrooms can beprohibitive;

      This is where utilizing college resources such as instructional designers and librarians comes into play. Also, collaborating with other departments can make this easier.

    17. many educational games are designed for a specific purpose and are not easilyadoptable in institutions;

      Why focus on "educational games"?

    18. while incentivizing learnersthrough rewards and badges

      Going back a few cycles of our readings, note the differences between game based learning and gamification.

    19. listed games andgamification as likely to impact university classrooms within two or three years

      Anyone else that works in higher education see this yet? I personally have not.

    20. Higher EducationVideo Game Alliance (HEVGA) aims to provide a platform for higher education leaders toconsider the “cultural, scientific, and economic importance of video game programs incolleges and universities” (HEVGA website, 2015), demonstrating there is great interest inexpanding GBL in higher education.
    1. What children's games do you think provides the most learning opportunities?

    1. The players often become quite loud and there is much banter between the opposing teams

      Do players from opposing teams enthusiastically offer bad advice to try to throw off the other team, or is that considered bad form?

    2. and collaboration is strongly encouraged

      So a game that strongly pairs collaboration with competition - perhaps even collaboration for the sake of competition - and not just competitiveness as means to some end.

    3. The teams discuss their moves openly in front of the opposing team which speaks to how often the teams change strategy and how quickly the overall play changes course

      If I'm understanding you correctly, it appears that "table talk" in a Korean play context is not forbidden, unlike in many American play contexts.

    4. can be drawn on the earth

      awesome, the manipulation of our physical surroundings for game play is really neat to learn about.

    5. and is similar to a game called Pachisi which originated in ancient India

      This game development history and lineage is awesome, thanks for sharing.

    6. My wife, Hye-Jin, purchased our copy of the game approximately ten years ago and was very pleased when I finally expressed an interest in playing it for this class

      I'm so pleased to learn that this course provided the necessary excuse to play this game together after 10 years!

    1. but it was obvious that the game designers felt like the girl character needed to be showing more skin / sexuality than the boy

      These are obvious design choice that were made, but I struggle to understand why? I struggle to find what the game has to gain through these choices. Including these design choices will not boost sales in any way (the artwork is not featured on the cover, thus it is not being used for market purposes). The target audience would probably have enjoyed the game just as much without these choices.

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    1. Even though I know it was only a game, I felt bad that I chose the dark side.

      I love it when games do this. There are very few other media that has the potential to do this to the extent in which games can. I remember feeling similarly when playing Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. Do you feel that your in-game choice represent choices that you have made out-of-game, or did it just dismay you that made those choices in-game because of high ethical standards that you hold out-of-game? Please don't feel pressured to answer, as the nature of this question can be highly personal.

    2. Players get to decide which life skills to gather throughout the game. The rule book briefly touches on different types of Jedis, but isn’t prescriptive. I would like to have seen more reasoning as to why I might choose one skill over another. For example I leaned more towards the skill of intuition, while Ben tended to chose logic. However, at the end of the game it didn’t matter what kind of skills we had, it only mattered how many total skills we gathered. I think it would be more meaningful to chose skills in order to become a specific type of Jedi over simply accumulating skills.

      I like your critical thoughts here on the game's mechanics. Without having the benefit of actually playing this version of the game, your suggestions sound like it would make for richer/more rewarding experience.

    1. In the meantime, I will continue to stretch my own skills by playing against him

      Another interesting experiment would be to do a little cross-training. Play some action video games for a few months and then come back to this game to see if there is any noticeable performance boost.

    2. I have found in the past that I’m more likely to win against my husband if we are playing while out and about (I’d say I’m less likely to be distracted by my surroundings than he is).

      So his attentional resources are strained in a more stimulating environment. I find this interesting because it contradicts what we would expect given his experience as an action video game player (from what we learned in Bavelier et al.). Do you ever take strategic advantage of this?

    3. the “side of Blokus”

      I was hoping for some comments on Blokus - I really love that game, and the various expansions, certainly one of my favorite board games in the past few years.

    4. to see if they’re better matched.

      Yes, a nice little experiment. And if you do it, let us know what happens!

    5. because he was a fairly committed video gamer for a large portion of his childhood and early adulthood.

      There's the connection - nice!

    6.  I have found in the past that I’m more likely to win against my husband if we are playing while out and about (I’d say I’m less likely to be distracted by my surroundings than he is).

      That's a really interesting observation!

    7. and strategy is mostly about how to best process visual information

      It's interesting to read your attention to the strategy of visual information processing given the reading this cycle from Bevelier and colleagues. Any connections for you?

    8. Having an assignment to play a game was the perfect way of blending a date night with schoolwork.

      course design mission accomplished!

    1. game's design is well done and when players that I encounter show their appreciation of its design

      Have you ever read Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance? Your comment here reminds me of the author's perspective on defining "quality."

    1. The company may make those claims under the agreement if "defendants possess and rely upon competent and reliable scientific evidence to substantiate that the representation is true."

      I was happy to see a clause that they can go back to making their claims if they gather appropriate evidence - it makes the precedent much clearer if people are referring back to this case that with proper evidence, you would be welcome to market your game/brain product/whatever as a tool. I think that's important when we're talking about what games might actually do for people.

    2. when considered in light of the entire body of relevant and reliable scientific evidence, to substantiate that the representation is true.

      In other words, do some controlled experiments in a lab and have your results peer reviewed before making outrageous claims. Because science.

    3. competent and reliable scientific evidence

      Looking for competent and reliable scientific evidence about game play? This is why we're reading Bevelier and colleagues this cycle, too.

    4. their "full potential in every aspect of life,"

      There seem to be some shades of gamification going on here...

    1. “Feminists are ruining everyone’s fun and gamers’ rights to be immature, obnoxious and harmful.”

      Honestly, I struggled here: how to facilitate a meaningful discussion around an idea like misogyny, knowing that none of my colleagues would be defending it and assuming those participating in this discussion are all in agreement that it's a bad thing...All I could think of in response was to approach it from the opposite end. Similarly, in an earlier article I made a point to emphasize that negative male stereotypes are harmful to men as well. I struggled with how to make an engaging discussion out of what is essentially preaching to the choir... ILT5320

    1. that it has become the norm and a general expectation?

      Perhaps yes, and that's one reason why Anita Sarkeesian (and others) are advancing their public critiques.

    2. hurt more in the long run

      As noted in the video, the emphasis on accumulation is really important.

    3. from different generations

      Yes, and perhaps also different disciplines

    4. If they would have used the game with actual faculty would their results have changed?

      Great questions, and seems like a valuable professional learning opportunity for faculty. Maybe something you'd facilitate?

    5. interacting with the material

      And as you note, also reflecting upon game play! Too frequently do educators forget to facilitate reflection following game play.

    6. The group that played the board game absorbed more material that those who were passively presented with the information.

      There's a nice parallel here to what some folks describe as active learning - certain activities in large courses will result in greater student learning outcomes in comparison to more passive learning (often via instructor lecturing).

    7. The end goal of the game is to be the first person to advance to the top of the academic ladder.

      Sounds similar to "team building" activities about privilege (or experience, or background) where participants progress (by stepping forward, or in some cases stepping back) based upon their responses to certain questions.

    8. who learned the exact same information, but in a passive format.

      That's a nice control, and a unique way to use a game as an experimental intervention.

    9. for a few reasons

      Great rationale presented here - connecting nicely to your affinity space study, your interests in adult learning and higher education, as well as your professional responsibilities. Well done.

    1. 2:45 - 4chan, it's like the bottoms of the internet. Completely anonymous, a lot of hated. I don't recommend anyone visiting the website unless you have a deep, unsatisfied curiosity; and then be prepared to be disapointed in the human race.

    1. and how to say “Where is this” in Italian”? (fammi questa cosa).

      That's quite a lot of activity!

    2. I was welcomed by all players in a very noble fashion

      I'm curious, how do you understand a "noble fashion," and how did that quality of interaction contribute to you joining this affinity space?

    3. that AW crashed a number of times

    4. a learning curve on navigating, setting AW up and orienting my self into the virtual worlds created.

      so your learning "curve" (some might say trajectory) includes - navigating resources, setting up AW, and then orientation to AC. anything else?

    5. into mild frustrations

      Such as?

    6. It took a while before I explored the mechanics, introduced my self to the Local Chat and asked questions about AW to really begin to understand the dynamics of it.

      Yup, it does take a while, this all sounds familiar.

    1. of cognitive training tools.

      And why, in your opinion, are these cognitive training tools important and necessary?

    2. between video game industry professionals

      and/or researchers who also design video games

    3. exactly the cognitive control functions

      A bit confused here... is this a reference to Bevelier and colleagues' 2012 article that we're reading in cycle 4?

    4. they would observe improvement in attention and working memory.

      this was their hypothesis, yes?

    5. platforms such as Lumosity)

      a nice connection to cycle 4 readings, and further evidence that Lumosity is pretty much bunk.

    6. What are the specific design factors of the studies,

      wouldn't this have been addressed somewhere in the research methods - how the researchers designed their study?

    7. as to what population samples were used in those studies

      was that not specified?

    8. In Anguera and Gazzaley’s article,

      Is this the research previously referenced?

    9. is currently working on researching the neuronal mechanisms for number of high-level cognitive and behavioral processes, including decision making, learning and working memory.

      do you have a reference for this research so that we might explore if we're curious?

    1. game based on  John Wayne westerns

    2. Scooby-Doo

      Go it... i didn't know there was a Scooby-Doo expansion for Clue. Having watched the cartoon growing up, I likely would enjoy this "skin" of Clue.

    3. on how he liked the traditional game better.

      So this was some type of expansion?

    1. students become serious players and embody the role of serious learner.

      Nice summary. Our team - me, "The Jeffs," Michael, and another collaborator (Farrah) recently submitted a book chapter about our work a few summers ago with POOT in Oman. We designed and facilitated a special in-person three-day condensed trial for Omani high school students in Muscat. It was an amazing experience. The chapter discusses our "design principles for playful partnerships in game-based learning." It's under review right now, so we'll see what happens... but I'll happily share if interested.

    2. voluntarily attempt overcoming obstacles

      Nice! And for readers less familiar with this reference, this is Bernard Suits' basic definition of game play - the voluntary attempt to overcome unnecessary obstacles.

    3. In one instance, the character, Edgar Allan Poe worked to form a watchdog committee by the name of Alhambra Security Committee (ASC) in order to uphold order in the trial.

      There are all kinds of in-game dynamics - some might say shenanigans - that often emerge through the creativity, and real seriousness, of play.

    4. and this is where the real learning took place.

      Yes, and also in the response this character then receives from peers.

    5. that might otherwise be critically judged if said outside of character

      Yes, most games also feature a Hitler character, and it takes incredible skill, preparation and serious play for a middle or high school student to "realistically" and also respectfully role play as Hitler.

    6. asynchronously communicate with other characters

      Yes, the primary means of online activity is asynchronous written communication. However, because entire classes of students are playing in a given game, those students have frequent synchronous and off-line, in-class, and both in- and out-of-character conversations about game play. This less formal aspect of learning (and play) is more difficult to capture because the online platform captures all written text.

    7. are challenged to fully embody their character’s mindset and tone voice in all their interactions

      This begins with preparatory activities that emphasize skills such as primary source research, synthesizing information, the presentation of information, and - of course - role play.

    8. a wide variety of historic characters such as Martin Luther King, Jr, Edgar Allen Poe, King Henry VIII, or Madame Curie

      And contemporary people, as well as fictitious characters, too. For example, there is often a Harry Potter in recent games.

    9. mentor

      Yes, Jeff is a mentor, we met when I was in high school. And the other authors on this paper are my close friends and mentors, too. Fred was Jeff's dissertation advisor at UM, and mentored Jeff Stanzler, too. The "Jeffs" now direct ISC. Susanna is Jeff Kupperman's wife, and is a literacy professor at Toledo. And Michael Fahy is an anthropologist by training, who primarily helps to lead POOT and another ICS project - the Michigan Student Caucus. And Gary is a big game-based learning advocate, and leads a middle/high school out in California

    10. The researchers concluded that serious games can miss the mark by focusing on end results rather than creating an opportunity for learners to completely immerse themselves in play that is taken seriously.

      Yes. Many serious games concern a provocative topic as the primary (and sole) qualification for "serious" - water security, or economic policy, or war. In the case of POOT, scenarios may be controversial - such as child labor or the wearing of religious garb in public schools - but it is the play that should be seriously enacted and considered. If play is serious, than a game becomes serious, irrespective of its given content.

    1. It really does not directly relate to any core readings thus far

      I expect a few core concepts, such as lusory attitudes and situated learning, would relate well. And if you're really interested in simulations, I would recommend reading and reviewing such articles for your scholarly critiques as you dig into more simulation play.

    2. clearly a simulation such as this captures a more adult perspective

      Yes, but what are the practices that are common to simulations, irrespective of the age of the player? I think of role play, problem solving within the context of realistic scenarios, resource management, dealing with consequences...

    3. It helps players reflect on cause and effect relationships and resource management. These things are of utmost importance for many professions but seldom do students have opportunities to experiment or take risks in the “real world.”

      This is really nice justification for simulation play, particularly as preparation for practice-focused professions (like educator, or designer, or researcher).

    4. I found this to be relatable to articles about Muzzy Lane reasearch and non-traditional learners

      nice connection, and what aspects in particular?

    5. The game does a really good job at simulating game development from a general perspective in a historical context.

      maybe a little too real... or a little too much navel-gazing?

    6. until I earned just over a million dollars and moved out of my garage and into an office.

      story of my life

    7. because had I not grown up during that time, how would I be so familiar with possible combinations that would be successful for the market?

      Great point, and says a lot about who has access to the types of historical and cultural knowledge necessary to meaningfully play - and succeed - in this game.

    8. games before as an artist

      Really? I didn't know that. Which ones?

    9. The game is text based with limited interface and choices which determine various outcomes

      Sounds like some type of choose-your-own-adventure as play mechanic...

    10. Ultrasoft

    1. Carstensen says in your 50s, your cognitive abilities – processing speed and fluid intelligence, for example – haven't declined that much, while your knowledge and expertise are quite advanced. "Now add into that emotion regulation — the ability to solve hotly charged, emotional conflicts — and you've got a real powerhouse," she says.

      There is hope!

    1. They worry that the games that have been meaningful to them will change.

      Of course, what is treasure to someone may be garbage to another. In other words, where some gamers see meaningful play, others see sexism and misogyny.

    2. and a removal of politics from criticism.

      As if politics have ever been removed from any form of cultural criticism - from books, to movies, to fine art. Ironically, some gamergate advocates believe this (new) type of media is to be protected from broader social, cultural, and political realities, yet at the same time these people may wish to see video games and gaming culture "taken seriously." Can't have one without the other.

    3. Some male gamers with a deep sense of entitlement are terrified of change

      Notice how easily it is replace just a few choice words here in relation to previous/current/ongong social struggles:

      • Suffrage: "Some men with a deep sense of entitlement about the vote are terrified of change."
      • Civil rights: "Some white people..."
      • Gay marriage: "Some religious leaders..." While games and gaming culture may not be as consequential as other aspects of social and political equality, there remains a strong question about being "on the right side of history."
    1. The very fact that trained radiolo-gists are more competent at diagnosing subtlefractures and identifying them with more confi-dence exemplifies that proper training does leadto more accurate posterior distributions.

      Coincidental that I selected this reading back in December for our use this semester, and then fractured my shoulder in February...? And that the first trained radiologist who examined one set of x-rays did not identify my fractured scapular spine, requiring a follow up with a trauma specialist, and a second radiologist and set of x-rays, and then finally a proper diagnosis. Goodness, I would have appreciated more accurate posterior distributions earlier in my ordeal!

    2. It may be worth noting thatVGPs were often so fast that the built-in dataanalysis software of the T.O.V.A. consideredtheir reaction times to be anticipatory (200 msor less).

      Human Benchmark Test Pro-(action)games often score 100ms or less, my average score was 248ms.

    3. For example, intake ofa choline agonist leads to improved learningwhen participants are asked to learn lists ofwords.

      So that's why a lot of baby foods have "Choline" listed somewhere prominent on the packaging!

    4. Because thesestatistics could not have been directly taughtby any action video games,

      BUT these types of statistics can be taught by games in general (usually card games). Look at those that play poker, Magic the Gathering or Hearthstone.

    5. For example, whenasked to determine the orientation of a T that isflanked by distracting shapes above and below,VGPs can tolerate the distractors being nearerto the T shape while still maintaining a highlevel of accuracy (Green & Bavelier 2007).

      Perhaps they're just better at ignoring

    6. Simply because a process is required duringgame play does not guarantee changes in thatprocess.

      What do people think about this observation, particularly as it relates to transfer?

    7. executing surgery procedurefaster and as accurately if not more accurately

      So imagine you need laparoscopic surgery... and your primary care physician asks, "Would you rather have a surgeon from X prestigious medical school, or a surgeon who has played X video game for 10,000 hours?" How would you respond?

    8. aretypically positively correlated with mathemati-cal achievement in schoo

      Note how carefully this correlation is presented - "typically." It's really important that the authors do not make over-the-top claims, and that the evidence they provide is nuanced and accurately framed.

    9. but see Bailey et al.2010 for a different view

      Notice the really nice inclusion of a counter-example. This is an important practice for researchers.

    10. such as “rescue theprincess”)

      But is your princess in another castle?

    11. when presented outside theclassroom

      The classic challenge of transfer.

    12. quite specific to the trained stim-uli, context, and task.

      Some people are really curious about the idea of "transfer" - that a concept or skill learned in one context can be applied, with fidelity, in a second and novel context. This statement, however, suggests that such transfer is very difficult to enact and measure.

    1. in what ways do you design your open experiences to allow for the kind of serendipity you do not anticipate?

      A beautiful, powerful question. Reminds me:

      First - of the important distinction between "creating the conditions for" some type of practice (like scientific inquiry, or aesthetic representation, or debate) - and which then also welcomes unanticipated outcomes - in contrast to creating a design that only ensures "outcome X." And...

      Second - The difference between games and puzzles. Puzzles are designed with pre-determined one right answers. Think crosswords or tabletop image-based puzzles. Games, on the other hand, create conditions for a certain type of play, and by definition have unanticipated outcomes. While there may be "win states," the question of who wins, and how, is not known when the experience begins. The differences between puzzles and games - as a broader metaphor - is relevant. Designing experiences to allow for unanticipated serendipity - engagement, process, outcome - is more similar to creating (and playing) a game than designing and completing a puzzle.

    2. this allegiance/affinity thing

      If grad students from ILT5320 swing by... please note the strong connection here to affinity spaces. Especially for some current Games and Learning students who were in Learning with Digital Stories last summer, you'll appreciate how DS106 is an affinity space - driven by interest and curiosity, with low-barriers to entry, and people who are hanging out and creating together not because of some reified aspect of identity, but rather because they share a common purpose.

    1. It’s a controversial idea that has spurred a discussion that will play out over the coming years.

      Yes, it is controversial. Again, why we're reading the full piece by her - even though it's rather challenging, best to engage with the primary research itself.

    2. and has led the field since

      Hence, why we're reading the piece noted here.

    3. As Clemenson points out, the results pose as many new questions as they answer.

      As a few folks mentioned, yes a need to conduct more research - perhaps with more people, careful monitoring of the control group that does not play anything, etc. Indeed, many new questions to explore!

    4. Gamers exhibited more activity in the frontal cortex and hippocampus, which are associated with learning and memory-formation, as well as the posterior cingulate cortex and the precuneus, often associated with episodic memory and spatial learning.

      Notice the specificity of this single research study - more similar to Bevelier and colleagues, and certainly a contrast to the general (and untrue) claims of a group like Lumosity.

    5. say, Rise of Nations

      This quick reference is a nice reminder of our Gee readings from Cycle 1.

    1. However, providing students with opportunity to work in public opens the doors to tremendous potential for learning and professional growth, while giving them control (agency, choice) over their own education.

      How does this resonate with graduate students in CU Denver's #ILT5320?

    2. The lack of templates allows students to experiment with forming connections and in doing so students learn more about themselves, their experiences, and their learning.

      As with my question above for CU Denver grad students in the ILT program, how does this resonate with your experience? The ILT program doesn't provide an explicit template for your basecamps (which act as an e-portfolio), yet this opportunity for experimentation may be met with frustration or confusion...

    3. Blogs provide spaces for longer format proposals [i.e. longer than a tweet, for sure] and a “calling card” that wrangles a decentralized digital identity so that potential collaborators and employers may come to know who and what an individual might be able to achieve.

      How does this resonate with CU Denver grad students and your relationship to both blogging and your basebamp?

    4. a comparison chart for PLNs and LMS-based learning communities.

      I'm really curious what #ILT5320 learners think about this comparison, and how their ongoing experiences with our Games and Learning course this semester reflects this shift away from the LMS-based Canvas and into public PLNs...

    5. with networked participatory cultures

      Hey #ILT5320 learners, here's a nice connection back to our Cycle 2 readings!

    6. to blog their academic experience in an open forum

      At CU Denver, where I'm teaching, our Information and Learning Technologies program guides graduate students in creating online "basecamps" as a public portfolio of their work. These basecamps include a blog, hence the blogging that defines a course like INTE 5320 Games and Learning.

    1. If complex learning can be amplified through non-intrusive means with few significant downsides, it could reshape many current practices in education. 

      Are you advocating that educators non-invasively shock students' brains to help their perform better on certain tasks...?

    2. show significantly less variance in performance when compared with the sham group

      in other words... shock people's brain and they'll more consistently perform at a higher level during increasingly difficult flight simulations?

    3. “1-back combined, position, and image trials,” but not in 2-back or 3-back.

      what is the difference between 1-back, 2-back, and 3-back?

    4. Placebo groups received stimulation designed to simulate the physical feeling of receiving the treatment, described as a tingling sensation, but not actually receive tDCS.

      again, if i'm reading this correctly, the control group was made to feel "as if" they were getting shocked in their brain, but they weren't really getting shocked, yes?

    5. transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS)

      in other words, does this mean shocking someone's brain?

    6. its results may have an impact on future research and practices in the field

      awesome, why to make connections and engage with your own interests - that's exactly what we should be doing in our course!

    1. creating my first breakout room experience for my kiddos!

      And when you do, any ideas about how you might document your students' learning?

    2. but I am having trouble gaining access to the Google Drive Folder where the game templates are stored.

      Sounds like you need to connect with someone who can effectively broker your access to that space and those resources.

    3. for students in my elementary music classroom.

      Any initial thoughts about what this might look like?

    4. a breakout room into your classroom

      For those readers less familiar with breakout rooms, what's a basic definition?

    1. game theory

      As with my annotation on your equity and coding post, I think you mean leaning theory... ? And even if that's the case, how are you distinguishing a useful theoretical perspective on learning (such as entering a Discourse as a "gamer") from your experience playing games as a gamer?

    2. I relied upon guidance from my boss, Brad Hinson heeding the importance of understanding the fundamentals of code.

      Again, a really smart move, and I'm glad Brad was able to help you align multiple efforts together.

    3. was a dud because I focused on a boring topic that had no educational pull for me.

      I'm really glad you recognized this early and changed course.

    4. to favor curiosity over winning

      Nice!

    5. So much so that the game can stop and hands can be revealed in order to better understand potential outcomes

      I've found these moments to be particularly wonderful, as we're interested in learning and social comprehension, perhaps more so than outright competition.

    6. includes the actions, language, and mannerisms of game makers in order to one day become full blown Game Makers.

      Yes, nice analysis in reference to Games' article and the Discourse of be(com)ing a Game Maker.

    7. Discourse

      Yes, the "Discourse" of game maker, which includes certain ways of speaking, interacting, posing and solving problems. A "Discourse" is a "way of being" that relies upon the "insider" use of certain symbols - and whether those symbols are material (like what you wear), or social (what you say and do), and even conceptual (how you think about the world).

    8. By acting as game makers, learners become game makers

      Yes, this is important, it speaks to the "situated" nature of learning in games - an argument and aspect of learning theory that Gee introduced in our Cycle 1 readings

    9. I struggled with why discourse is important and how it plays out.

      Indeed, many academics do. The difference between discourse and "Discourse" (as proposed famously by Gee) is challenging to grok and then apply.

    1. Google collected pre and post club survey data to capture 1200+ students reactions to coding in their pilot programs from August 2014 to April 2014.

      That's a great sample and a significant data set. I wonder - did they partner with a local university to conduct that research, or was it conducted entirely "in-house"?

    2. from my perspective, I find them to be the most pivotal component of the program.

      I would likely agree!

    3. free online coding program, Scratch.

      Sound familiar?! Wonderful connection to our Cycle 3 readings.

    4. a quality coding program, themed curriculum, and community mentors

      This is really interesting. Note how the design ties together learning across multiple settings, resources, and people.

    5. dissecting game theory

      Actually... to be very specific, we are examining various perspectives on learning theory to understand games and game play. Game theory is actually an approach to mathematical modeling that is often used in (applied) economics. The classic "prisoner's dilemma" problem is an example of game theory, but not a study of the social and cultural practices of learning that might help us educators to understand - and design - games for learning. Hope that's a helpful clarification.

    1. strive to keep serious games seriously credible

      If you're interested in a more "critical" appreciation of "seriousness" in games and game play, I'll share with you an article written by my mentor-turned-colleague Jeff Kupperman... let me know.

    2. I have learned it is critical to implement high standards of learning progressions, professionalization cues, and invisible assessments for both a positive and credible learning experience for all involved.

      Indeed. And... how do Montgomery's critiques relate to these insights?

    3. applicable stance in the real world

      There is a lot of game-based learning research that connects game play activities to the professional practices of various roles, whether engineers or doctors. We'll look at an example authored by my former graduate advisor later this term.

    4. GlassLab,

      I like GlassLab a lot, they've designed some stellar games over the years, and I have a few former colleagues/grad student comrades from UW who work for them.

    5. research-based learning progressions

      I'm curious to know more about this, specifically what constitutes a "progression" and how it is being measured to show learning (hence, research-based).

    6. in comparison to

      You're setting up an interesting contrast here. The skeptic in me looks at a Pearson-sponsored blog in comparison to an EdSurge report as an "insider" (DiCerbo) versus a more objective "outsider" (Montgomery). Should we raise questions about the evidence and subjectivity of DiCerbo's analysis? Alternatively, should we question Montgomery's agenda?

    1. as a juxtaposition of censorship laws

      Can you tell us more about this connection? Sounds fascinating...

    2. an exclusive visual language which is what makes the game successful.

      Yes, I agree - there is a very distinctive visual language or aesthetic to the game.

    3. The Exploding Kittens card game is thus an alternative reality game.

      Hmmmm... i'm not convinced. Later this term we'll take a close look at a few ARGs, and I think that you'll find some distinctive characteristics between that approach to game design and play (which often relies upon everyday tools, settings, and social interactions), and the mechanics of a card game like Exploding Kittens.

    4. The video tutorial is a masterpiece.

      It is! We watched this as a group before playing during the shared play session on campus.

    5. that one can donate their body to cat science.

      Isn't this an important lesson to learn?!

    6. None of us had played the game before so when we opened the brand new box, we started with the instructions manual.

      I'm pleased to learn that you purchased the card game to play with others, that's grand!

    1. I will pursue this interest by getting involved with the game and any future research.

      That's great, and as you do, please keep us updated!

    2. It would be interesting to trace the effect of authenticity in game design on learning.

      Do you have any ideas or suggestions about how this might be done?

    3. into brain plasticity

      This is wonderful to learn. I think you'll find the Cycle 4 readings on neuroscience really fascinating.

    4. 42

      Awesome - you win.

    5. in just a few minutes, people felt compel to announce that they are getting ready to play, ask if the game will be played, where it will be played, announce getting ready again (like the first time wasn’t enough), posting pictures of getting ready and just in case someone didn’t get that they are getting ready to play, another hash tag ILT5320 announced to everyone to “stay tuned”.

      What Jim Gee and other game-based learning researchers refer to as "just-in-time" learning.

    6. I just read, browsed, or skimmed through.

      which is a really useful, "low-barrier" way to begin using a new learning platform, like Twitter.

    7. Couldn’t have been further away from the facts:

      Yup, and just wait... we're going to dive deep into debates about "effectiveness" and "measures" of game-based learning. It's often contested and open to debate.

    8. The value will hopefully come at a later point for me.

      Thanks for your honest assessment, this is really important for me to know. And keep the updates coming, especially if/when that value begins to emerge.

    9. sometimes very controversial

      By design. And please don't assume that I "agree" with every argument in every reading. Rather, I know that certain authors or texts are provocative, and I believe it's important to engage with challenges ideas. I'm glad you haven't found that off-putting!

    1. Google collected pre and post club survey data to capture 1200+ students reactions to coding in their pilot programs from August 2014 to April 2014.

      That's a great sample and a significant data set. I wonder - did they partner with a local university to conduct that research, or was it conducted entirely "in-house"?

    2. from my perspective, I find them to be the most pivotal component of the program

      I would likely agree!

    3. the free online coding program, Scratch.

      Sound familiar?! Wonderful connection to our Cycle 3 readings.

    4. a quality coding program, themed curriculum, and community mentors

      This is really interesting. Note how the design ties together learning across multiple settings, resources, and people.

    5. we are dissecting game theory

      Actually... to be very specific, we are examining various perspectives on learning theory to understand games and game play. Game theory is actually an approach to mathematical modeling that is often used in (applied) economics. The classic "prisoner's dilemma" problem is an example of game theory, but not a study of the social and cultural practices of learning that might help us educators to understand - and design - games for learning. Hope that's a helpful clarification.

    1. to keep serious games seriously credible.

      If you're interested in a more "critical" appreciation of "seriousness" in games and game play, I'll share with you an article written by my mentor-turned-colleague Jeff Kupperman... let me know.

    2. I have learned it is critical to implement high standards of learning progressions, professionalization cues, and invisible assessments for both a positive and credible learning experience for all involved.

      Indeed. And... how do Montgomery's critiques relate to these insights?

    3. applicable stance in the real world (DiCerbo, 2015).

      There is a lot of game-based learning research that connects game play activities to the professional practices of various roles, whether engineers or doctors. We'll look at an example authored by my former graduate advisor later this term.

    4. to research-based learning progressions

      I'm curious to know more about this, specifically what constitutes a "progression" and how it is being measured to show learning (hence, research-based).

    5. in comparison to

      You're setting up an interesting contrast here. The skeptic in me looks at a Pearson-sponsored blog in comparison to an EdSurge report as an "insider" (DiCerbo) versus a more objective "outsider" (Montgomery). Should we raise questions about the evidence and subjectivity of DiCerbo's analysis? Alternatively, should we question Montgomery's agenda?

    6. by GlassLab

      I like GlassLab a lot, they've designed some stellar games over the years, and I have a few former colleagues/grad student comrades from UW who work for them.

    1. and I am beginning to appreciate what they value about playing games

      At the end of this semester, if you can speak with authority about the motivation of others to play games, to join a game night, and to actively participate in a gaming community regularly, then you'll have matched expectations for this project and course.

    2. I value community very highly, so joining this group and attending regularly is already meaningful to me.

      I appreciate learning this - again, thanks for making this explicit to us as readers, for bringing us "in" a bit more to your experiences.

    3. I am attending because of a course requirement, but I am motivated to learn by observation.

      I think this is a healthy tension, and I'm glad you've noted it here - thanks for sharing with everyone.

    4. and she quickly forgave me.

      Interesting... using academic study to distance oneself from the conflicts of game play...

    5. This actually annoyed her even more, unfortunately.

      Huh... maybe honestly aint the best policy?