Week+Two

toc Monday January 22nd - Sunday 28th =//Why games? What games?//=

//"A special kind of beauty exists which is born in language, of language, and for language" (Gaston Bachelard)//

//[|collage by Ian D]//

Overview
This week, we will be examining the growing importance of gaming in society, and the ideas discussed by [|Marc Prensky] and others about engaging learners by using computer games. We will be asking participants about the use of computer games by students outside of the classroom and looking at ways in which participants could exploit student interest in these games in their teaching.

Joining in with Skype Discussion Notes
 * **Week 2 Synchronous Meetings** ||
 * [|Skypecast on Saturday January 27th at 13.00-14.00 GMT] - We'll be meeting again this Saturday for a round table discussion about gaming. Skypecast number: **+99001110012115347.** [|Join the chatroom here]. Scroll down for the Second Life meeting details that will follow this webcast. ||

Input
The Games Children Play: media type="google" key="1948171804794315954&hl=en" type="google" key="1948171804794315954&hl=en"
 * Viewing:**

[|Prensky, M (2001) Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants (PDF)] [|Oblinger, D. (2004) The Next Generation of Educational Engagement (PDF)] [|Gee, JP (2003) What Video Games have to tell us about Learning & Literacy (review)] Steven Johnson (2005) Everything Bad is Good For You (quotes) [|David Warlick (2006) Games in Classrooms or Classrooms in Games?] [|Bronwyn Stuckey - Do we know what a game is?]
 * Reading:**

[|Engage Me, not Enrage Me (mp3)] podcast : Marc Prensky on engaging pupils in schoolwork [|Games & Game-making for learning] : Marc Prensky on how games can help learning - available (with supporting materials) from [|Modern Foreign Languages Environment] //(Learning & Teaching Scotland)//
 * Listening:**

Activities
> >
 * 1) Read the Prensky article
 * 1) Listen to Prensky's Engage Me, not Enrage Me presentation and/or Games and game-making for learning

Discussion
>
 * 1) To what extend do you, do your language learners, fall into the digital natives or digital immigrants categories?
 * 2) In what ways is this dichotomy presented by Prensky helpful or not helpful in thinking about our students using games in their language learning?
 * 3) What games are you using with your students? What is the added value you and they feel they gain from them?

=Second Life:=

Overview
//**Real Life Education in Second Life**//**.** You are invited to explore the ways in which educators are using this virtual world,. We will be exploring some of the spaces used for educational projects and looking at some of the educational resources that are available (including classroom spaces). Tours of some of these spaces will be organized throughout the week, and the details posted below:


 * **Second Life Meetup** ||
 * Immediately after the Skypecast i.e.[|14.00-15.00 GMT]. We will meet on another education island called [|Boracay] and later we will go to visit the NMC Campus - a sub-continent of 30 islands. The NMC Campus is semi-open and you need to join the campus via the NMC Campus Observer blog at http://www.nmc.org/sl At that page click on the join tab, complete the web form and follow the emailed instructions for joining the in-world group NMC Guests. Please do this before the Skypecast on Saturday. If you have questions, email corwin.carillon@gmail.com or IM Corwin Carillon inside Second Life. ||

Input
[|Stevens, V (2006) Second Life in Education] -
 * Reading:**
 * Sarah “Intellagirl” Robbins:** http://www.secondlife.intellagirl.com/

[|Who's on Second] - podcast for educators & non-profit organisations using Second Life
 * Listening:**

This video provides an overview of the New Media Consortium's virtual campus built in Second Life: media type="youtube" key="S9VZKTT6gZ8" type="youtube" key="S9VZKTT6gZ8"
 * Viewing:**

[|ABC News also has an interesting overview of Second Life]

Other educational projects in Second Life

Activities
>
 * 1) Read Vance's recent article on Second Life
 * 2) Listen to an episode of Who's on Second

Discussion
>
 * 1) We know it's early days, but given what you've read and heard, what ideas do you currently have in mind for exploiting these virtual worlds with your students?
 * 2) What do you think would be the major barriers for them?