What a concept: Engage players in a "real world" quest that brings them together at a famous institution to kick off an online game for social change – not just game-changing but aiming to be world-changing (or to help players be change agents). Quest #1: If you're 18+ and want to be one of the first 500 people to play Find the Future, go on the "overnight adventure of a lifetime," and write a … [Read more...] about McGonigal’s latest game for social change
education technology
Why videogames are good for learners
As a gamer – to some extent, not entirely, but enough – you're master of your own fate, and when you're not, you can find help. You're not only in an environment, you're in an experience too – one that changes as you work and conquer problems and keep getting better. So it's progressive but self-paced – but also social, so less boring than purely self-paced. There are rules, but they're like … [Read more...] about Why videogames are good for learners
Toward social media tools in school
You all may have noticed I'm a strong proponent of educational social media in school – in the core curriculum, pre-K-12. Why? So students can not only collaborate in basic civic engagement (the class being a tiny community in which they're engaging) and maybe broader participation beyond the classroom, but also practice media, tech, and social literacy (citizenship) while they're in core classes. … [Read more...] about Toward social media tools in school
iPads to be required in Tenn. school
It's a new twist on a 1:1 laptop program. The 1,050-student, private Web School in Knoxville, Tenn., will require all students from Grade 4 on up to bring an iPad to school next year, The Journal reports. "Administrators and teachers have been mulling over a 1:1 computer program for the last 17 years," the school's tech director told The Journal, but the timing has never been right, with obstacles … [Read more...] about iPads to be required in Tenn. school
Can this be played in school? Please?
I'm asking you, educators. EVOKE sounded amazing, when I heard it described by game designer Jane McGonigal on NPR's Science Friday the other day. The goal of this free social game is to "help empower people all over the world to develop creative solutions to urgent social problems" – beyond "mere" civic engagement to social problem-solving. Of course EVOKE isn't the only social-media teaching … [Read more...] about Can this be played in school? Please?