Learning Virtually Anywhere

Spoon feed me.
While I scream at you.

The shift is more than
from read to read/write.

The 3Rs of learning
REALISM
RELEVANCE
RESONANCE
The dynamics of curriculum development

Informal learning shapes our world view - it’s messy.

Inside Human Networks...
Knowledge is socially
constructed online –
good information is
spread, where as bad
information is healed.
Facebook, Digg, Twitter, Wikipedia, Runescape.

Wikipedia says errors
and vandalism are
repaired on average
in FOUR minutes.
Information is not right/wrong - it is in flux

Web1.0
The internet augmented print
Web2.0
The internet augments people

http://bit.ly/2IWEi

MAGICAL THINGS

The cause of exploration
and discovery is not an
option we choose
It’s a desire written
in the human heart.
George W. Bush, 2003

We are magicians, not technicians

We
Look
Act
Think
differently

School+
Home+
Mobile+
Internet+
People=
Learning Environment

Use existing embodiment of skills
in youth online (games/networks)
Teachers must CREATE
RESONANCE between
Desirable learning outcomes

WHY?

1:10 students stand on stage.
9:10 never will.
What does this teach?

If exams don’t work
then we need to
develop new
assessment methods.

Culture of
Participation
Henry Jenkins, 2008
Anyone
see the
problem?

21st Century Capabilities
Achievement – advancing knowledge, learning new
skills, challenging others, winning
Social Action– Helping others, making friends, self‐
discovery and disclosure, collaboration, group success,
authentic
Playful Discovery – when learning is enquiry driven
Immersive – discovery, exploration, role playing,
escapism, safe fail, customisation, appearance,
representation, serious games, authentic issues

Can this be used in assessment?

NSW 1:1 Laptop Policy Mapped
What is important to the system?

How is this useful classroom feedback?

Technology as an enabler
More exciting
I want to do it..
Responsive Feedback
I know where I am in this..
Social Commitment
I enjoy working well with others..
Goal Orientated
We can figure it out, I can win.

Student Behavior changes when
When the work is satisfying
When kids experience being good at it
Spending time with people they like
Being to be part of something bigger
When their problem feels real.

BEYOND
WIKIS ...

“the purpose of all
video games is to
train a player to work
harder while still
enjoying it”
Nick Yee

We must collaborate
or perish - across
borders cultures,
disciplines and firms,
and increasingly with
masses of people at
one time
Can I learn to do
as a Jedi please?

Game Based learning
Pew Generations Wii
Online (2009) “Kids Xbox
spend more time in PS2/3
social games than
in social networks Mobile Phones
such as MySpace DS
and Facebook” PSP

Gaming is mobile.
Xbox Live - via iPhone
Identity, Reputation and Connectedness

Convergence has already happened.

We have curriculum in WoW - Cognitive Dissonance

Games have crossed into lifestyle and Identity
and around 43% of gamers are female.

Reputation is authority

THE RIPPLE EFFECT
Games teach all the soft skills your
students are ever going to need.
(In fact they probably already did)

Over 1.2 million registered contributors
Over 70,000 content pages
Over 36,000 images
Over 500 million page views

Games teach.

SHARED REALITY

Our ‘shared’ reality
Bluetooth
Wifi
3G
Portables
Augments and enables
the experiences

Our ‘shared’ reality
Embodied In Experienced through
IWBs Web2.0 Read/Write Web
Keyboards MUVES (Virtual Worlds)
Mobiles (Smart Phones) (Second Life, Quest Atlantis)
Cameras Game Platforms
(Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft, PC)
Audio Recorders
MMOs (Social Games)
Controllers (Halo, Warcraft, Aion, Runescape)
Accelerometers A/Synchronous conversation
Gesture Controls (MSN, Skype, GChat, Vent, Twitter)
Geo‐tracking Bored of Studies
Point of View Facebook, Bebo, MySpace

‘virtual’ enables ‘real’ motivation
Connecting virtual
spaces to local reality
Embedding holistic
outcomes into playful
activities
Allow unexpected
missions and outcomes
that shape learning

WALKTHROUGH
What can you do to jump into this?

The soft 21C skills
Critical Thinking Define what they
Collaboration they are in your
context.
C0-Production
Organisation
Goal Orientated Effort
Communication

Problem:
Soft skills are hard to
assess in a framework
that was not designed
with games, social
media and mass
collaboration in mind.
Solution:
Create a framework that does.

Planet Intelligent - world view, social
commitments, environment awareness,
cultural sensitivity ...
People Intelligent - co-operative,
collaborative, empathy, ideological,
language, communication ...
Participation Intelligent - collective
action, community support, negotiating
goals, managing workload ...

21st Century learning outcomes
Planet / People / Participation
Syllabus learning outcomes

Thanks.
Dean Groom
Head Educational Development
Macquarie University
“Go with honour”