2,275 Matching Annotations
  1. Mar 2017
    1. Who doesn’t want to play a game whose first words immediately immerse you into the fictional realm of the game?

      Oh my! Where did you find this game?!

    1. expressive and fun

      I agree and I think that having the action cards and the element of luck, so that a victory is a mixture of both skillful card play and some luck of the draw.

    2. asleep on the couch to a movie

      I always fall asleep if I watch a movie on a Friday night. Sometimes it is better to keep the brain active and play some games, sometimes I want to zone out and go with the movie.

    3. he had never played

      Wow, I would be surprised to - Uno was a staple in the homes of my family and friends.

    4. Have you? What’s it like?

      I've never played with 10, I don't know if i would find that fun...i would be waiting around too long for my turn. What was playing with 2 people like? With the reverse cards, I feel like there wouldn't be as much randomness. How long did games last?

    5. It was fun to stay in and do something other than fall asleep on the couch to a movie.

      Is this what encouraged your playfulness? Do you think the people you're playing with and the environment you're playing in enhances this?

    6. annotating, reflecting, writing, and engaging with my peers on social networks as well as my affinity space, Photoblog

      Even though these aren't necessarily games, there are still elements of play that have been present in these interactions!

    7. still not convinced they’re for everyone.

    1. consistent design and layout between playthrough

      Just keeping the game 2 denominational has limited the movement in-game significantly, from 3D games that are becoming the norm.

    2. actively exchange and adapt that information with other players

      This makes good use for communication to share and explain tactics and develop a good mix of items to support roles on a team.

    3. chat or voice calls

      Watched the trailer for this game - seems like communication would be key as enemies seem to atack in swarms.

    4. enemy health and power increases over time, regardless of the player’s actions.

      Interesting twist, I like that the idea that staying alive longer comes with enemies that are harder to kill and deliver more damage.

    1. I thought I would revisit it and record the opening segment of the game where I give my thoughts about how learning takes place.

      Appreciate the screen cast!

    2. By using the bare-bones instruction for the control scheme, the player learns by trial and error and engaging with the game’s community.

      Do you think this is due to it's alpha stage or part of the design experience? Did you like this?

    3. This is just one of the six keymaps

      That's a lot to learn and remember! I would probably quit this!

    4. MMO

      What is MMO?

    1. the main feature of the Switch is that it can connect to a TV (like a typical console), but can also be used as a handheld device

      Is this common for video games now-a-days? Smart design to offer up personalization for what players prefer.

    2. I find myself constantly thinking about the ways I am learning.

      What do you think is the biggest thing you've learned so far?

    3. The Legend of Zelda

      I used to watch my bro play this back in the day. As an observer, it was more interesting to watch over some other games. I think I liked the adventure :)

    1. Of course, in Gamestar Mechanic it all about designing games and in Civ 2 it is all about designing civilizations. 

      Do you think that the cognitive skills associated with designing civilizations in Civ 2 could be similar to the skills needed to design games in general? Or, do you see these as separate?

    2. more effective

      If you could change / add one thing about the tutorial to make it more effective, what would it be?

    3. So much so, that I aborted the tutorial and took on the game learning through trial and error.

      Do you think if the tutorial was better, you wouldn't have felt as overwhelmed by all the icons, status bars, and screens?

    1. Instructions and tutorials are none existent, because it is a fluid visual puzzle.

      I think that when there is a little consequence for not being successful the game lends itself to experimentation more and has less of a need for tutorials because determining how to play is part of the fun. Where as if the consequences of failure are higher, like starting over at the beginning of a level, it is frustrating to not know all the rules beforehand.

    2. I read that it was a very mellow and calming game play

      My partner works late evening early night shifts and basically goes to bed when she gets home. she loves calming low key puzzle games to refocus her mind away from work so she can go to sleep. Do you think I should suggest this game?

    3. The use of perspectives and angle changes adds to its challenging nature

      This seems to tie into the discussion of vision in action video games from the Bavelier article this week, but I like the contrast of how non action games can tie into vision in a similar way.

    1. Participating and exploring dynamics in a guild at level cap, or end-game would require more of a time commitment.

      There was a point in my life where I had all the time in the world. But now, time kind of limits my raid exploration. 2 hour blocks of time are typically required in GW2.

    2. or some people telling you that you suck and then kicking you from the raid [group].

      It's interesting how this seems to be my experience in Guild Wars 2. I'm starting to dislike Raids a lot in that game due to our gated they are. I wonder how they can fix these?

    3. The Guildless Wonder. So alone

      Hahah..what a name!

    4. Random groups consist of random players put together through the group finder menu

      Most of my groups in MMO's have always consisted of "PUG" groups. My problem with guilds is that I don't want to just be someone at the bottom of the guild while a few players make all of the decisions.

    5. What approach should I take to get something out of this project? I need to sit down and develop a focus because it’s not going to get me anywhere just lurking and commenting.

      I'm running into the exact same problem. Sure I've posted and interacted with a few others, but I'm struggling to find a ton of benefit from it.

    1. someone is going to build it!

      Is this in the virtual world or build it in real life?

    2. engage with children while doing something they enjoy

      Meeting the student where she is at.

    3. Spectator mode

      Cool, I did not realize there was a spectator mode, what a great way to observe how others are playing.

    4. Levels in this game are randomly generated

      This seems to encourage the development of a skill set to use in many situations, rather than memorizing what buttons need to pressed to pass a level.

    1. social interactions and collaboration

      Also a chance to reflect on how these behaviors helped the player be successful.

    2. virtual “presence.”

      Cool, that presence make the interaction more meaningful.

    3. augmented reality has only recently started getting more popular with games such as Pokémon Go

      I think that there is huge potential with augmented reality, along the lines of Pokemon Go. Museums, schools, libraries and other learning institutions could set up "hot spots" thought out a city and connect with users at those points to share content.

    1. Could the developers team up with real urban planners and infuse more realism to the game while still keeping it fun?

      It seems like scenarios could be developed in a story mode where real life inspired problems need to be addressed and solved.

    2. represent an effective and uniquely advantageous medium for learning and cognitive development.

      These games give a low threshold for accessing the basic concepts from the fields they represent.

    3. valuable learning  tools with limitations

      I think this fits with the idea of employing simulations to scaffold student learning.

    4. Does designing virtual cities in SimCity provide a starting point for a career designing real cities?

      This is a great refining question to delving deeper into ideas raised by the In-Game, In-Room, In-World article.

    1. think that this game is great and would be very helpful to my students.

      Does this game give a score at the end? Do you think a score would encourage play among your students or have the opposite effect?

    2.   I am looking forward to trying this in my class in the upcoming weeks as we continue to move on in topics that require factoring as the background computation and speeding up our skills together as a class! 

      I recommend updating this post with your student's thoughts once you do.

    3. which in my mind, is the only fun you need)

      LOL

    4. This means along with solving quadratics, players are needing to pick specific balloons to answer in order to line up three in a row.

      This game sounds complicated! Is it like Bejeweled? Is it possible to pop every balloon? Does anything happen?

    1. They came from varied subjects and most were white (98%) and majority female (76%). The authors addressed the limitations of the study by considering what role the gender imbalance, the racial component and the average age (27) of the participants played in the results they achieved.

      I'm wondering why the authors didn't do anything to try and get more diversity into this study?

    2. Being older and not having a full grasp on video games, some coaxing is needed, first-hand experience to gain a better understanding of games, the culture, and their value to education.

      How can we encourage this among those that may not understand video games?

    3. Preservice Teacher

      I'm not familiar with what a preservice teacher is?

    1. 440 students in undergraduate courses would be the test group. 

      A much larger sample than some of the studies we've seen recently.

    2. however “more enjoyment of the lesson correlated with improvements

      Do you agree with this? I definitely think it's greater for motivation than actual improvement.

    3. is a good grade more or less important than a person actually enjoying what they are learning?

      I think if you're enjoying what you're learning, there isn't any reason you shouldn't be able to get a "good grade."

    4. Covering three different subjects

      Did you find anything particularly interesting about one subject over the other?

    1. e. Users are supposed to “attempt some level of self-analysis” in their post.

      this is a good rule to have. would make a more coherent discussion space.

  2. Feb 2017
    1. affinity space in such a welcoming community

      Seems the acceptance you felt in the community is giving you more reason to stick with the game.

    2. which device do they play Royale on

      Good question, different devices seem to have a large affect on mobile game play or aesthetics.

    3. I jumped on the Royale forum

      seems like a great entry into the online community.

    4. Clash Royale's game play is real-time pvp (player versus player)

      I have always been suspicious of the game play of mobile games where I play against another person but not in real time. I feel like I am playing a bot of some sort that is masquerading with a user's profile. Interesting that this game has made the play real time, feels more authentic.

    1. enabling people to continue playing now and into the future

      Could you look for other articles for the next cycle that look at more recent t recesses of The Sims and do some comparing and contrasting of the results?

    2. Will Wright, who gave credit to the fans who made the game what it i

      My brother had a Sims console game in the early 2000's and it blew my mind that he would barely worry about the main game missions to just create and expand his world. This was my first exposure to game modding as game play.

    3. released in 2000, still has a small following and fans are trying to

      Have you seen any evidence of this "traditionalists" in your explorations of the your Sims affinity space.

    4. and it provides plenty of further research in the references section to further my study of The Sims game franchise.

      Sounds like a solid plan moving forward - you've identified a game, related affinity spaces, and some literature - time to dig deep!

    5. interaction and negotiation with their classmates, rather than being ‘relegated to skill and drill and remedial tasks”

      This echoes Gee from C1.

    6. is it’s participatory culture

      Is this Price's observation or your analysis of her article based upon what we read during C2?

    7. and conducting my affinity space project about a Sims affinity space

      Great decision, and thanks for mentioning here.

    1. unanswered or barely answered creation questions and providing some starting points for newbies of the game.

      This charitable attitude seems to be a good way to quickly become a valued member of this LBP community.

    2. I have successfully created two fully playable levels of my own.

      Wow great personal experience to help reassure use newcomers to game level design.

    3. lurker of Reddit

      I am so bad in the affinity spaces I inhabit. Always reading never contributing.

    1. Full Article: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.405.1850&rep=rep1&type=pdf

      I don't have an active hyperlink here. I don't know if you had intended for this to link to the article or not.

    2. provide alternative theories with evidence, question, deduce, and give you hours of quantitative as well as qualitative analysis on the latest game they are playing

      Reflection could give these gamers a chance to think about how these skills could be transferred to debates in different settings.

    3. Heated debates

      Shows that there is passion in these players and that passion has empowered them to participate in discourses.

    4. Engage/persist, envision, observe, express, reflect, explore

      I like this is a very cyclical list, when you get to explore it is trime to re-engage.

    5. John Dewey

      It is good to see the educational thinkers applyed in discussions of learning tehcnologies. Something I don't do enough. Thank you for the example.

    6. A good piece. Even the hubby enjoyed this one. See you in the forums.

      Sean is pretty active on Twitter, you might consider sharing this with him (Constance just moved to a new university/job, and wouldn't likely respond via a social media platform like Twitter).

    7. These players rely on the forums to not only get better, but to delve as deep as they can to experience a virtual world.

      A reflection of affinity space participation, and the multiple settings and social relations that surround and support ongoing game play.

    8. Ironically enough, gamers sound a whole lot like scientists when in a heated debate about their content. 

      Is it ironic given what we've been reading in our course to date?

    9. From my own forum discussions

      Where? Some context here would be useful

    10. posters

      players who posted to WoW forums?

    11. Studio Habits of the Mind

      What is the foundation of these studio habits? Can you tell us a bit more about this?

    12. by Constance Steinkuehler and Sean Duncan

      Constance, as I likely mentioned elsewhere, was my boss at UW for a number of years when we ran the Games Learning Society Conference and Playful Learning initiative. Sean does great game-based learning work (and also came through the GLS crew at UW). Good friends and colleagues.

    1. Terraria affinity space

      Interesting! Do you have a link?

    2. Although my twitter feed contains several useful and insightful posts, those nuggets are mixed with political rantings and other trivialities.

      I struggle with TW too and had to deactivate FB because of this very reason. I was finding myself getting stressed out for reasons out of my control and then going down rabbit holes and wasting time where my time could be spent doing more productive things. As someone who works in the social media realm (without any real passion for it), I empathize with you. However, I do feel that it does have it's benefits. It's just finding what works right for you-- that's the tricky part.

    3. Games are not just a tool FOR learning, but they actually represent a model of learning that drastically departs from traditional classroom education

      Love this!

    1. Too often in traditional schools, failure is met with a letter grade and ushering students onto the next task or unit without revisiting the root of the problem.

      100% agree. Great connection on how games can improve learning outcomes more effectively than traditional schooling.

    1. learn” section of the site

      I browsed around the site a little. Is anyone able to write post for the "learn" section or is this only for experts or admins to write in?

    2. Photobloggers are a positive and supportive group

      Have you visited the Community section yet? Looks to be the most similar to traditional forums. I would be interested to hear about the interactions in there vs. your blog. I'm sure that's a future post though...

    3. This took about 24 hours and the notifications came through via email:

      Did this bother you? Does this limit the potential community or make it feel more close-knit?

    4. Photoblog is a website open to anyone interested

      I saw some of your photos posted on Twitter. Great work!

    5. 6 likes, 771 blog views (nice!), 3 followers, and 6 following.

      Do you know how users are discovering your blog? Is it through Twitter or website search?

    1. However, after exploring the skills boosting games that Edutopia has to offer, I have noted that they are a good learning tool

      Do you think there are instances where Edutopia may not be a good learning tool?

    2. The academic, social and emotional supportive culture assists students and tutors to unravel their inner potential and be able to grow in the same aspects.

      What are the types of social and emotional support you or the students are looking to gain from Edutopia?

    3. Edutopia

      Great overview of your affinity space. Are you working with your students in the tool? Or, how are you utilizing Edutopia to deepen your understanding about play, games, and learning?

    1. Gamification is not the same as game based-learning. Gamification does not always promote the core practices of “good games” which in turn does not always lead to “good learning.

      well stated

    1. been successful for hundreds

      Depends on how you define success. I would say that the model has been passable at best. It has been, in general, the only model we have had.

    1. uncomfortable with the idea that game designers/media companies have the power to educate an unknowing consumer…

      In what ways does this make you uncomfortable? Do you think this is a conscious choice by designers or do games inherently have some learning involved (learning the rule system, etc.)

    2. they create art about these games

      Even if you don't have the latest tech, just allowing them to create art projects around their interests is great!

    3. Would the player loose interest because of the content?

      I think Yes and No. Assassin's Creed is the perfect example of a game that could be used to teach history. Obviously it has it's flaw and not 100% accurate, but they've done a great job of capturing the historic settings and making me interested in history. On the other hand I get bored of the Oregon Trail type games.

    1. It has challenged me to shift certain preconceived ideas I had about games and affinity spaces.

      What are some preconceived ideas that have shifted so far in our course?

    2. I am curious to learn why teens learn faster in games than in the classroom

      Interesting observation. What has happened that made this connection for you? Are these digital or physical games or both? Now I'm curious!

    3. Twitter has been a significant personal learning network that has helped me to build relationships, share materials and ideas. In addition, Twitter is an excellent means of exploring a broad range of potential resources.

      I'm glad that you have found Twitter valuable to your learning. Did you use Twitter prior to this course? What do you love about it / hate about it? I'm curious because I often see the value in Twitter for my coursework but as a general social media practice, it's not my go-to or favorite. It often seems more like a chore to me.

    1. Far from freeing the mind, the approach habituates us to the tidy mechanisms of effort and reward, to established paths, and to prefab narratives.

      I don't agree with this statement. I do think with solid learning objectives during the development and design of the gamification module, one could have an outcome ore than just following the established paths or arranged narratives.

    2. when we imagine real tasks as quests, is tuning out. Rather than moving through the world, attentive to its logic and form, we’re following a story created by someone else.

      This is an interesting perspective. Following a story created by someone else.

    3. She cites a study in which kids who played at least nine hours a week showed high dopamine levels, and more gray matter in their reward-processing centers, than kids who didn’t.

      I wonder if the same effects of raised dopamine would be present if the kids participated in physical activity and not video game play.

    4. people had collectively put into World of Warcraft was 5.93 million years, which is roughly the time since our ancestors first stood erect. Imagine, she suggests, if that level of engagement had been turned to real-world problems

      That is an astounding number. 5.93mil...I agree, what if we were more productive with our time spent, as not to escape our life/problems, but actually on real life.

    5. “living gamefully,” and, according to her, it’s a regimen that has the power to fix almost everything that aspirin can’t

      I like this term, "living gamefully" seems to empower the person to own their own gaming & life. And it is true; a game a day, helps keeps the doctor away.

    6. bridge the gap between video-game culture and what is now called happiness research

      I definitely see the coorelation

    1. what types of responses I get. 

      I've struggled in the past with getting responses from smaller subreddit. I'd like to see how this works for you in your next update!

    2. I joined an affinity space about a week ago

      Were you familiar with Reddit previously? I'd be interested in hearing what you think about the format.

    1. Is that going to ruffle some feathers?

      For this reason, I stay away from raids in Guild Wars 2.

    2. thoughtful discussions

      I know it's still early on, but I will be interested to see if these always remain thoughtful as your continue to explore. I've seen many nasty posts in the past.

    3. Returning Player Help and Discussion

      Was this helpful? Did it get you up to speed quickly?

    4. but now I have a chance to get back into the game.

      I'm surprised WoW is still going strong after 10+ years. It will be interesting to see how the community is since I last played during launch.

    1. I don’t want to be downvoted!

      It's bound to happen. I get thumbs downs on my youtube from time to time. Just post stuff and keep posting stuff. You will have more positive than negative responses.

    1. What happens if children play feel-good, positive reinforcing games?

      This is what we have the chance to explore in Games and Learning. Can we as educators help?

    2. Simply put, have video games replaced some of the parent’s role/responsibility?

      Yes, I believe they have. I often see video games blamed for violent acts.

    3. his article was published in 2015, making at a seemly relevant and realistic look at how modern game games could be having an effect on what individuals are learning from games

      This type of research seems to constantly come up, I think there are a number of other issues that often get overlooked such as the child's family conditions.

    1. Overall, this article was a fantastic read

      And I'm pleased to read this!

    2. identity

      What do you mean by identity?

    3. A good game, and therefore, good learning continues to give power to the player/learner through opportunities to contribute to the design and content of the game/learning.

      As I suggest in the conclusion to Teacher Pioneers which we read during C1, same goes for classrooms and schools. Co-design, distributed power, and agency are really important.

    4. This safe start then allows players to feel like they have control over their situation and frees up their ability to then think through how to properly use the tools that are already known to help with unknown situations.

      Very similar to the focus on tutorials that we read during C1.

    5. were also tools that can be harnessed by teachers and learners to increase the power of learning.

      Which is why his design principles are exemplified by certain (digital) games, but are not only afforded by games.

    6. a laundry list of good things that make up good games.

      His design principles (which we briefly touched during C1) are also useful, though do keep in mind that features change over time as new technologies and practices emerge.

    7. written by James Paul Gee himself

      This was an early piece from Gee about games and learning, I'm glad you read it.

    1. into other settings. Cloud’s design extends into fan culture, which adopts him to fan art, manga, and many other representations.

      Great connection here to C2 readings about fan cultures and affinity spaces.

    2. The player must learn the game’s battle system (left)

      Echoes of Gee and tutorials that scaffold familiarity with a new system.

    3. it immediately caught my attention

      I'm glad you're selecting to read scholarship based upon personal interest and play history - very important.

    1. many limitations with VR including the cost and the need for high-end system to get the full experience.

      Yes, common equity-oriented concerns associated with cost, access, and who gets to participate will always confront new technologies (whether VR, Tesla cars, etc.).

    2. Apparently something already exists!

      This happens to me with research all the time. I wonder about a research question or a method, consider how awesome some study would be... and then after asking around a bit, come to learn it's already been done in X way, by Y people, and that they're now onto project Z. At least you know!

    3. but that has been the extent of my experience with VR so far

      Same with me.

    1. that the criterion used for evaluating emotional response

      That's helpful, thanks for including. Having not yet read these studies, it would seem (although I'm making an assumption) that data about affect is rather different (though perhaps complementary to) observations of affect described in Stevens and colleagues' ethnography... perhaps?

    2. people like success, they like challenge that leads to success, they like gaining understanding.

      And this would be evident through some type, or types, of biometric data?

    3. the more the system knows about the user’s detailed emotions

      It seems like this is already taking a rather narrow view of game, as something a person plays perhaps in isolation from others? The agency of the "system" seems more important than the player/s.

    4. (Chabbal, Conati, & Maclaren)

      If you're going to cite like this, may as well go all the way and include the year for APA formatting.

    5. Research in this field is still being developed

      I'm curious - what your interest in this area of research?

    6. I explored two articles

      Way to read deeply and beyond the required scope of a typical scholarly critique, much appreciated!

    1. most effective

      I'm curious - what does effective mean in this context?

    2. What the study did uncover are relevant questions around the social dimensions of using game play in adult learning.

      I appreciate that you're highlighting a limitation of the study. What counts as social dimensions, from either the perspective of K&L or in your opinion?

    3. in a search for games in corporate training.

      I'm glad you're reading literature that combines course content with professional interests and responsibilities, great idea.

    1. As a math person,

      Caro Williams and I wrote a brief for NCTM in 2014 about video games and math education, check it out here.

    2. I, myself, am not experienced enough in the teaching field to have data myself,

      Why not? What counts as data? And why wouldn't you have various forms of data to support instructional decision-making? Stories are powerful forms of data, perhaps more so than standardized test scores or whatever so-called "objective" data says something about learning.

    3. I still question the effectiveness of educational games and technology.

      And I hope you continue to do so after the conclusion of this course, too!

    4. that technology very often attributes to educational games

      I'm not sure what you mean by this... can you clarify?

    5. different sites

      With an article that's a decade old, I'm curious how many of these sites and games are still around.

    6. is statistics from the games and effectiveness

      Statistics such as? And effectiveness as measured by...?

    7. and then some that fail at teaching material

      And why might this occur?

    8. I am now questioning what type of game is best

      And perhaps also the pedagogical practices that usefully enact game-based learning?

    9. This article

      In future scholarly critiques, it might be useful to your reader to include article title, author, and citation information.

    1. eliminated the tension

      In other words, could your team have failed?

    2. in terms of which puzzle item to look over

      Yeah, I've thought a bit about escape rooms, and I'm not sure they're games as much as very elaborate puzzles. I'm curious how your experience and analysis squares with my assessment of puzzles vs games from the Conclusion to Teacher Pioneers you read during C1.

    3. the way assumed roles between people can exhibit strong continuity between game play and work

      Nice connection to the cycle readings.

    4. It was a team-building exercise.

      This is a useful bit of context, thanks for sharing and connecting this professional experience with your coursework.

    5. is an “Escape the Room” game at Engima Escape Rooms in Boulder, CO

      It's great that you experienced an escape room and included this as your play journal!

    1. requires copious amounts of research, administrative work, and faculty support

      Yeah, this is a narrative about capacity building in support of game-based learning, less (perhaps) a recipe for "how to do X."

    2. theory of games for learning,

      Likely very similar to our course.

    3. really comes down to telling a memorable (and therefore persuasive) story of a successful adoption of GBL in higher education

      Yup, this article was featured in a special issue on games in higher education. Not sure if you noticed, but I also had an article in that same issue (under my previous name, Holden).

    4. Herro & Clark, 2016

      So pleased you read this article! Dani Herro is a good friend and colleague, we've done a bit of work together.

    1. if anyone knows of any other please let me know!

      Take to Twitter and crowdsource additional resources, too.

    2. maybe like a Sim City type of game?…Or perhaps a graphic designer type of video game. Or character design for a skating game.

      These thoughts address a core concern - what are artistic practices, and what types of games (irrespective of content, and perhaps because of certain play mechanics) support those practices?

    3. that creation was missing from its mission

      Indeed, it seems like any game design platform (we'll read about some during C3) would be quite relevant to arts education.

    4. transfer

      What does this mean, particularly after reading Stevens et al during C2?

    5. that was a pretty cool thing to see for students.  

      Why? What about your professional practice as an art educator makes this a particularly generative aspect of game play?

    6. the district could not afford to hire an art teacher or to supplement a teacher who did not have the appropriate funds to teach color theory the correct way

      this is an interesting bit of context within which to design and implement a game

    7. I have not ever heard of the gaming strategy taking place within an art classroom and I wanted to hear how and why it was used

      This is great motivation to select interest-driven scholarship for your critiques.

    1.  Goal-orientated instructions is certainly something I will think about more as I choose games for my own students to play.

      I'm pleased to learn this, and establishing connections to professional practice is an important element of our course.

    2. means that less learning (at least deep, cognitive learning) is taking place.

      according to this study

    3. game-design

      I'll be curious to read about your responses to C3 readings.

    4. The authors determined that something as simple as instructions in computer games could result in different "learning" styles being triggered in their learners.

      While this is an important finding, it seems as though the core message stands irrespective of the tool. In other words, take out (digital) game and replace with any other tool or instructional method, and the importance of clear instructions and sustained engagement stand.

    5. upon completion of the game

      With this style of research, games are positioned as an intervention to improve, and prove, a very specific idea. There are pros and cons to this type of research.

    6. an ECG (educational computer game)

      what a fascinating term having already read, in our course, much literature that suggests games (both digital and others) can, under certain circumstances, be educational experiences and support particular learning practices and outcomes.

    1. designers

      What do you mean by this? I'm curious if your thoughts about design will change based upon C3 readings...

    2. the same way an affinity space does.

      Yes, you're making sharp connections here among Gee and Hayes' theory about affinity spaces, and seeing how those types of relations are fostered at multiple scales: a) in individual classrooms and b) among a network of educators who are all experimenting with this platform/tech/approach to learning.

    3. I couldn’t contribute much

      Though it sounds like you were able to make some astute observations of activity.

    4. a very niche community

      Would you call this Twitter chat one expression of an affinity space?

    5. a role-playing game that helps teachers manage, motivate and engage their students

      It seems that class craft is what some people call a "skin" that provides thematic elements and, in some casts, strategies to continue supporting what educators already do (manage, motivate, engage students).

    1. I decided to try  to find one that had content that more closely matched my interests

      I'm pleased to learn that you're choosing to play games based upon your interests and then observing learning through an interest-driven lens.

    1. As an elementary school teacher it would be nice to put “playing video games together” in a bag of tricks to help increase affection, like in siblings, and develop bonds between children

      There are so many reasons to guide implementation in your classroom, many of which you can find easily online or via interactions with certain communities on platforms like Twitter. This is also why we have the affinity spaces project, to support people in engaging with activities relevant to their interests and professional practices.

    2. and the opportunity for learning behaviors to turn conflicts into learning moments.

      Many people in our course are starting to parse the dynamics of cooperative vs competitive game play, and your summary here contributes some important points to consider.

    3. observed an increase in the reported affection

      Observed like the methods Stevens and colleagues employed to study shared activity? And how did their observations demonstrate an "increase"?

    4. studied the effect of coplaying video games had on siblings in terms of their levels of reported affection and conflicts

      This is a really nice complement to Stevens and colleagues' ethnography from C2.

    5. periodical

      Article? The term does carry different connotations, so specificity in this respect is important.

    6. that the game was doing the teaching

      I'm glad you're questioning this idea, and reading research that suggests learning emerges through social and technical relations, rather than primarily because of what a tool delivers.

    1. and improves cognitive abilities by task completion.

      How do you know this happens? What are the indicators that suggest such learning in taking place?

    2. a lot of positive emotions

      Why is it important that these emotions are positive?

    3. is that it makes you think.

      What do you mean by this?

    1. “How games can be integrated into education to make learning more interesting for children?”.

      A question we'll be engaging all semester, and my conclusion to the book Teacher Pioneers (which we read during C1) begins to provide some answers.

    2. many game developers don’t provide gamers with tools that they can use for learning.

      Does this presume that people can't learn from games irrespective of developers' goals? I would suggest many games can teach players something, and some games which are designed according to specific learning principles (such as those outlined by Gee in C1) create conditions where specific learning experiences are more likely - does that make sense?

    3. Machinima videos

      If you're interested in making your blog posts more multimodal, consider including those videos here as embedded in your posts

    4. it is possible to write by using music, videos, images, and other digital content

      yes, L&K's emphasis on new literacies expands upon more traditional notions of reading and writing.

    5. Lankshear & Knobel (2011), claim that digital remixing is a new form of writing (p. 99).

      I'm a big fan of L&K and their text is a foundational anchor of INTE 5340 Learning with Digital Stories.

    6. in the modern environment

      I'm curious what you mean by modern environment... digital aspects? Online only? Something else?

    1. You just have to take your chances

      Take your chances, yes, though the risk of failure is not too high-stakes, unlike school.

    2. Little cooperation, a lot of competition

      You've got peers who are also exploring cooperative and competitive game play dynamics, I hope this emerges as an ongoing conversation across our various game play experiences.

    3. I died a lot.

      Important connections here to Gee's analysis of games and apprenticeship which we read during C1.

    4. You can see my first experience with the game in the video below

      This is a nice way of creating a multimodal post, thanks for including this video!

    1. Magic: The Gathering(MTG).

      I began playing Magic in middle school, and got pretty serious over a few years, to the point where I was entered in some local competitions, had a few complete sets (I forget what a version of cards was called...), and had developed some pretty serious battle-tested decks. I liked playing Magic a lot.

    1. need to tear down the current educational institution to then voice their ideas of the benefits of games in learning?

      Perhaps because schools and schooling is, by design, inequitable?

    2. in proven results and data.

      Such as?

    3. to engage more thoroughly with the content.

      How does "thorough engagement" relate to learning?

    4. validity

      What do you mean by validity here?