Meeting.with.Kay

NOTES FROM CONVERSATION WITH KAY, 6/23/06

James, Vicki, and Holly
1. What’s common about our research:
a. Linda is our chair
b. we are exploring virtual worlds
c. these are design studies, examining the design of these worlds

4. Kay’s suggestions for Holly
a. Holly is particularly interested in experimenting with the effects on history learning of a video game, Civilization IV.
b. While she has considered using same teacher, one class with the intervention, and the other a control group, because the teacher is already an enthusiastic user of CivIV, Kay suggested that that might be a confounding variable. An alternative is to find a strong teacher who doesn’t have such experience. With the elements of an experimental design being randomization, control, and manipulation, and the reality that Holly can’t ensure the first two, a better approach might be to have the students be their own control group, using pre- and post- tests.
c. This way, she can focus on effect on comprehension of the video game and let go of other issues.
d. Design is quasi-experimental, with hypotheses about the effect of the video game on the learning, starting with a pre-test, a mid-experiment test, and a final test.
e. Review of design of previous history games will be included
f. Product will be report on the results of the intervention, and discussion of design elements



THINKING ABOUT NOW:
g. NOTE: after discussion between VS and HL, the issue of her interest in next generation learners and next generation games, and how the research as described above isn’t really related and doesn’t address it at all, really (except as possibly the significance or importance of the study). VS & HL discussed the possibility ofy a mixed methods approach? For example, first phase in Spring 2007 is to do design review and look at research on intervention results of representative history games from 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s, and the relative technology literacy of student populations during those same periods (?). Make hypotheses based on this research, and test them in the experimental mode in the fall.

Rubbish

After chatting with profs the past few weeks.. I am thinking about where to go with the dissertation process.. here is what is in my head so far.. pardon the mess:

Qualitative analysis
quasi- experimental design
relate my lit review to a look at history games over time
this review of games will then show the design of the games makes learning occur

students are the control
3 hypothesis: one covering the pretest to post test (whole semester),
1 from pretest to midterm, 1 from midterm to final
am going to run computer mediated instruction in an 11th grade classroom using Civ IV to support the notion that games support and enable learning

Links for Gaming

some relevent, some not.. just a place to store them..


http://www.charthouse.com/charthouse/liveLearn_schoolFish.asp?

http://www.itofisher.com/sfisher/

http://www-cntv.usc.edu/academic_programs/interactive_media/academic-interactive-professors.php

http://www.soup.dk/

http://www.glsconference.org/faq.htm

http://www.e3expo.com/

http://www.educationarcade.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Sections&file=index&req=viewarticle&artid=67&page=1

http://www.ncrg.org/events/CLE.cfm

http://www.stcsig.org/usability/topics/articles/ucd%20_web_devel.html

http://edtechoutreach.umd.edu/mindtools.html
http://www.academiccolab.org/initiatives/gapps.html

http://edugames.blogspot.com/

http://learningarcade.org/

http://www.digra.org/

http://atlantis.crlt.indiana.edu/start/index.html

http://www.innovateonline.info/index.php

http://www.argn.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternate_Reality_Game

https://secondlife.com/tiki/tiki-index.php

http://www.onrpg.com/

http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/civilization-iv/662218p1.html

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/issue/17

http://www.ige.com/

http://www.digra.org/

http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/

http://www.microsoft.com/games/ageofmythology/norse_home.asp

http://www.making-history.com/

http://digg.com/

http://www.bnl.gov/bnlweb/history/higinbotham.asp

http://www.onrpg.com/

http://www.multiverse.net/

http://www.trinity.edu/adelwich/mmo/students.html

http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/default.asp


http://terranova.blogs.com/terra_nova

http://www.gamestudies.org/

http://thottbot.com/

http://www.gatlineducation.com/videogamedesign.htm

Possible Beta?

I am thinking of maybe Beta'ing or rolling out Muzzy Lane software for dissertation.

http://www.muzzylane.com/index.php

I need to contact the software company and see if I could use them for my research.. possible concern: would I be "selling" their software instead of validating the research..?

more clarification.. or fog

My dissertation will be looking at the relationship between increased engagement and gaming within
curriculum, vs. the traditional classroom and level of engagement (possibly with different games Civ 4, etc.). I want to apply the previous research from the Wisconsin cats and other researchers in the field of simulations and learning.

Possible research questions:
1. What causes engagement in the classroom with next generation learners?
2. What factors lead to engaging next generation learners?
3. What influences learners engagement with content and curriculum?
4. What characteristics lead to engagement within the classroom with next generation of learners?
5. What is the relationship between engagement of games and learning?
6. How effective is integration of games in the classroom with the next generation learners?
7. What differences exist between learning through games and learning through standard teaching practices?