The document discusses using games and multimedia in education. It notes that today's students are immersed in technology and that games can provide engaging, hands-on learning. The document suggests incorporating gaming into classrooms to better teach students through meaningful choices, collaboration, and problem-solving in simulated environments.

1. MULTIMEDIA AND GAMING

2. Today’s Agenda Session Objectives – Participants will: Discuss Game-Based Learning (GBL), its application to higher level learning, and the direction of educational technology in the early 21st century Create simple video games by exploring powerful, user-friendly game design applications Create a video game to save and take home Experience the hands-on constructivist learning that engages today’s students Gain knowledge of gaming resources online, adaptable curriculum, and affordable gaming solutions for the classroom Take back ideas to incorporate gaming into the classroom

3. Who Are We Teaching? “ Today’s students are no longer the people our educational system was designed to teach .” ~Marc Prensky, Author (“Don’t Bother Me Mom . . . I’m Learning, and “Digital Game-Based Learning”)

4. Today’s College Freshman: A Fish in Water – Technology Immersion Text Messages (IM, SMS) Email Online Coursework Wireless web (Sidekick, Blackberry) Video Games (Xbox 360, Wii, Playstation) Skype Virtual Worlds (World of Warcraft, Rune, Neverwinter Nights, Second Life, Active Worlds) Social Networking (Facebook, MySpace) iPod (podcasts, music, video) Concept from “ Don’t Be Overwhelmed by Technology—Get a Grip,” Reader’s Digest, January 2008, quote by Griffin Kiritsy, University of New Hampshire freshman, http://www.rd.com/content/dont-be-overwhelmed-by-technology-get-a-grip/?taxoLink =

5. What is Literacy? The illiterate of the 21 st century will not be those who cannot read or write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn .” ~Alvin Toffler

6. Education in the Industrial Age The way we were taught If there were any people of color, they were made out to be strange, foreign different… NMSU Matrix Project

7. Classrooms Yesterday and Today… NMSU Matrix Project

8. Students today… NMSU Matrix Project

9. The Way the World is… NMSU Matrix Project

10. Think About This . . . What does it mean when our children are doing things that we have never experienced? What is the echo of the baby boom ? How is technology affecting it? What was your experience with games when you were growing up? NMSU Matrix Project

11. What do we know about engaged learning? Learning is a social and cultural activity How we learn something can be more important than what we learn. NMSU Matrix Project

12. Teaching for Engaged Learning- Six suggestions from the Research Provide multiple ways for students to learn and demonstrate learning including (UDL - Universal Design for Learning) Support student-focused learning Consider errors as opportunities to understand student thinking NMSU Matrix Project

13. Teaching for Engaged Learning- Six suggestions from the Research Encourage student thinking & metacognition Plan opportunities for knowledge construction by inquiry learning Follow the Nintendo Principle: Ensure there is enough feedback that students always know how they are doing NMSU Matrix Project

14. Big ideas Students are different now / we should be teaching differently Gaming is supported with research Gaming is good for kids Using games in the classroom entails risk More questions than answers Wiebe

15. What is a game? What’s your definition?

16. What is a game? “ A series of meaningful choices” “ One or more linked challenges in a simulated environment” “ Exceptionally tasty patterns of reality” What is a video game? Wiebe

17. Can we agree? Difficult & meaningful choices in a simulated reality Wiebe

18. Kids are different today than they were 30 years ago? Wiebe

19. 30 years does make a difference! (Wiebe) Long hair Rolling Stones Pay phone Pop tops Baby boomers Longing for hair Kidney stones Cell phone Laptops iKids Wiebe 1975 2005

20. DIFFERENT GAMES Galaga 1985 Wiebe

21. Solve the problem Games haven’t gotten simpler over time They’ve gotten more complex Why? Because the brain demands it Wiebe

22. Who are the iKids? Center of their world is the Internet Don’t know a world without cell phones, CDs, computers, or on-demand music “ Second generation ” technology users ( “Digital Natives”) 95% of teenagers access the Web every day 75% use the Internet rather than library 80% instant message at least once a week 8 million new blogs in the last year / many created by students Wiebe

23. Wiebe

24. Why do games work? Why do we laugh? The brain is social , creating community and finding ways to belong to groups Games can encourage / support group and collaborative learning Wiebe

25. Why do games work? Basic idea? Quality games create high levels of learning High levels of learning result in high levels of pleasure brain chemicals People like high levels of pleasure Wiebe

26. Why Games Engage Us (Prensky) Fun Play Rules Goals Interactive Outcomes & Feedback Adaptive Win states Conflict, competition Problem solving Interaction with people Representation & Story Enjoyment and Pleasure Intense involvement Structure Motivation Doing Learning Flow Ego Gratification Adrenaline Creativity Social Groups Emotion http://www.marcprensky.com

27. Five Things We Learn from Games (Prenksy/simplified) How (to do things) What (Rules) Why (Strategies) Where (Environment) When / Whether (Ethics) http://www.marcprensky.com

28. So . . . use games because they Teach how problems can be approached from multiple points of view Build key life-long skills: Decision making, problem solving, team building and information sharing Encourage students to use their initiative and creativity Especially writing skills and multimedia Wiebe

29. ANY QUERIES