Historical strategy specialists Slitherine — who, confusingly, have nothing to do with that other best selling children's book series — have signed a deal with Scholastic books to create a series of games based on the books and bring them to the PC, Nintendo Wii and DS.

The books lean heavily towards British and European history (well, we have so much more of it) with titles like The Rotten Romans and The Terrible Tudors but former colonies haven't been forgotten with titles such as Revolting Revolutionaries and Westward Wow.

SLITHERINE ANNOUNCES HISTORY WITH ALL THE NASTY BITS LEFT IN [Slitherine]

Video games can be gateways to higher learning. Is it idealistic? Sure. But the base repudiation of idealism is so often used as a shield against saying anything interesting. Anti-idealism is what keeps triple-A games generic, and the reversal of that trend should already be a good enough target.

Compare the social value of these games to that of Halo or Oblivion. They're just as entertaining, but they are not relevant to any humanitarian or political discussion, and are certainly not literary. The Wire and The West Wing will not reform government but they will challenge and galvanize their viewers.

I'd be curious to know how many people actually went out and tackled Ayn Rand after playing BioShock; I'm also a little skittish about the idea of heavy handed philosophy and the like making a strong appearance (one Xenosaga series was enough, thank you). Fyfe's opinions aren't new by any means, and can be found in just about any essay talking about more 'grown up' themes in games. Interesting essay and worth a look.

Video Games Are The Silver Bullet [GameSetWatch]

I mentioned the Games, Learning & Society Conference in Madison, Wisconsin back when a call for papers was put out. Michael Abbott of the Brainy Gamer has some interesting notes on the conference, which was held this past Thursday and Friday. The wrap up of the keynote speech, delivered by James Gee of Arizona State University, is an interesting meditation on the role of games (and not just 'edutainment') in education:

Gee sees broad implications for students in this regard. “Give students smart tools and let them use them and modify them to suit their purposes.” Such self-motivated learning moves students away from merely consuming knowledge and encourages them to produce knowledge and apply it in meaningful ways. Furthermore, Gee observed, when communities form around these activities, they are linked by a common endeavor, rather than by race, class, gender, or disability.

Gee clearly situates video games within an overall theory of learning and literacy with genuine power to transform students and equip them to address complex problems. If passion communities could be formed to solve real-world problems like hunger and environmental degradation, Gee believes we would be much better equipped to face these issues head-on. The challenge, according to Gee, isn't just about teaching our kids; it's about ensuring they have a viable world to live in.

Abbott's discussion of the environment of the conference — sounding quite different from your typical academic/professional gathering — is also worth a read.

GLS - Beyond Games and the Future of Learning [The Brainy Gamer]

Moe Sta Scholarship [Official Site via Hatimaki]

“Brain Quest is EA Casual Entertainment’s first educational game and we are thrilled to bring this beloved brand into the videogame space,” said Robert Nashak, VP of Casual Studios, EA Casual Entertainment. “By adapting the series to the DS, we are able to reach today’s tech savvy children and provide them with an educational experience that is interactive, engaging, and fun.”

EA's creation of educational DS titles could be a very good sign, indicating that U.S. publishers are beginning to get a grasp of the true potential of the handheld, much like Japan already has. That, or they just want some more of that delicious parent money. Mmmm.

EA Announces Nintendo DS Games Based on America’s #1 Educational Bestseller Brain Quest®

Top Curriculum-Based Quiz Series Offers New Way for Kids to Learn and Play on the Go

LOS ANGELES—(BUSINESS WIRE)—The Casual Entertainment label of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS) today announced plans to bring America’s #1 educational bestseller1, Brain Quest®, to the Nintendo DS™ handheld system, just in time for back-to-school this September. In partnership with the New York based Workman Publishing Company, Inc., EA will release two Brain Quest games centered on the curriculum-based series that has sold more than 28 million copies2: one for third and fourth graders, and another for fifth and sixth graders.

“Brain Quest is EA Casual Entertainment’s first educational game and we are thrilled to bring this beloved brand into the videogame space,” said Robert Nashak, VP of Casual Studios, EA Casual Entertainment. “By adapting the series to the DS, we are able to reach today’s tech savvy children and provide them with an educational experience that is interactive, engaging, and fun.”

Staying true to the curriculum-based card deck series, the Brain Quest video games are loaded with over 6,000 unique questions in each game, developed specifically for the third/fourth and fifth/sixth grade levels and can keep kids entertained whether in the car, at home, or while waiting for the school bus. The game’s Brain Mode provides quick to the fun action that enables kids to jump right in, immersing themselves in fast-paced quiz games, as they answer questions on their favorite subjects: English, history, math, science, and geography. Brain Quest adds another element to the fun — a Quest Mode where players follow a light story that pits them against successively more difficult challenges in each category. The game’s Multiplayer Mode allows players to challenge their friends and siblings or play cooperatively, so kids of all ages can get in on the action and enjoy the brain-twisting fun!

Throughout the game, players who answer questions correctly score points to redeem collectibles that can be unlocked by winning achievements. These collectibles can then be used to customize up to six scenes in the game.

The popular Brain Quest card decks, on which the games are based, are a phenomenon. “Brain Quest is a brand recognized by teachers, trusted by parents, and adored by kids,” said Janet Harris, Brain Quest® Publisher, Workman Publishing Company, Inc. “We are very pleased that Brain Quest will now be able to educate and entertain children through another medium, as a video game.”

Both Brain Quest games will be available September 2008 in North America and have a U.S. MSRP of $29.99. The games have not yet been rated by the ESRB. For more information or assets, visit http://www.info.ea.com.

Danks introduced the concept for PlayStation-edu — "It's mostly about getting schools hardware, to learn how the actual platform works. Not for research and development, for computer science and engineering, and not for art. The goal is to reach the people who care about the metal — engine level coders who like to write in assembly."

"Consoles and multi-core are here to stay," continued Danks. "Beyond that all things change and you need to learn the basics at the low level. So Assembly is here to stay!"

"A lot of schools are treating game education like trade school," argued Danks. "Too many students can’t explain a pointer, can’t explain memory caches, can’t explain bus contention, can’t explain how a complier works, cant explain a software rasterizer, can’t explain a race condition…"

He goes on to talk about the legal agreements that will be required and the three tier structure of the program. Sounds like a promising idea, but academia is very hard to change — and slow to come around in many cases. We'll see how long it takes this idea to take root.

Sony's Danks Details PlayStation-edu Initiative [Gamasutra]

Oh, and the music used in this video is FRIGGIN' AWESOME.

WoW Fit [Rock, Paper, Shotgun]

In light of "serious games" and "edutainment" discussions, I'm always interested to see what regular retail games are listed as good "educational" titles. College@Home has a pretty thorough list covering a variety of topics; some of the titles are expected (Civilization, Carmen Sandiego) to some slightly more interesting titles (Spore, Age of Mythology, a lot of regular retail sims). Makes me glad I just get to take the fun out of learning for undergraduates — I'm not sure I'd want to herd kids through Roller Coaster Tycoon.

Virtual Learning: 25 Best Sims and Games For the Classroom

[College@Home via Water Cooler Games]

The conference, supported by Nintendo, will explore how technology can be used for learning.

Graham Brown-Martin, founder of Handheld Learning, said: “Providing teachers with free Nintendo DS Lites is not intended to be a gimmick, we expect our delegates to use them during the conference and experience an environment that would typically not be allowed in a classroom.”

I think it's a great idea. In fact in my recent conversation with Nintendo's Cammie Dunaway I was telling her that Nintendo should work to get some WiiWare educational games out and then provide the Wii to schools around the country. It worked for Apple, so why not Nintendo? Personally, I think all three hardware companies are obligated, as good corporate citizens, to create educational games for their download services. They may not make money, but I can't imagine it would cost them that much and think of the good will, both to the company and the industry.

Nintendo to hand out free DS consoles [Digital Spy]

The goal is to fare well and advance socially and economically, with players advancing from “tourists” to “residents” and finally to “citizens” of modern China. At the different stages, players encounter quests, have access to learning materials – including live Chinese tutors – and can organize and participate in social activities.

Among the many tasks players can complete in the tourist stage are ordering a taxi, exchanging currency and checking into a hotel in China.

“Games are supposed to be fun and educational,” Zhao said. “With this one, we have struck a good balance.”

I wonder if the Zon! cabbies are as chatty as the guys in Shanghai or Taipei. It's a neat idea for facilitating language acquisition — if only it weren't in hateful jiantizi.

Virtual China: Online game teaches Chinese culture, language [MSU Today]

If high school didn't represent some of the most stressful and awkward years of my life, I'd go back in a flash to play this SAT game on my DS! Think of it as Brain Age with a real tangible result. Would you be more likely to prep for the SATs on your DS than through a book or browser?

SAT Prep Game Coming to DS [GamelLife]

Another popular way to teach English in "Second Life," says Boahn, involves role-playing and quests. "I once dressed up as a pirate, had a ship and everything. I was kind of rough on the students," he admits. "I put some of them in cages, and had them confront language in a shock-and-awe kind of way. They seemed to like it, and they learned all sorts of new words, like 'loot' and 'booty.'"

Boahn's approach may appear nontraditional, but he feels a new medium calls for a new way of teaching language. Even using the game's English interface gives students a chance to practice what they've learned. "We like to encourage teachers to see 'Second Life' itself as a classroom," he says.

How To Spark Remote Learning [Forbes via Worlds In Motion]

Launched by the Ministry of Education and sponsored by the China AIDS Roadmap Tactical Support Project, the contest ran for three months last year, yet its effect continue - the site remains up and nearly 19 million people have logged on.

In a survey of participants, 95 percent found the test enhanced their understanding and concern for the HIV-infected and AIDS patients; the same proportion felt better equipped to protect themselves against the disease; and more than 83 percent thought the contest should take place regularly.

Students take up AIDS challenge [China Daily via PlayNoEvil, photo Wu Shuibin]

The fourth annual Games, Learning & Society (GLS) Conference will be held July 10-11, 2008 in Madison, Wisconsin. Sponsored by the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Education and the Academic ADL Co-Lab, the GLS Conference fosters substantive discussion and collaboration among academics, designers, and educators interested in how game technologies - commercial games and others - can enhance learning, culture, and education. Speakers, discussion groups, and interactive workshops will focus on game design, game culture, and games' potential for learning.
For three years the GLS Conference has been the space for academics, industry leaders, educators, and policy makers to meet and to engage, not just in industry building, but in serious discussion about the current state of the field: where we ought to be headed, and what impact games can and ought to have on culture and society. We are planning the biggest and best year ever for this very important gathering, and we hope you will join us.

This two-day conference will be held at Frank Lloyd Wright's Monona Terrace Convention Center, overlooking downtown Madison's beautiful Lake Monona. Conference highlights include: a special session of hands-on workshops designed by and for videogame researchers and designers; a two-day lounge featuring Chat 'n' Frag sessions with key scholars and designers; fireside chats with industry leaders and special guests; a game room; webcasts of selected conference sessions; and our signature Thursday night dinner party.

We invite creative and interactive proposals for presentations, discussions, symposia, workshops, debates, respondents, and exhibits on topics and issues related to conference themes. To continue providing a high-quality program, all submissions will go through peer review and be evaluated with respect to quality, originality, clarity, and relevance to conference themes. Based on positive feedback from last year's conference, we especially encourage interactive session formats such as workshops, debates, and hands-on events for the GLS lounge.

Complete submission guidelines are listed inside the submissions site at http://glsconference.org. Submission format includes: Title; Abstract (500 words or less); Author name(s), picture(s), and short bio(s); and lastly, whether you would like your presentation to be considered for an interactive (workshop, chat 'n' frag, poster) or more expository (symposium, plenary) session. Submissions are due online by March 31, 2008.

The book is due out next month, but there's lots of information floating around out there on the new study. The articles are quite lengthy all told, but worth browsing if you're interested in the subject.

Shoot-em Up Video Games - The Cause of Greater Anti-social Behaviors in Teens?; Author Reveals "The Surprising Truth About Violent Video Games"; Experts State: Do Not Banish - Instead, Manage Violent Video Game Play [Open Education]

Questionaut [BBC via Rock, Paper, Shotgun]

We had been running traditional fashion and hair/make-up courses for a long time, but we came to realize that many of our students wanted to apply those skills to cosplay.

IBM international foundation president Stanley S. Litow said, "Innovation is the key to competitiveness in today's globally integrated economy, but just when we need it to skyrocket, interest in math and science has been declining in the United States. American competitiveness demands more interest in math and science by students. Virtual worlds and 3D are an unexplored resource in education. We asked our best researchers to incorporate the use of this technology into traditional educational curriculum."

We'll see how popular this experiment winds up being, but I'm sure we'll see more of the same in the future. The game is launching today, and you can find details at the game website.

IBM Announces Environmental Learning MMO For Kids [Worlds In Motion]

Going to Japan to make video games. It's the twenty-first century's version of running off and joining the circus. Lots talk about it, but few do it. Evan Shulgold did. He'd first come to study Japanese, but when his visa ran up, he thought about entering a college in Japan. "I was in an izakaya with a few friends discussing our futures, and one mentioned he had heard about this school called HAL," recalls Evan. "I looked into it, and it seemed perfect. It's a school in japan that would lead to a career in the video game industry. Plus they have close ties with Nintendo, and I'm a bit of a fanboy."

First founded in Osaka in 1986, HAL is a specialty school that focuses on game development and 3D computer graphics — as well as robotics and automobiles. By 1988, a Nagoya branch, where Evan attends, was added, and there are plans to open a Tokyo one in 2009. The institution has strong ties with companies like Nintendo, who provides HAL with Nintendo hardware so that students can work with tools actually used in the industry. That's doesn't mean everyone at HAL is gung-ho Nintendo. According to Evan, he's the only student with a Wii, and he's only seen two other kids playing DSes. "It's not that everyone dislikes Nintendo," he says, "They're all mostly into online games like Ragnarok Online." Still, guests like Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto occasionally make the trip out to HAL and speak with students. All the programming that's done for consoles is done for Nintendo systems (Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, GameCube). The GBA programming class even uses a programming manual that's designed especially for HAL students to use and learn from. "Before coming to HAL, I had literally zero programming experience," says Evan, "so i couldn't even begin to imagine what the code for a video game would look like."

Before entering, he had to first submit an application with his picture. The application consisted of his educational background, what he wanted to study, what his dream job would be, etc. Next, there was an entrance test and an interview. "The test was special for me since I'm a foreigner," says Evan. "I was really nervous about it, cause I really had no idea what it would be like." The test had a Japanese section ("very, very easy"), a logic section ("easy) and a math section ("I bombed it"). According to Evan, the interview wasn't the high pressured ones students typically experience in Japan.

Of course, classes are taught in Japanese. Was it hard to adjust to a classroom environment, taking courses taught in Japanese? "Surprisingly no, 95% of the Japanese used is just every-day conversational type stuff, and the technical terms are katakana, so no problems there," says Evan. The majority of his classmates are Japanese — international students are made up by mostly Chinese and Korean students. Typically, a few American students apply, however. "I've seen them passing through the halls and such," says Evan, "and either I'll be in conversation or they'll be so I haven't had an opportunity to talk to them." HAL is keen on attracting foreign students. Says instructor Toshiyuki Shimizu , "We'd love to have any foreign students with big goals and dreams." The student population is predominately male. "There are only three females in my class," says Evan, "and my teacher said that's three more than usual."

The students are given a great deal of creative freedom to work on their games. "Usually the teacher will give a 45-minute lecture and teach us a new command to use, for example how to make an enemy scroll across the screen," says Evan, describing a typical GBA programming lesson. "Then, we have the rest of the class (another 45 minutes, classes are all 90 minutes long) to program and play around with it. He doesn't give specific instructions on how to program our games, just the commands we can use, which I like." The focus here is actually making games, instead of hearing a teacher drone on and on — something that is all too common in the Japanese educational system. Keep in mind though, HAL is a trade school. It wants to teach a trade: Making video games.

Two year courses at HAL run US $22,000, while four year ones are double that. For those interested or curious, Evan's outlined five things needed for studying at HAL. They are, in his own words:

1. Japanese level
I'm actually pretty surprised about how simple the Japanese used in classes is. Like my teacher said, if you can have regular conversations with people, you'll be OK. It depends on what you study, but obviously a lot of computer-related technical terms are katakana (words borrowed from English), so you likely won't have any problems. On the entrance test, there were a few Japanese questions, but they were about level two or three of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test. Not too difficult. There was also an interview. The questions weren't too difficult, and were mostly things you'd be asked by the old drunk Japanese guy sitting next to you and your friends in an Izakaya. It seemed to be more about making sure I could keep up with conversation than actually screening my personality or anything.

2. Math
All of the math I've run into so far has been Algebra 2 or lower. Nothing too advanced, but for someone like me who hasn't done ANY math in about five years, it's important to brush up a bit.

3. Money
Get your funds secured ahead of time. This may be pretty difficult, but it'll save you a lot of hassle and worrying. Try to get enough to cover ALL of your tuition. I'm not 100% sure how it works with colleges in America (as I've never been), but HAL required payment of the entire year's tuition up front. Scholarships are certainly available, but that's something to investigate individually.

4. Be outgoing
My first day, I was nervous as hell. I didn't know anyone, had doubts about my Japanese ability, didn't know how my classmates would take to me, etc. But you know what? Other than the Japanese ability situation, all my classmates were in the same boat. No one knew each other, everyone was nervous. No one really talked to anyone else for the first week or two (which was all orientation), but now we're a pretty tight-knit group. The class has been awesome about accepting me in and not treating me any differently because I'm not Japanese. If you're friendly and try to talk to people and show them you can speak the language, you'll make friends in no time.

5. Look up words you don't understand
...and even ones you DO understand, but can't say in English. I've learned a lot of technical terms related to programming and computers, but I don't know the English equivalents. If things don't go according to plan and I end up looking for work back in the states, I may be screwed because I don't know the lingo. Keep a "just in case..." state of mind about everything, and don't get locked into the thought process that you'll be in Japan no matter what. You never know.

Evan Shulgold can be reached at evaninjapanATgmail.com

The only thing growing faster than our industry is the critical need for new and creative talent. I think it is clear that the videogame industry has the vast financial support and consumer demand it needs to continue its global growth. But what I and many industry leaders are very worried about is hiring and retaining world class talent.

Kids (or, more likely, parents) may have more educational games to choose from thanks to the recommendations of the D is for Digital report, unveiled during the Sandbox Summit at CES. The report was put together by the Joan Ganz Cooney Center, a recently established production and research group that looks into the educational potential of interactive media. The study isn't game specific, but it seems to hint heavily that video games do make up a large part of the range of interactive media that children come in contact with.

The report looked at how children were being shaped by interactive media, yet there remain limited efforts by the media industry to keep up with higher standards for education:

Of the 300+ products studied, the paper found that most do not take advantage of available research regarding children's educational needs particularly in a global economy where literacy and learning requirements are fast evolving.

Out of those 300 products, only two video games qualified as educational "based on explicit educational curriculum design available in the market."

It wasn't all fire and brimstone for games, however, as the report also recognized the gaming industry as one of tremendous potential for education. Recommendations included more emphasis on educational video game development, and more intergenerational interaction, meaning games should be set up so adults and children can (and want to) play them together. For a look at the report, visit the Joan Ganz Cooney Center publications page.

Joan Ganz Cooney Center Finds Cause for Both Concern and Optimism in Billion Dollar Digital Media Industry Targeting Kids [CES Press Office]

Parents and co-workers have been overwhelmingly positive about the project, citing its originality as a catalyst for more independent reading and learning ....

Video game development in the classroom is not for everyone and is still very difficult to implement today. A teacher must be not only highly computer literate and programming savvy, but also well versed in a middleware program such as RPG Maker XP. In order for a project such as ours to be applied to an everyday curriculum, teachers would require vast amounts of training, which is a costly obstacle.

The game was submitted to the 2008 IGF Student competition, and Alvarado says the students will be working on the game through the end of the school year. The article is short and sweet, but explains how the project came to be and how the class is putting together their game.

Making Video Games ... With Fifth Graders [Game Career Guide]

iD Tech Camps, a sort of summer camp for children interesting in game development and computers, announced today that they will be offering classes on using the Unreal Engine 3 tools to make games to six or seven students this year. The instruction sounds like it will be heavy on the modding, but there will also be instruction on creating original games and environments.

"We've partnered with iD Tech Camps because of their reputation for quality game development instruction for teens," said Mark Rein, vice president of Epic Games. "Unreal Tournament 3 delivers unparalleled game quality that gamers have come to know and expect from Epic Games. We are reaching an audience of gaming enthusiasts who play the game as well as learn to design and mod with our deep set of tools."

This seems like a pretty smart move on Epic's part. It's sort of like Apple giving computers to schools to use in their labs. It hooks kids when their young.

Video Game Camp Uses Award-Winning Unreal Tournament 3 to Teach Valuable Game Development Skills

CAMPBELL, CA - January 3, 2008 - Today's teens are the first generation born into a world completely oriented around technology. Their births were announced on a cell phone and their images growing up were sent to family on the Internet. They have social networking pages and build relationships by calling and texting friends.

So what's the best way to teach technology, and more specifically, the emerging field of video game development, to teens? Campbell, CA based iD Tech Camps, America's largest national youth summer computer camp, thinks it has the answer. Instruction is broken into manageable parts and classes promote hands-on learning in small groups of just 6 or 7 students—a big departure from a typical school classroom of 30. Topics at the camp focus on the interests of teens. And who wouldn't want to make their own video game? The small peer group collaboration and emphasis on experimentation encourage exploration and creativity in the rapidly expanding field of video game development.

"We provide an environment where instruction is personalized and fluid," said Pete Ingram-Cauchi, president and CEO of iD Tech Camps. "Teens choose our computer camp because we have the cutting edge software and tools that are most relevant in the industry. Partnering with industry leaders like Epic Games is vital. They believe in our teaching philosophy. They understand that a key component to offering the best tech courses involves instruction of the industry's leading game engine, Unreal Engine 3, as provided with the Unreal Tournament 3 game."

Midway, a leading interactive entertainment publisher and developer, and world-renowned developer Epic Games, Inc., recently announced that the highly anticipated and award-winning Unreal Tournament 3 game has shipped for PC. Building off of the massive success of Gears of War, the 2006 Game of the Year, Epic Games has brought the world's premiere and multi-million unit selling first-person shooter back to the PC. Students at iD Tech Camps will get instruction on the Unreal Engine 3 tools that ship as part of the Unreal Tournament 3 PC version. This way they are getting training in a world-class professional game engine that has also been used in award-winning, million-selling, games including Gears of War, Mass Effect and BioShock.

"We've partnered with iD Tech Camps because of their reputation for quality game development instruction for teens," said Mark Rein, vice president of Epic Games. "Unreal Tournament 3 delivers unparalleled game quality that gamers have come to know and expect from Epic Games. We are reaching an audience of gaming enthusiasts who play the game as well as learn to design and mod with our deep set of tools."

iD Tech Camps and the iD Gaming Academy use the recently released Unreal Tournament 3 in their curriculum and during NVIDIA-hosted Gaming Tournaments. Students will be able to modify Unreal Tournament 3 by adding new levels, redesigning skins or replacing characters to customize game play through interactive modding tools. They can also create 3D video games and design 3D environments and levels complete with advanced special effects.

The "couch potato" characterization of video game players is being tossed out the window. Players no longer passively play; they build their own environments, characters and strategies. Educators and manufacturers are responding by providing the training, technology and tools that allow users to be more than just players.

So wait, these kids get to play Nintendo Wii in school? All I got for finishing my work quickly was first dibs on Carmen Sandiego and Oregon Trail. Actually, never mind. I didn't have it so bad after all.

Brit's School Mantra [via opposablethumbs]

Ah, but is the writing in these games any good? Well, it's variable, like the writing in books. Some of it's rubbish and some of it is very good. (In my opinion, Phoenix Wright is funnier and cleverer than most TV made for adults.) But quality doesn't really matter. My memory of reading as a child is basically that of voraciously hoovering up any old crap. (This turned out to be excellent training for becoming a book reviewer.)

Not all of the games that children are playing are so dependent on reading, of course. Doubtless children are also playing a lot of games where you race shiny cars or shoot zombies into bloody chunks with massive guns. Well, everybody has to relax now and then. To insist that a young person spend every minute of his or her waking day in adult-mandated forms of self-improvement would be a kind of child abuse.

In answer to the 'is our children reading?' comment - no, they're probably not reading as much as they 'should,' but Poole's point about new forms of literacy is a well-taken one. Not that it will stem the tide of 'Video games are ruining literacy rates!' screeching, but one can dream ....

Is our children reading? [The Guardian]

The university wanted to help give its Serious Games Institute (SGI) a technology platform on which to build a digital model of the campus building, so that students' movements in both the real building and its virtual reconstruction trigger location based access to learning content and experiences. This means that content can be pushed to students by the most suitable method for their location and the device they are using.

The solution uses Cisco wireless location services to track real-world positions and movements integrated within the Giunti Labs learn eXact® learning content management system. The Giunti Labs software also allows any form of digital learning content to be repurposed 'on the fly' for use either in the virtual SGI environment or via any device connected to the Coventry University Cisco wired and wireless networks.

And there's more, naturally - while I've no doubt some people would find all this stuff useful, I'll take my in-person seminars and not having bleeding eyes from trying to do everything via mobile device.

Coventry University creates a unique mobile learning environment in its Serious Games Institute [Click Press]

at first glance an arab reading person would think : WTF?? ... turns out they read "ضربة قاضية" which means "K.O aka Knock Out" , but here's where it got fucked up , arabic is one of those languages where almost all letters connect, but that didn't happen in this texture heh , and they made the mistake of writing it from left to right <_<;

another example of fucked up by separating the letters and then writing them from left to right , this one says :
"وحدانية" , i assumed by the fist image that they wanted it to mean "Unity" but the word they used usually means "Solitude" , it shoulda been "وحدوية" or "وحدة"

And, this isn't so much a boo-boo, but a funny:

well .. nothing wrong with this one , i just found it funny that the company name is "Whomever Tourism Co." or "Anyones Tourism Co." hehe

"We're honored to have our characters take what sometimes may seem like dry topics and help make them come alive for students," says George Harrison, Nintendo of America's senior vice president of marketing and corporate communications. "The collaboration provides an opportunity for children to learn 21st century science using 21st century tools with characters they're familiar with."

I went ahead and downloaded the lesson plan that involved building a two-stage rocket, and while the PDF did indeed include a Pokemon-themed header and sidebar, I found no mention whatsoever of pocket monsters in the text. Perhaps you are meant to wave the printouts around to draw the children's eyes towards you. *shrugs*

This isn't the Pokemans first foray into learning, mind you. You can find interactive math, science, language arts and life skills lessons online at www.PokemonLearningLeague.com.

SCHOOL LESSON PLANS USE THEMES FROM LATEST POKEMON VIDEO GAMES TO TEACH SCIENCE

Free Lesson Plans Allow Students to 'Master the Science ... Master the Game'

REDMOND, Wash., Nov. 7, 2007 A new in-school program uses basic characters and themes from Nintendo's popular Pokemon Diamond and Pokemon Pearl video games for Nintendo DS to teach elementary and middle school students about science. Nintendo of America, Inc., The National Institute of Aerospace (NIA) and Nortel LearniT, have teamed up to make it fun for students to learn the sciences using imagery they already know and love.

Now through December, a variety of printable lesson plans and classroom activities developed by NIA are available to students and teachers at www.masterthescience.org. For instance, a lesson plan might teach elementary school students how to tell time using a sundial, or middle school students about how the universe is expanding. An activity component is also built in, where teacher and student questions can be submitted and answered by science experts.

"We are thrilled to offer educators a resource program that utilizes popular characters to enhance the learning experience for students in fields of study that will only grow more crucial as we move forward in the 21st century," says Robert Lindberg, NIA's President and Executive Director.

"We're honored to have our characters take what sometimes may seem like dry topics and help make them come alive for students," says George Harrison, Nintendo of America's senior vice president of marketing and corporate communications. "The collaboration provides an opportunity for children to learn 21st century science using 21st century tools with characters they're familiar with."

"We know through our Nortel LearniT initiatives that technology integration in the classroom makes learning both exciting and engaging," says Greg Farmer, VP, Nortel Government and Community Relations. "As an organization that believes technology can enable opportunity, we are proud to be associated with this project."

Pokemon is no stranger to in-school education. Teachers and students can also visit Pokemon Learning League (www.PokemonLearningLeague.com) to access its award-winning interactive online lessons in Math, Science, Language Arts and Life Skills.

For more information about the "Master the Science ... Master the Game" in-school program, visit the Web site at www.masterthescience.org.

Celeste McWhorter could probably identify [fellow female player] Soriano in the middle of Trousdale. She said she has gamedar, like gaydar for gamers, she informed me with authority.

"Hey, it takes one to know one," she said.

... the results do suggest that EverQuest, and possibly MMORPGs in general, reinforce language acquisition for a number of reasons. The pursuit of quests, for example, requires players to become what Rankin calls "active learners" who engage with other players and the gaming environment. The study also supports Schneider and Zheng's conclusion that the games are inherently motivating.

"The game requires them to do things," Rankin says, "to read directions, to interact with other avatars, to travel over the landscape; that's why they learn the language. You have to comprehend the information that's in front of you in order to advance to different levels and complete the quests. And you can't complete the quests without asking for help from other players, which, again, requires you to understand the language."

This ties in a bit with some of the debate over 'serious games'; I guess just about anything can be made 'serious' in the right context. I especially loved the suggestion that Blizzard could make a killing if they opened ESL servers up in Asia.

On a Quest for English [T.H.E. Journal via Educational Games Research

• "First you need to understand that there's boxes." (Referring to the consoles.)
• "The controller actually controls it."
• "Most games just use one or two buttons."
• "It's as easy as hooking up a CD player to your TV."

In the short term we will invest a lot of effort in the training courses that we will offer gamers. This is a new thing, we're offering, and we also have some things to learn here. Also, it's very important for us to get the entire infrastructure involved in our online activities to run really well right from the start. In the intermediate term we will be adding content as well as new courses to GaminGSchool and in that way open it to more people. We will arrange some great tournaments, and help develop a proper fan culture to give the gamers a real sense of being a part of something great. In the long term ... well. We might organise a national gaming league and even a world championship.

Perhaps even loftier aspirations than the usual 'teach using games!', which is what I thought of initially. It's an interesting interview - concepts like this usually get at least an eyebrow raise out of me, but it's making a little more sense in context.

The Gaming School - Rasmus Pedersen [ZoneRank]

Copenhagen eSports's Rasmus Pedersen has been working on this project for a while, but has only recently completed it after several meetings with representatives from the Korean E-sports Organization, KeSPA and Korean games industry executives. These meetings have helped Copenhagen eSports to make their goals clear and to reach them the best way possible. This school will be set up in the Danish capital Copenhagen and will have an area of 500 square meters.

The school will focus on important aspects of gaming, computers and personal development. Example topics that the school will work on are: how to play computer games with common sense, problem solving, how to handle conflicts and teaching how to learn through computers.

There's no scheduled opening date, but I'm curious to see how this pans out - there have been some fairly high profile American proposals for gaming-centered schools that are still in the planning stages. Will this be the start of a new wave of teaching methodology, or will we be reading articles about how it flopped - and how! - in the New York Times in a decade?

Copenhagen eSports Starts Gaming School [ZoneRank]

Your "Rock Band" Questions Answered ("Guitar Hero" Compatibility, Bundles, Etc) [mtvmultiplayer]

We do everything that's traditionally done...But as soon as we've done a little bit and they know it, we can turn around and make it a game and have fun.

Game system lowers learning curve at Cumberland [journal&courier]
[image]

PlaySmart

Commencing Oct. 1, 2007, PlaySmart rolls into schools all over Los Angeles County. Billed as a unique educational program from STAR Inc., PlaySmart uses existing and popular games as a means of teaching school age children skills such as problem solving, technological familiarity, objective thinking, literacy and other right and left brain exercises.

PlaySmart employs games such as Dance Dance Revolution™, Pokémon™ TCG and various other video games to enhance instruction in physical education, literacy, group dynamics, team building and positive gamesmanship.

STAR Inc., a 501 (c )(3), charitable non-profit organization's mission is to offer extended educational, recreational and enrichment programs to students; support and enhance school curriculum; improve student achievement; and expand the cultural base of young people through innovative, quality programs offered by highly qualified instructors.

In the great tradition of decades of "hacks" (us, non-collegiate types call them pranks), the folks at MIT snuck into Harvard Yard on the day of the Halo 3 launch and dressed book-donor John Harvard up as the Master Chief, complete with a fancy Spartan Helmet and Battle rifle. What amazes me is how they manages to make the additions look like they were made of the same material as the statue.

Halo 3 John Harvard [Thanks Jeremy and everyone else who sent in tips]

"The Handheld Learning Conference and Exhibition brings together so many thought-leaders it is natural that Nintendo gets involved with this important educational conference," said David Yarnton, Nintendo UK's general manager. "As the biggest supplier of handheld entertainment, Nintendo is already driving learning across all age groups with its products, in particular the Touch Generations series, including Dr Kawashima's Brain Training: How Old is Your Brain? and Big Brain Academy." Graham Brown-Martin, managing director of Handheld Learning added, "The majority of gaming devices - and particularly those by Nintendo - all feature local and wide area networking capabilities, which are exploited by its software titles to enable positive social interaction and networks. Whilst the world has been focusing on the $100 laptop Nintendo had already developed one in the form of the Nintendo DS."

More information on the conference and exhibition can be found at the Handheld Learning 2007 website. [via Next Generation]

Well sort of...

The opinion piece written by Rathika Suresh for The Australian only mentions gaming at the beginning to lump it together with computer games, educational applications and the Internet. It goes on to argue that computers, and those things he linked to them like gaming, are here to stay; and that they play an "integral and growing role in education, work and communications, and the sooner a child becomes comfortable with this technology, the better."

He says the important thing is that you keep an eye on the content they access using the internet, computers and gaming systems. I whole-heartedly agree. He also points out that according to Early Childhood Australia, parents and caretakers should "guard against exposing children to software applications that use stereotypes relating to gender or culture." Also a good point, at least for young children who are still forming opinions and developing ideas.

The piece wraps up by calling for Australian ICT professionals to develop programs, tools and services that use that technology to expand a child's horizons beyond their personal experiences. I'd like to add game developers to that list. It might not be a big money maker, but it's an important part of being a good corporate citizen. That's why I also get so excited when I see things like the PS3's Folding at Home project or Microsoft's university level indie development programs.

Preschoolers need computer access [The Australian]

With millions of CD ROMs sold in over 40 markets, we are confident that we will have good sales results with the new Pink Panther line of products. The games will allow kids in many countries to play our user friendly, high quality games and enjoy the fun of learning with the Pink Panther

MGM And Compedia Partner To Develop Pink Panther Interactive Games

New PC Games Hit Shelves this Fall/Preview at Leipzig GC 2007

Los Angeles, California (August 16, 2007) - This fall, Compedia, an industry leader in the international edutainment games market, will bring in some fun with the launch of a new line of the Pink Panther interactive games. Through the deal with MGM, Compedia will develop educational games for the CD-Rom format starring "the Pink Panther" touching subjects like the environment, preservation, and astronomy.

The Pink Panther interactive line will feature high quality graphics and animation, engaging activities and charming songs to make the learning experience more fun.

"With millions of CD ROMs sold in over 40 markets, we are confident that we will have good sales results with the new Pink Panther line of products. The games will allow kids in many countries to play our user friendly, high quality games and enjoy the fun of learning with the Pink Panther," said Mr. Shai Newman, CEO of Compedia. "Compedia is delighted to cooperate with MGM to bring quality family-friendly games to the market"