Feedback for Speakers/Agenda Needed
Elizabeth A. Evans
come to campus to talk about games for learning. We have a small budget
(unless something unexpected happens) as long as we spend it by April
30. ($1500) I may be able to get a little more, but the $1500 is the
budget for an Odum Institute working group that I chair (sort of :-)).
I've asked the group (via our list) if they object to spending the
money for this purpose, and so far I've only gotten 3 enthusiastic
replies of "go for it!" (With some suggestions. :-))
So, here's what I'm thinking. I'd like your feedback. All this is
subject to approval by ITS management, of course. And subject to
finding good speakers.
General Session (1 hour 15 minutes (see below for breakdown))
* Introduction and welcome (5 minutes)
* What are some game types, especially MMOGs? (20 minutes)
* What do we know about the impact of games on learning? (30 minutes)
* Examples of higher ed games (20 minutes)
Commercial
Other universities and colleges
Development
Break (15 minutes)
Breakout sessions:
* Technical issues
* Game engines (30 minutes)
* Infrastructure (network/bandwidth, authentication, etc) (30
minutes)
* Developing a vision for UNC Chapel Hill (perhaps with small working
groups to develop the beginning of course-based scenarios or activities
on paper) (1 hour)
* Funding possibilities (1 hour)
Break (15 minutes)
Wrap-up Discussion (30 minutes):
* Summarize vision groups' work (10 minutes)
* Discussion (15 minutes)
* Final comments (5 minutes)
What do y'all think about this outline?
-- Libby
John
games in education seminar. You can sample some of his writing here:
http://www.igda.org/columns/clash/, and his homepage is
http://home.comcast.net/~msakey/index.htm. Let me know what you think
about him, and I'll continue to watch for other interesting
personalities we can bring to UNC.
Elizabeth A. Evans
> I have found a writer, Matt Sakey, who may be a fitting speaker for a
> games in education seminar.
John, Thanks for the pointer. It looks like Matt Sakey is a consultant
whose price may be out of our league at this time. But it's useful to
collect names.
Suggestions for other folks would be great. When you suggest a name,
could you also associate a topic with the name? Like "John Doe could
talk about a game developed at University X." Or "Jane Smith could
talk about what research exists on the effectiveness of using games
for learning." etc. :-)
Any other suggestions?
-- Libby
Elizabeth A. Evans
> groups to develop the beginning of course-based scenarios or activities
> on paper) (1 hour)
Had a conversation with someone the other day that makes me add
another breakout option for the symposium. Another set of small groups
(or just one group, depending on number of attendees) could develop
some ideas for what kinds of research projects might be spawned by
having a curriculum-based MMOG. Some general examples include topics
like sociologists looking at the development of community, medical
sciences looking at impacts of game playing on diseases like
Alzheimer's (research has shown that working crossword puzzles can
slow the impact of Alzheimer's, but can playing computer games?), etc.
I had a great conversation with Jackie Resnick in our campus Office of
Research Development. That office will co-sponsor the symposium (along
with ITS and the Odum Institute Working Group on the Impact of the
Internet on Society). If any of you represent campus departments or
schools that might be interested (or willing :-)) to co-sponsor,
please let me know. I plan to ask the University Libraries and the
Johnston Center for Undergraduate Excellence. I hope Computer Science
will co-sponsor. Any other ideas? (If so, please let me know if you
have an "in" to obtaining the agreement.) Co-sponsorship could mean
money, of course, but it could also mean just lending the unit's name
and agreeing to help publicize the symposium as much as possible.
Money is nice (very nice :-)), but part of the intent of the symposium
is to continue to build our community and to get buy-in from our
campus community.
-- Libby