EDUCAUSE | Simulations

ELI Immersive Learning Environments Focus Session--March 27-28, Raleigh

ecoghlan — Mon, 12 Feb 2007 13:50:56 -0600

How can immersive learning environments (ILEs)—virtual reality, games, simulations, and the like—be used to support teaching and learning? Find out at the ELI Spring Focus Session 2007, March 27–28 in Raleigh, North Carolina. The session will cover:

The effective pedagogical uses of ILEs and their impact on learner engagement
The interactive capabilities of ILEs that encourage the development of creative thinking and problem-solving skills through direct engagement
Implementation issues, such as design challenges, technical constraints, curriculum integration, and faculty development

View the program and speaker list.

NOTE: EVENT NOW SOLD OUT.

An interview with the University of Tennessee's Barbara Dewey and Julie Little

mpasiewicz — Wed, 19 Apr 2006 09:46:00 -0500

In this 19 minute recording, I sit down with University of Tennessee's Barbara Dewey and Julie Little. We'll learn about their information commons and touch briefly on the concept of a virtual commons, and highlight some potential challenges associated with designing systems so that they're usable on a variety of mobile devices.

An earlier interview with Julie at last year's EDUCAUSE Annual Conference is also available, as is a recent one hosted by Jarrett Cummings. Julie has also published a podcast introducing their information commons.

This interview is provided courtesy of CNI and was recorded at their 2006 Spring Task Force Meeting. The Coalition for Networked Information (CNI) is an organization dedicated to supporting the transformative promise of networked information technology for the advancement of scholarly communication and the enrichment of intellectual productivity. You can learn more about CNI at their web site, http://www.cni.org

Learnitology Podcast 6 - Educational Gaming

cclark2 — Thu, 30 Mar 2006 18:36:56 -0600

"Educational Gaming" is the topic of the sixth Learnitology Podcast from Notre Dame. It is part four of a series on the 2006 Horizon Report. You can subscribe to the podcast through iTunes.

OK, Now I get Games as Simulations

pkscout — Sat, 01 Oct 2005 12:59:17 -0500

You know, for the longest time I didn't get folks who talked about using PC games as teaching simulations. I mean, what could you learn running around shooting stuff.

Well, that was my bad. I admit, I've never played any of these games, but this week I saw a story that created that "ah ha!" moment for me.

Folks playing World of Warcraft found themselves faced with a deadly plague unleashed accidently by some very high level players who survived an encounter with a particularily nasty foe.

In of itself this wasn't very interesting to me except for two things. First, the World of Warcraft programmers had never intended for the plague to get out of the dungeon in which the players confronted it. Second, once the plague was out, it didn't just infect other players but also the simulated town folks.

Gamemasters were forced to use some of the same tactics for controling outbreaks that we see the CDC use. If games are getting sophisticated enough that even their creators and controllers can't predict the consequences of actions, I totally get know their value as teaching tools.