Do you hear what I hear? After reading Social Networking in Schools on the Huffington Post today, I recognized that nearly every project I’ve worked on over the past year has pointed towards a new round of convergence — a mash-up of social media, mobile media, game mechanics, assessment, and various forms of blended or self-directed study in […]
Trolling for Leeches, Netting Moths & 4th of July Fireflies
My fireworks this 4th of July were following naturalists E. O. Wilson, Peter Alden and 150 others around with a video camera as they tried to identify at least 2009 species within the confines of Walden Woods – the towns of Concord, Carlisle and Lincoln, Massachusetts on Walden Biodiversity Day. We won’t know how many […]
Virtual Play Patterns
My colleague Scott Traylor of 360 Kid regularly writes thoughtful and timely pieces about kids, toys and digital media, and his latest article for the May 2009 issue of Playthings Magazine is no exception. What Works For Virtual Play? – Questions to Ask About Web-enabled Toys takes a deep dive into play patterns of toys […]
Serious Games Showcase
Serious games and simulations embrace subjects as diverse as health care, emergency preparedness, world history, algebra, ethics, emotional intelligence, team building. Thanks to Eliane Alhadeff for showcasing some of this diversity in these slides.
The Future of Learning
Beginning this September New York City will be home to Quest to Learn, one of the most innovative 6-12th grade public schools in the country, that will use game design and game-inspired methods to teach critical 21st century skills and literacies. Created in collaboration with New Visions for Public Schools and the Institute of Play, […]
Is There a Downside to the Upside of Social Media?
Between the Susan Boyle phenomenon, participating in a panel discussion on the importance of social media in business as part of NYC Entrepreneur Week and watching clients eyes cross when I urge them to Twitter, I’ve been thinking a lot about social media lately. Is it only today’s flavor? Is there a downside we’re not […]
Susan Boyle Meets the (Social) Media
[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}” da_is_popup=”off” da_exit_intent=”off” da_has_close=”on” da_alt_close=”off” da_dark_close=”off” da_not_modal=”on” da_is_singular=”off” da_with_loader=”off” da_has_shadow=”on” da_disable_devices=”off|off|off”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.16″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.16″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” global_colors_info=”{}”] Just minutes after West Lothian phenom Susan Boyle walked onto the stage of Britian’s Got Talent last Saturday night, even snarky Simon Cowell’s heart was melting […]
Making Virtual Worlds Accessible
After developing educational technology products for Pearson and Scholastic, I’ve come to appreciate the value of creating products that are accessible to users with vision-, hearing- and learning-related disabilities. Whether because they are English language learners (ELL), have auditory or visual deficits, input/output disorders or other issues, it’s not only good karma and good business […]
Being There: the Game as Narrative
Narrative story telling has been part of the the human experience since we told tales of the days hunt around the fire, about what it was like to “be there” when this or that event happened. From that oral tradition, we learned to write them in pictures, then glyphs, and a succession of written languages and media […]
Spy vs. Spy
As a cold-war baby one of my favorite cartoon strips was Mad magazine’s Spy vs. Spy. That all flashed back to me a few years ago at the second Serious Games Summit in Crystal City, VA, just across the highway from the Pentagon. There, it didn’t take long to realize — with equal measures of […]