Archive for July, 2011

Third Summer 2011 “Learning in 3D Class”

Posted on 28. Jul, 2011 by .

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Monday night in class we had the opportunity to check out VirtualU and see how it functioned. Here we are gathering to begin our journey to different worlds within VirtualU. It was a fascinating virtual environment that provided a number of great examples of how virtual environments can be used for instruction. The tour was [...]

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Future of elearning industry looks Bright!

Posted on 28. Jul, 2011 by .

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Reports, factors and the current market conditions strongly indicate that elearning is going to be a growth industry over the coming years. As Tony Bingham, president and CEO of ASTD states, “Today, we actively pursue content based on search terms and our preferences [while in the future]…content will find you – rather than actively seeking [...]

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Non-Combat Gaming Ideas that we can use in Serious Games

Posted on 21. Jul, 2011 by .

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When most people think of video games, they think of combat and battle but not all games need to include battles and many corporte games (serious games) avoid combat. So, Daniel Floyd over at The Escapist share in this video clip his thoughts on non-combat gaming and I think a few of the ideas should [...]

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Player Types/Levels in Educational Video Games

Posted on 20. Jul, 2011 by .

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To start with, when creating an educational game, the various skill levels of current and future players must be considered. The approach taken to motive and attract a new or novice player needs to be different from the approach used to hold onto players who consider themselves masters of the game. For a novice, an [...]

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Second Summer 2011″Learning in 3D” class explores another virtual world

Posted on 19. Jul, 2011 by .

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Last night in class we had the opportunity to check out VenueGen and see how it functioned. The software provided a great opportunity for students to see a professional virtual world and to explore how it functioned. We held the class in the VenueGen courtroom to experience how virtual environments could be used to ground [...]

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Gamestar Mechanic-Check It Out

Posted on 18. Jul, 2011 by .

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Here is an educational game and community you may have heard about called Gamestar Mechanic. Gamestar Mechanic is a game and community designed to teach kids the principles of game design and systems thinking in a highly engaging environment. It includes three levels: Play. Gamestar Mechanic features a rich single-player Quest where players learn the [...]

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Two Interesting videos on games from Google Tech Talks

Posted on 15. Jul, 2011 by .

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Check out the good information about games and implementing games into the classroom from two great Google Tech Talks. Here is a great talk about how to get games into the traditional educational establishment by Victoria Van Voorhis. The second is from that well known game design person Ben Sawyer–who helped to found the Serious [...]

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The “Game” of Balancing the Budget

Posted on 15. Jul, 2011 by .

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With all the politician in DC trying to balance the budget, I bet I can do a better job, and I get the chance with this neat little game that lets me get a taste of balancing the United States Budget. Play it and you can enjoy creating your own plan for the federal budget. [...]

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Learning in 3D: First Class Summer 2011

Posted on 13. Jul, 2011 by .

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The first class we once again ran into some technical difficulties. Second Life is being strange on our one island, it keeps throwing visitors into a perpetual teleport. This is really getting frustrating. One interesting thing we are doing this semester is to visit a number of different 3D virtual worlds so that students get [...]

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Keeping Youngsters Sharp with Video Games

Posted on 12. Jul, 2011 by .

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Yesterday, I posted an article about the over 60 set and how video games help to keep them sharp. (Staying Sharp with Video Games). After I did that Rajneesh left a comment inquiring if the same was true for youngsters. It is. Here are some results from a study that examined the question of problem [...]

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