This keynote presentation discusses using an alternate reality game (ARG) to teach a class about digital literacy, creativity, and curiosity. The instructor worked with students over 12 weeks to solve puzzles and clues related to a fictional character named Rufi Franzen. Students collaborated online and worked to unravel the mystery. In the finale, the class revealed a video they created about Rufi that was shown on a large screen in a famous city. Student feedback showed the ARG approach was a transformative learning experience that developed their problem-solving, collaboration, and engagement with course material.

1. Keynote Presentation for the EDEN Research Workshop, KU Leuven, Belgium, October 2012!
The Creative and the Curious:
When learners roam free!
!
Helen Keegan
National Teaching Fellow, Higher Education Academy
Senior Lecturer, University of Salford, MediaCity UK

2. New Spaces, New Pedagogies
Blurring boundaries:
- Learners
- Educators
- Experts
- Institutions
- Disciplines
ECOSYSTEM:
ISSUES
AND
CHALLENGES
Transdisciplinarity in Networked
Spaces (Burnett 2011)
‘Epistemological reboot’ (Balsamo
2011)
Open, Social, Mobile, Networked, Responsive, Flexible

3. Identities

4. PHOTO
SLIDESHOW
Produsage

5. Disciplines
PHOTO
SLIDESHOW

6. #

7. Flexibility, openness and designing for change
Courses as hashtags
#cck08
#change11
#ds106

8. Networked Creativity:
International
Collaborations

9. #ELVSS12 - Entertainment Lab for the Very Small Screen

10. #ELVSS12 - Example student planning Google doc/dialogue

11. #ELVSS12
Example !
tutor docs

12. #ELVSS12!
Student hangouts

13. #ELVSS12 Tutor-student hangouts

14. Networks and the Power of
the Hashtag

15. Modelling network and media literacies
Using Instagram
and Twitter to
connect ‘live’ with
#psvtam and
#mscsm students
from AoIR
Internet Research
conference
Demonstrating
network
connections;
modeling
behaviours
@nancybaym feat. @solobasssteve at #ir12, 12 Oct 2011

16. The Eureka Moment

17. Leading to…

18. Negotiated
Curriculum

19. Driven by learner interests (19 Oct 2011)

20. Serendipity,
Opportunity

21. 20 Oct 2011

22. @cogdog skyping into class from U.S.
Storybox
h9p://cogdogblog.com/
storybox/
Telling us about his Storybox project - 21 Oct 2011

23. #mscsm watching on the small screen
Fascinated - 21 Oct 2011

24. Thanks @cogdog!
Reactions from students on Twitter - 21 Oct 2011

25. Opening up the
processes of
knowledge creation

26. Crowdsourcing lecture notes - #iCollab11
http://storify.com/heloukee/mscsm-week-6-convergence

27. Opening up the classroom
Undergraduate
student
a9ending
Postgraduate
class
à
Ex-­‐student
a9ending
Postgraduate
class
à
Mobile
learning:
learners
are
mobile
à
UG/PG: ex/current students: on/off campus

28. Mobile Creativity
“Travelling on trains gives me
time to shape ideas”
@ugfl – 2nd Year student

29. Digital literacies, digital citizenship
Attention
Critical thinking/filtering
Participation
Collaboration
Network smarts
(Rheingold, 2012)

30. Digital Identity, ownership, autonomy

31. Connections are key, BUT
HOW can we to move from active to passive?
HOW to move beyond target-driven behaviours?
HOW to ‘reboot’ our learners?

32. A tale of curiosity,
mystery and
intrigue

33. Alternate Reality Games
PARALLEL WORLD
Social learning
Problem solving
Active learning
Collaboration
Teamwork
Web literacy
‘Crap detection’

34. Curiosity, Mystery, Intrigue – and Assessment
VERSUS:
“I’m paying X amount per year”
“I just want a first”
Transformative learning
(Mezirow 1978) “What do I need to do to get a first?”

35. Hugh Garry and the 4 themes
Elements
of
the
crea^ve
process:
CURIOSITY
COLLECTING
IDEAS
CONNECTING
GETTING
YOUR
WORK
OUT
THERE

36. #PSVTAM
BSc Professional Sound and Video Technology
Advanced Multimedia (n=30)
• Digital identity
• Remix culture
• Copyright, licensing, ethics
• Participatory media production
• Mobile phone filmmaking
• Transmedia storytelling
• Critical media literacies

37. Go Beyond!
Dig Deep!
Question Everything!

40. The Game
How
to
get
from
Week
TOPIC
HERE
Week
1
Digital
Iden^ty/Online
Presence
Week
2
Remix
Culture/Par^cipatory
Culture
Week
3
Copyright,
licensing,
ethics
Week
4
Networks
and
Openness
Week
5
Huey
–
Guest
Lecture
Week
6
Transmedia/digital
storytelling
Week
7
Pocket
Cinema
Week
8
Mobile
Film
Project
Week
9
Mobile
Film
Project
Week
10
Mobile
Film
Project
Week
11
THE
REVEAL
(BBC
Big
Screen)
Week
12
BBC
Big
Screen
(2nd
showing)
To
HERE?

41. 91211

42. VIDEO: Down the Rabbit-hole

43. Quotes from Tweets:
“I’m so scared”
“This is creepy”
“I’m getting worried about this”
“Serious data protection implications”
“I have a red hot poker ready…”

44. Email (fire fighting)
Hi
all,
Thanks
to
you
lot
and
your
detec^ve
work
(and
geing
me
his
email
address
;)
I’ve
just
made
contact
with
the
mysterious
Rufi
Franzen.
Firstly,
you’ll
be
relieved
to
know
that
you
have
nothing
to
worry
about
in
terms
of
data
security
–
there
have
been
no
breaches
of
security.
I
can’t
say
any
more
at
the
moment
as
I’ve
been
sworn
to
secrecy,
so
I
need
you
to
trust
me
on
this.
What
I
do
know
is
that
this
is
going
somewhere
good
–
amazing
in
fact.
I
don’t
know
much
more
at
this
stage,
and
I’m
not
sure
I’m
going
to
be
told.
Anyway,
let’s
chat
about
it
tomorrow
–
remember
the
feedback
session
3-­‐5
in
3.34!
See
you
tomorrow.
This
is
crazy
–
but
ace.
Helen

45. Learners driving the curriculum

46. Solving puzzles, cracking codes

47. WHERE ✔
WHEN ✔
WHY ✖

49. On the eve of the reveal…
• Live Q+A
“Best
TV
programme
I’ve
watched
in
ages!”
(James)

50. Charles Leadbeater

51. 9.12.11

52. VIDEO: The Big Screen

53. The Reveal: Reactions

54. So was it worth the risk?
“Just
so
pleased
to
have
been
involved
in
this
ARG,
“this
is
something
I’ll
never
Rufi
will
live
forever!”
forget”
“Today
I
realized
just
how
amazing
the
small
things
in
life
can
be.
Yes,
this
is
a
massive
cliché
but,
yes,
it
“It
was
incredible,
we
all
is
true!”
watched
in
the
rain
as
passers
by
watched
the
“This
was
a
fantas^c
learning
work
we
had
created,
experience;
The
intrigue,
the
broadcast
on
a
huge
screen
teamwork,
the
puzzle
solving;
in
one
of
the
most
famous
Everyone
who
has
taken
part
in
ci^es
in
the
world.
the
process
has
brought
their
own
theories
and
ideas,
everyone
has
helped
solve
a
li9le
bit
of
the
puzzle.”
“I
wanna
do
it
again!”

55. Transformations
“I
will
always
remember
Rufi,
and
the
way
it
has
forced
me
to
think
about
certain
things.
“You
now
have
me
pouring
over
I’d
love
this
way
of
teaching
all
the
blogs.
The
subtlety
and
to
become
a
permanent
deliciousness
of
this
game
and
fixture
in
our
educa^on
how
you
all
dealt
with
each
system
(I’ve
just
wri9en
issue
on
a
day
to
day
basis
is
1200
words
on
a
Friday
staggering…
it
is
good
to
know
night
for
God’s
sake,
and
that
I
played
a
part
in
possibly
it’s
not
even
for
an
the
greatest
thing
I
have
ever
assignment!)”
been
exposed
to…”

56. "Education either functions as an instrument which is
used to facilitate integration of the younger generation
into the logic of the present system and bring about
conformity or it becomes the practice of freedom, the
means by which men and women deal critically and
creatively with reality and discover how to participate in
the transformation of their world." !
Paulo Freire (Pedagogy of the Oppressed)

57. The Creative and the Curious:
When learners roam free
Helen Keegan
National Teaching Fellow, Higher Education Academy
Senior Lecturer, University of Salford, MediaCity UK
Twitter: @heloukee
Blog: heloukee.wordpress.com