Game To Learn: Take 2! schedule

Friday 18th March 2011

• Can We Afford to Use Games, Simulations, and Virtual Worlds in Education?

  by dlivingstone

  Computer games, simulations and virtual worlds have made significant inroads into education and training. This is driven by a desire to improve engagement or to immerse learning in realistic simulated settings, but often limited by economics and resources. How much does it really cost to use games in education, and how can we maximise the gains while minimising the cost?

  Open Education initiatives hint at solutions, but there are some particular challenges in opening access to virtual world, game and simulation educational resources, and in integrating learning and assessment from these into existing systems and practices.

  At 10:10am to 10:40am, Friday 18th March

• Is There Really a Place for Fun and Games in Adult Learning?

  by Nicola Whitton

  Games have the power to engage and motivate learners by providing rich, experiential learning environments. In Higher and Further Education, however, there is increasing pressure for institutions to provide ‘value for money’ learning experiences, and students take their increasingly expensive educations very seriously. This raises the question of whether games – even serious ones – are appropriate or acceptable in our universities and colleges.

  At 10:40am to 11:10am, Friday 18th March

• Persist or Die: Learning in World of Warcraft

  by Michelle A. Hoyle

  “All you need to understand is everything you know is wrong.” —Weird Al

  My mother told me cleaning toilets builds character if done repeatedly. The other night five friends spent more than three hours dying over and over again while playing World of Warcraft (WoW). She never said anything about dying. I found cleaning toilets only gets you clean toilets. Dying and playing, however, teaches you important things. Demons, dragons, dwarves, and possibly folklore, you could see, but learning, love, and leadership?

  Sounds crazy, but it’s true: World of Warcraft has something to say about learning. Prepare yourself, because everything you thought you knew is wrong.

  At 2:00pm to 2:30pm, Friday 18th March

  Coverage video slide deck

Saturday 19th March 2011

• What Can We Learn About Assessment from Video Games?

  by Derek P Robertson

  When you watch children play video games, have you ever thought about how the progress they make and the skill levels they attain can be linked to assessment – a vital ingredient in the teaching and learning process? It is clear that ‘learning’ is happening when children play games, but how is the assessment of this learning happening and what is it about the world of the video game that encourages and nurtures this apparent intrinsic motivation to improve performance?

  In this presentation, Derek Robertson will use a range of media to show how assessment through games is directly linked to the principles of assessment as detailed in Building the Curriculum 5. He will also show how Scottish teachers have become central to the growth of games-based learning in schools.

  At 10:10am to 10:40am, Saturday 19th March