I have spent most of my adult life involved in the computer industry beginning as a computer programmer, then performing systems analysis, followed by consulting work, and finally moving into education, teaching undergraduate and graduate computer science and information technology courses. The evolution from batch processing systems to the Internet we now take for granted has been amazing. Back in the good old days, the operating system and other computer programs controlled what was happening inside a computer. The programs determined what would happen next. The programs would ask for data when they needed it. Human computer operators mounted tapes and disk drives when requested by the program. The human was subservient to the computer. Then changes began to occur.
First, programs began to appear that did not control the data that was being entered. This was the advent of the spreadsheet. A foundation program was provided which allowed users to place data of all types in cells of a spreadsheet. Then the user, using relatively simple instructions, described what the spreadsheet needed to do such as adding columns of numbers or doing statistical analyses. With these spreadsheet programs, users began to take over control of computers. Next, windows-like operating systems and applications began to appear. Instead of a program controlling what was to be done next, the user could select an icon on a screen in order to tell the computer what to do next. Now the user had even more control of the computer.
We now have the Internet. The newest applications available are called Web 2.0 tools, allowing users to connect, collaborate, publish, discuss, evaluate, negotiate, and create new knowledge on the World Wide Web. Two of the more popular tools are blogs and wikis. The popularity of these tools is astounding. According to Kevin Kelly in the August 2005 issue of Wired magazine, the number of web pages is greater than 600 billion. “In fewer than 4,000 days, we have encoded half a trillion versions of our collective story and put them in front of 1 billion people, or one-sixth of the world's population.” The growth continues unabated in 2008. What is amazing is that all of this has been created by individuals like you and me, not giant publishing houses. Through the use of blogs, wikis, and other tools, the individual is now deeply involved in knowledge creation and sharing that knowledge with others. No longer are the few experts determining what is to be published and read. Consumers are also producers of content. Kelly wonders what will happen when the number of producers surpasses the number of consumers, when people are creating blog entries, for example, but not reading. He says that is alright. He explains by saying that “the producers are the audience, the act of making is the act of watching, and every link is both a point of departure and a destination.”
In his book, The Wisdom of Crowds, James Surowiecki states that giving problems to be solved to a large and diverse enough group, the group will provide solutions that are intellectually superior in comparison to the individual expert, no matter how wise and informed he might be. Is it possible that our massive Internet of blogs, wikis, web pages, and other sites, controlled by over a billion individuals just might be the problem solving power we need to solve the complex issues currently in our global society?
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Adventure Learning
The description of adventure learning by Walczak (2002) is futuristic in nature, prodding us to think about where technology is leading us in the design and definition of education. Many constructivist principles are the basis for adventure learning. Alessi & Trollip (2001, pg. 32) provide a list of such principles. Adventure learning is perhaps constructivist learning supported by very high technology. For example, adventure learning facilitates knowledge construction by the learner, focuses on learning and not teaching, has the student discover rather than provide the student with answers, and describes the learning tasks as being relevant to the learner.
Where the article does not include constructivist principles is in the area of group collaboration. The article does indicate support for "group immersion education experience" but Iona seems to work only in the individual immersion education. Alessi & Trollip (2001) provide many references of research where the advantages of group cooperation and collaboration are demonstrated. Also it is questionable just how purposeful Iona's activities are. There is much student interactivity but the goals are not apparent. As Iona moves from one activity to another, the benefits of reflection may also be missing. In addition, the virtual reality aspects assume that real world complexity is expressed to its fullest, an unlikely attainment by the year 2020. Authentic real world tasks solving real world problems shows the student the complex world in which we must live and the need for complex answers.
Alessi, S. M., & Trollip, S. R. (2001). Multimedia for learning: Methods and development (3rd ed.). Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
Walczak, D. (2002). Encompassing education, pp. 60-64, In Department of Commerce. (2003). Visions 2020: Transforming education and training through advanced technologies. Government Report. Retrieved September 19, 2008 from, http://www.technology.gov/reports/TechPolicy/2020Visions.pdf
Where the article does not include constructivist principles is in the area of group collaboration. The article does indicate support for "group immersion education experience" but Iona seems to work only in the individual immersion education. Alessi & Trollip (2001) provide many references of research where the advantages of group cooperation and collaboration are demonstrated. Also it is questionable just how purposeful Iona's activities are. There is much student interactivity but the goals are not apparent. As Iona moves from one activity to another, the benefits of reflection may also be missing. In addition, the virtual reality aspects assume that real world complexity is expressed to its fullest, an unlikely attainment by the year 2020. Authentic real world tasks solving real world problems shows the student the complex world in which we must live and the need for complex answers.
Alessi, S. M., & Trollip, S. R. (2001). Multimedia for learning: Methods and development (3rd ed.). Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
Walczak, D. (2002). Encompassing education, pp. 60-64, In Department of Commerce. (2003). Visions 2020: Transforming education and training through advanced technologies. Government Report. Retrieved September 19, 2008 from, http://www.technology.gov/reports/TechPolicy/2020Visions.pdf
Serious Games: A Better CBT?
A blog item posted by Dipak Mawale at
http://dipakmawale.blogspot.com/2008/09/serious-games-and-related-concepts_19.html discusses “serious games” a strategy that can provide motivating and engaging learning experiences on computers. Alessi & Trollip (2001) describe the behavioral, cognitive, and constructivist views of learning and how they can and have been applied in CBT and WBT. I have constructivist leanings so I am interested in learning that involves the learner, where interactivity is a prime characteristic of the learning environment. Many training software packages provide the content, but in a way where the learner is a passive component in the learning (or should I say the teaching).
I have to admit that I am not very familiar with the term “serious games”. In a Google search of other sites I learned that it is using games in non-entertainment sectors. Education is certainly one of those sectors. It sounds like a strategy already being used in education called “edutainment”. Dipak points out that serious games focuses on problem solving and important elements of learning where edutainment focuses on having fun. Serious games is a strategy of using digital game technology to provide the interactivity needed by students as they construct knowledge. Dipak states that edutainment failed because its games were boring and were often nothing more than drills.
Serious games has been slow be accepted as an educational tool due to its high tech needs which had not been available. With the creation of multiplayer games, serious games now has the capability to provide powerful educational tools. More information about serious games can be found at the Serious Games Summit site at http://www.gdconf.com/conference/sgs.htm.
Alessi, S. M., & Trollip, S. R. (2001). Multimedia for learning: Methods and development (3rd ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon.
http://dipakmawale.blogspot.com/2008/09/serious-games-and-related-concepts_19.html discusses “serious games” a strategy that can provide motivating and engaging learning experiences on computers. Alessi & Trollip (2001) describe the behavioral, cognitive, and constructivist views of learning and how they can and have been applied in CBT and WBT. I have constructivist leanings so I am interested in learning that involves the learner, where interactivity is a prime characteristic of the learning environment. Many training software packages provide the content, but in a way where the learner is a passive component in the learning (or should I say the teaching).
I have to admit that I am not very familiar with the term “serious games”. In a Google search of other sites I learned that it is using games in non-entertainment sectors. Education is certainly one of those sectors. It sounds like a strategy already being used in education called “edutainment”. Dipak points out that serious games focuses on problem solving and important elements of learning where edutainment focuses on having fun. Serious games is a strategy of using digital game technology to provide the interactivity needed by students as they construct knowledge. Dipak states that edutainment failed because its games were boring and were often nothing more than drills.
Serious games has been slow be accepted as an educational tool due to its high tech needs which had not been available. With the creation of multiplayer games, serious games now has the capability to provide powerful educational tools. More information about serious games can be found at the Serious Games Summit site at http://www.gdconf.com/conference/sgs.htm.
Alessi, S. M., & Trollip, S. R. (2001). Multimedia for learning: Methods and development (3rd ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)