Web Seminars Contributed by EDUCAUSE, Games and Gaming, and Presentations/Speeches

Powerful But Not a Panacea: Virtual Worlds as a Tool for Situational Learning

Added by the EDUCAUSE Librarian
Title:Powerful But Not a Panacea: Virtual Worlds as a Tool for Situational Learning (ID: ELIWEB082)
Author(s):Aaron Delwiche (Trinity University)
Origin:ELI Web Seminars, Web Seminars Contributed by EDUCAUSE (02/19/2008)
Type:Presentations/Speeches
Abstract:

Once relegated to the fringes of the games industry, virtual worlds such as Second Life are now viewed as a promising instructional platform. College instructors use this emerging technology to teach courses on topics ranging from architecture and anthropology to history, literature and computer programming, and a growing number of Fortune 500 companies conduct employee training in virtual worlds. In 2007 alone, educational institutions were responsible for the creation of more than 1,200 islands in Second Life.

While many educators are excited about the potential of virtual worlds, others are deeply wary. Some fear that virtual worlds are a faddish technology that actually degrades student learning. In this presentation, Professor Aaron Delwiche of Trinity University suggests that there are grounds for both enthusiasm and skepticism. Virtual worlds are certainly not an educational panacea, and they present many challenges for students, instructors, and administrators. When coupled with thoughtful strategies grounded in situated learning theory, however, these emerging technologies can be very powerful educational tools.

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Emerging Worlds: Transformative Technologies for Teaching and Learning

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Title:Emerging Worlds: Transformative Technologies for Teaching and Learning (ID: ELIWEB079)
Author(s):Bryan Alexander (National Institute for Technology and Liberal Education (NITLE))
Origin:ELI Web Seminars, Web Seminars Contributed by EDUCAUSE (09/17/2007)
Type:Presentations/Speeches
Abstract:

Web 2.0 projects have rapidly expanded into a world of social media. From blogs to podcasts, millions of people have published and shared a growing amount of digital content. At the same time virtual worlds have grown in popularity, from massively multiplayer games like World of Warcraft to metaverse projects like Second Life. How do these two movements apply to higher education? Where do Web 2.0 and the metaverse connect? What trends are emerging for the near future?

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Assessing What Students Learn in Technology-Based Learning Environments

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Title:Assessing What Students Learn in Technology-Based Learning Environments (ID: ELIWEB069)
Author(s):Peggy Maki
Origin:ELI Web Seminars, Web Seminars Contributed by EDUCAUSE (2006)
Type:Presentations/Speeches
Abstract:

Virtual simulations, role-playing in games, discussion boards, and shared spaces are among the growing kinds of options educators are using to foster student learning. Aside from the efficiency of delivery and students' generally positive response to technology-based instruction, how can we learn about the efficacy of teaching and learning through technology?

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An Instructional Designer Looks at Digital Game-Based Learning

Added by the EDUCAUSE Librarian
Title:An Instructional Designer Looks at Digital Game-Based Learning (ID: ELIWEB065)
Author(s):Richard Van Eck (University of North Dakota)
Origin:ELI Web Seminars, Web Seminars Contributed by EDUCAUSE (2006)
Type:Presentations/Speeches
Abstract:

The potential of digital game-based learning remains largely unrealized, in part because designers of "edutainment" games have never understood how and why games are effective and how to align curriculum with the game world without "sucking the fun out" of the games (according to Marc Prensky). This has led some to believe that educators and instructional designers should never be allowed near a game. The failures of the edutainment industry largely result from poorly understood theory and a lack of alignment between the worlds of education and games. Games succeed precisely because they employ sound pedagogical approaches such as situated cognition, cognitive disequilibrium, and scaffolding to teach what is needed to succeed in the game. By examining the underlying principles of games and aligning them with educational theory and learning outcomes, it IS possible to create effective blended game-based learning. Instructional design is ideally positioned to guide this process. This presentation provides an overview of some of the theories that underlie games AND effective learning and explains how to align these two worlds.

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