Marc Prensky Talk at ISPI on Oct 26

I attended Marc Prensky’s Talk at ISPI yesterday. It was an interesting talk on how games can facilitate learning.

The talk’s theme is on *++Engagement before Content++*–to invent learning that everyone will love.

My notes are in point form, I hope it will give everyone a good summary.

The slides will be posted on the ISPI website later.*Today’s learners are different*
Some fun facts to prove this:

* 2 Billions of ringtones/year
* 2 Billions of songs/month
* 3 Billions of text messages/day

bq. Brains like ours alter profoundly to fit the technologies and practices that surround them” by Andy Clark

Introducing the *++Digital Natives++*

* Conventional speed –> Twitch speed
* Step-by-Step –> Random Access
* Linear Procession –> Parallel Processing
* Text first –> Graphics first
* Work oriented –> Play oriented
* Standalone –> Connection

* take in information faster and process it faster
* can do more than one thing at a time if we practice more.
* play oriented doesn’t mean it’s less serious
* not just use technology differently but approach things differently as well

What about *++Digital Immigrants++*–think __real life__ happens off-line

Some *Terminology*
“RPG” = Role Playing Game
“RTS” = Real Time Strategy
“modding” = modifying the game with the tools that come with the game

Wiki = easy website creation tool
Pageslap = email a person with a questions then get a reply with only a URL
Astroturf = (I’ve missed this, please fill me in if you know what this mean… )

__There should be a glossary online on www.marcprensky.com, but I can’t find it anywhere__

*Fun Fact*
You go home for only 2 things:

# your wallet
# cellphones

bq. It’s not attention deficit–I’m just not listening. by text on a t-shirt.

*++Motivation and Engagement comes before Content++*

* Educators have methodology, but not into engagement
* Today’s students are motivated by their own interested.

bq. Players are producing as much as they are consuming–perhaps more.

Some games:

* In$ider: learn derivatives
* Metatagging – the ESP Game, tag images.
* COTS: Commercial Off the Shelf
** __Something__ Tycoon
** “The Typing of the Dead”
* commercial template

bq.. *Learning is the big secret why they play*

“I love to know that I’m getting better”

p. There are two types of games:

# Casual
# Hardcore

*Game design is crucial*

* keep you in your sit
** to keep you focus and thus engagement
* frequent and important decision making
** often very interesting decisions
** but students ask one question every 14 hours averagely
* *game play over eyecandy*
* good pacing
* complexity
* important choices
* immediate feedback
* adapting to player’s skill

__Add one instructional designer = suck out more fun__

*++Make e-Learning more Game-like++*

# Focus on Engagement
# increase rate of decision making
# provide clear goals that learners can and want to reach
# allow customization and exploration
# increase adaptivity
# *Don’t just add eyecandy, add it for a reason*

* empower students? do they do it at their leisure time?

* Games had become sports: cyber-athletes

* How to make games more spectacular-friendly*
* bigger screens
* in$ider –> if you have a very good player, people want to see him play

* get students to pull, not instructor pushing them
* adapt to their skills: __cheatcode__: rules to make the game easier to play
* idea of iteration
** not only do it by doing it
** but also do it in play
* fun may be different for different people

e.g. America’s Army — free game: US government wants to get 16-18-year-old to join Army.

* Educators
** e.g. In a modern classroom setting, an instructor pointed out some fact. Then students just told the instructor that the data he got is invalid. The student had just searched on the web. So next time, the instructor give students time in class to do the research on a topic and discuss it after.
** not to give content
** give context and facilitate discussion
** then get content after.

* game is a tool
* cellphone is a good platform

Questions from the audience:

* copyright issues?
**Creative commons license.
** sharing it
** attitudes on this issue are changing
* Digital divider
** what about the students without these technologies
** we need better system
** don’t want to buy technologies and use it for 10 years (US school system K-12)

*Related Links:*

* “www.teachopolis.com”:www.teachopolis.com
* “www.socialimpactgames.com”:www.socialimpactgames.com
* “My Reflections on Marc’s Talk”:http://weblogs.elearning.ubc.ca/alison/archives/009147.php