On Friday night I attended the Naace Impact Awards and I was absolutely delighted that Derek Robertson won the award in the category for, ‘Adviser or Consultant or Support Service’. This was for his work on leading the Consolarium Games Based Learning and Games Design project in Scotland.
I’ve know Derek for a long time and I have also spent some time working within his team at the Consolarium during the early days of my secondment to what was Learning and Teaching Scotland.
The Consolaroum project was started in 2006 but Derek’s interest in Games in Schools stretches back to the 1980s when he was a Primary School Teacher in Dundee City.
The video below, that was prepared for the awards ceremony tells Derek’s story (it was also great fun to make!):
Derek has been an inspiration to work with. He is a whirlwind of ideas and enthusiasm. He is a person who generally wants to make learning exciting, real and relevant for young children. I can think of no one else who I would have rather seen get up on stage on Friday night to receive the award.
The Sunday Times Festival of Education at Wellington College (near Reading) seems like a long time ago (June 2011). I was presenting under the technologies strand (which was supported by Microsoft).
My presentation was on Computer Games Based Learning in Education and really serves as a summary for a number of projects I have been involved in over the last few years and some of my current thinking within this area.
Last week I was on the introductory panel at a Learning and Teaching Scotland and Creative Scotland Conference where the purpose was to discuss Moving Image Education and Digital Media in CfE.
Now as I said in my opening statement to the conference I don’t pretend to know very much about moving image education. I do know a little more about digital media and its use in education.
The task I was in 5-10 minutes give an answer to the question:
“What do moving image education, multimodal learning and digital media literacy mean in the 21st Century?”
Here are the sides I used to illustrate my ten-minute introductory ramble:
I started off by challenging stereotypes of moving image education (MIE). Explaining that in my experience many teachers do not really know what MIE is. Common confusions include the history of film, the history of animation and just showing children films.
I mentioned that although these common steriotypes are an important aspect of moving image education we can’t afford to get stuck in the past. MIE should also not just be about film – I used the development of Nintendo’s Mario Character to help illustrate this.
I mentioned that perhaps we get far to tied down arguing the definition of MIE and not enough time promoting it in the classroom. I don’t see the point of arguing a definition – we will probably never agree and I would prefer just to call many aspects of MIE good learning and teaching. If that’s is what it really is.
I explained that we need to make sure that the MIE agenda is tied into wider policy developments both in Scotland and the rest of the UK. For example, if we are serious about MIE contribution to a future Scottish knowledge (or other) economy then we need to challenge why schools were not mentions in the Digital Economy chapter of the recent Scotland’s Digital Future Report.
Elsewhere in the UK the Hope and Livingstone Review (titled: Next Gen.) talks about transforming the UK into the worlds leading talent hub for the video games and visual effects industry.
MIE needs to linked to all of this wider policy rather than trying to carve its own path and re-invent itself.
We also need to make sure that practitioners have a better understanding of how digital literacy fits into a Curriculum for Excellence (Scotland’s new curriculum).
I am learning to assess and manage risk, to protect myself and others, and to reduce the potential for harm when possible.
...is the most important outcome in the CfE Experiences and Outcomes. Why? because it is the only outcome that reminds practitioners that keeping children safe on-line is everyone’s responsibility.
However, one big issue presented by an experience based curriculum is that it is open to interpretation. What do we do about the practisoners that look at the above outcome and don’t see that this means ‘digital word’?
To help me develop an informed view, I am exploring the techniques used to influence my opinion. I can recognise persuasion and assess the reliability of information and credibility and value of my resources.
... again, we need to make sure that practitioners understand that this DOES NOT just mean traditional text. It means all forms of media including traditional text, digital text, images and moving images.
Being able to assess the reliability of all forms of media is an important skill for young people because they need to apply the same skills and techniques to assess the credibility of people them meet online.
Everything needs to be more joined up. Aspects of MIE and digital literacy need to be an invisible in a classroom and a key part of a teachers pedagogical pencil case.
I also stated that although young people being able to use, understand and interpret digital content was important. We also needed to ask some bigger questions regarding access. Currently and in the future most young people will access moving image digitally. BUT all over the UK there are still schools where the playing of digital videos (downloaded and streaming) is blocked due to firewalls and/or bandwidth.
Finally, I stated that MIE needs to be forward looking and forward thinking. I finished my presentation by showing four videos that I had spiced together of different types of moving image education.
1) The first was from Kahn Academy – over 1 million views a week of people wanting to learn maths. Some people would say that this is not moving image education – of course it is! It moves and you can learn from it! Just because it does not fit into your personal definition of what MIE is does not mean you should dismiss it. Kahn Academy is accessed via YouTube.
More information about Kahn Academy below:
2) The second video demonstrated how YouTube Videos are now also interactive. You can add hot spots to the video that allows learners to change the direction of the story and interact with the characters and plot.
I showed part of the example below:
3) The third video takes things a stage further where you are no longer interacting with the click of a mouse. The Microsoft xbox Kinect allows you to interact with the images and characters without the need of a peripheral controller. It is heavily immersive and the technology opens up all sorts of new possibilities.
I showed a short clip from Kinectimals:
4) Lastly, a showed a video of how game play is likely to evolve. Again using the Microsoft xbox Kinect where the camera on the games console recognises your facial expressions and then is able to able to respond to your mood.
I illustrated this with a clip from Microsoft Research Project Milo:
Finally, I concluded, that perhaps the biggest danger and threat to MIE in schools is getting stuck in the past and the term MIE itself?
Cross posted on LTS Technologies for Learning Blog
If I asked a friend (I do have some!) who doesn’t work in Scottish Education what the chances would be of getting a group of teachers together on a Saturday to discuss Scottish Education, teaching and learning. They would probably say, ‘not very likely!’
Of course nothing could be further from the truth. Scottish Educators are continuously giving up their own time to swap ideas, discuss strategies, share interesting practice and form professional learning & support networks.
As you can imagine from the conference title the main purpose of the day was to share practice in games based learning technologies. Scotland remains a strong world leader in this important field with a published research record.
It is important to remember that the Game to Learn Conference is not an isolated event last Tuesday over 70 teachers gave up their evening to attend TeachMeet Fife. Again an event designed to allow classroom practitioners swap ideas and share interesting practice. Another teacher-organized TeachMeet event was happening at the Naace Conference in Reading on the same evening. 15 people from Scotland beamed into this event over videoconference to gather some tips, advice and free CPD from colleagues in parts of the UK.
There are two things that are special about all the events I have described above. Firstly, they are all free to attend and secondly they are attended by some of the most professional, enthusiastic and committed Scottish educators you will ever meet. We are lucky to have these professionals working to improve the lives of children and families in Scotland.
Finally, if your looking for some CPD Opertunities - check out CPD Find.
If you want to know why these people all look so excited, happy and engaged in their learning.
You need to read the Consolarium Blog Post about the Geocaching workshop that we ran as part of the recent Consolarium and JISC Game to Learn Conference in Dundee.
There is no doubt about it computer games are addictive that is one of the reasons that games like Angry Birds and Farmville have done so well in recent years. Why? Well, computer games are well made.
A recent report from the BBC references a government advisor (presumably from Westminster?) who warns that adolescent addiction to computer games is set to rise steeply over the next few years.
There is no doubt in my mind that computer game addiction will rise over the next few years.
The reasons for this are simple. We will have more games than ever before, greater access to technology than ever before and more teenagers than ever before. But it is important to remember that addiction to gaming is not new – people have been addicted to card games for years (its called gambling…).
However, making these basic comparisons are not really the point of this short article. My point with the BBC story is something that I have been talking about for years and concerns emotional intelligence – lots of people disagree with me on this one.
In the BBC piece it comes across that Jane Whalley (the mother of addicted son, Jack) blames the game for her son’s addiction. Jack who is obviously over 18 because he states that his favorite game is ‘Call of Duty’ where you go around ‘shooting things up’. Everyone knows that Call of Duty has a PEGI 18 age rating on it.
Hmmmmmmmmm, or maybe Jack has been playing games that he is not emotionally ready for? I wonder what we can learn from this? From an education perspective one thing is for sure. We probably need to do more surroundingteaching about games as well as how games can be used for learning.
What ever happens we can not let the media reporting incidents like this in any way impact on the good work that is going on in many schools. Games based learning has huge potential in education as has been demonstrated by the Learning and Teaching Scotland Consolarium time and time again.
If you want to find out more about Games Based Learning in Scottish Schools why not come to our Games to Learn – take 2 Conference being organsied by JISC and the LTSConsolarium on March 19th 2011.
Listen to the key speakers in the field, try out some of the latest ’serious games’ or design your own and see for yourself how games can offer more than simple entertainment. It’s also an ideal opportunity to meet with others to discuss how we can all benefit from the application of gaming technology.
The conference is free to attend and you can register for one day, two days or all three days. All of the games based learning in schools content will be on the 19th March (Saturday) which means there should be no problem with class cover or being let out of school.
Conference Highlights include:
Thursday 17th March
24hr Codebash – we have recruited 10 games developers who have kindly agreed to spend a day working with subject specialists to create an educational game. Teams of 2 (developer & specialist) will be randomly chosen and will have 24 hours to come up with a game and accompanying lesson plan to be presented on the Friday. Prizes will be awarded for the most inspiring examples!
If you would like to put your name forward to develop, then please send an email to: codebash@rsc-ne-scotland.ac.uk, with your name, subject area and institution/organisation name.
Friday 18th March
The first day of the conference proper will be hosted by Dundee College – with an exciting line-up of keynotes, seminars and hands-on sessions. The output from Thursday’s codebash will also be on display, with the chance to speak to the teams who have worked through the night on their games (okay, well maybe not the whole night).
The target audience for Friday is staff from schools, college and universities – though others with an interest in games-based learning are welcome to register. For the full programme, visit the Friday Programme page.
Saturday 19th March
Hosted at the University of Abertay Dundee, this part of the conference has been organised by Learning and Teaching Scotland’s Consolarium and focuses on the use of games within schools. A series of presentations in the morning highlights how games have been used to great effect with learners. In the afternoon, delegates can choose from 10 workshops which will get them started on the journey to employing games-based learning with their own students.
The target audience for Saturday is school staff and student teachers. Others are free to register, but preference will be given to delegates from these institutions. For the full programme, visit the Saturday Programme page.
Unless you have been asleep for the last few weeks you will have heard that the latest development to the Microsoft xBox platform has been released. Its called Microsoft Kinect (code named Project Natal until fairly recently).
Kinect is a webcam-style add-on peripheral for the Xbox 360 console (in fact it contains three cameras!). It enables users to control and interact with their Xbox 360 without the need to touch a game controller.
Instead your entire body is scanned and digitized in real time by the camera in the Kinect sensor, and whatever movements you make, your on-screen character can mimic. You can also control your xBox by speaking to it or holding up objects that the sensor recognizes. It is surprisingly accurate and actually quite magical.
I was lucky enough to pick up a Kinect on launch day and after a quick go in the shop I was convinced that I just had to have one. We have also now received our delivery for the Consolarium and we hope to have a few of these devices out in schools soon.
I love some of the little features that are built into game play. For example I like it that you can collect accessories for your xBox Live avatar (I have a sweat band and a baseball cap already!) and that the Kinect camera takes pictures of you at different times.
Games for Kinect are a little bit limited at the moment but the ones suitable for education include:
Kinect Adventures(comes with Kinect)
Kinect Adventures uses full body motion to allow you to play a variety of minigames, all of which feature jump-in / jump-out multiplayer play.
Each mini-game lasts about three minutes and titles include 20,000 Leaks, River Rush, Rally Ball, Reflex Ridge and Space Pop.
Kinectimals
In Kinectimals you can interact with virtual wild cat cubs after you adopt one in fur town. Once you have adopted your cub you can do a variety of things with it including teaching it tricks, guiding the animal around an obstacle course, feeding and caring for your animal.
I really can’t wait to explore this game more and I’m also interested in how it utilizes Microsoft Tag as an additional game play feature.
Kinect Dance Central
Dance Central comes from the creators of Guitar Hero (so it was always going to be a hit with the Consolarium Team) and considering our recent efforts on Just Dance for the Wii we have all be practicing hard!
In Dance Central gameplay involves performing set dance moves which are tracked by Kinect and represented on the screen by one of eight game characters. The game features over 650 different dance moves spanning over 90 dance routines. I love the fact that it tracks your feet and hands and not just your legs (dance mats) and hands (wii).
Kinect Sports
Kinect Sports allows multiple players to engage in six different motion-controlled sports. The sports included are Bowling, Boxing, Track and field (Includes Hurdles, Sprint, Javelin, Discus Throw and Long Jump), Table Tennis, Football (Soccer) and Beach Volleyball.
As well as competing against a partner you can also play the game in ‘Sports Party’ mode and this allows you to rally a whole room (or class!) full of players into teams.
I’ve now had an opportunity to spend a little bit of time with all of these titles now and they are great fun with loads of potential. I also think that one of the interesting things that the Kinect will do is change the location of the xBox in the home by bringing it from the bedroom into the family room. In the same way that you find Nintendo Wii’s in many people’s living rooms. One of the reasons for this is space - you do need a lot of space to use Kinect. But the other reason is that lots of the games are really playful and will encourage inter-generation gaming and good honest family fun! Really can’t wait to get this into a few classrooms.
Using contextual hubs to create powerful learning environments
What can we learn from games to inform pedagogy?
The importance of getting children to create as well as trying to consume content
Why it is important to teach about games
You can watch the full video here and I’ll post the slides and a more detailed description of what I covered over on the Consolarium blog soon. You can also watch the videos from the other FOTE presenters.
FOTE is a good idea – it is free to attend and consists of short 20-minute presentations by people from a variety of backgrounds. It is also a good networking opportunity and attracts nearly 400 delegates – this year it sold out in just under 90 minutes. Most of the audience come from the further and higher education sector.
One of the things that FOTE does well is its pre conference website and its during conference sharing. Other conference organizers could learn a lot from what they do here.
Also, during the conference it is live streamed and also broadcast within Second Life. Both of these things are fairly easy to do but again it allows for more remote participation and attracts a wider variety of audience.
Chris Smith (who runs the popular education website shambles.net) just stumbled across the conference on the morning that it was due to start. He tuned in via second life and twitter – and even though he lives in Thailand he was able to participate as a full conference delegate.
Usefully, Chris has posted some of his conference feedback as a Screener recording:
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