By Stephen Downes
July 3, 2003
Learning with Role-Playing
Games
Good analysis of RPGs (Role Playing Games)
and their role in learning. The article begins with some
taxonomies of RPGs from John H. Kim and Levi Kornelsen,
then offers summaries of more than a half dozen accounts of
the use of RPGs in learning. Other topics include the use
of RPGs in the classroom, the use of wargames, adventure
games, live action, storytelling games, improvisation, and
simulation. Good stuff. By Graeme Daniel and Kevin Cox,
Web Tools Newsletter, July 1, 2003
[Refer][Research][Reflect]
Communities Online
Though
presented as a two-column PDF document (and therefore
almost impossible to read online), this article is a nice
summary of the discussion surrounding online communities
from last year's Net*Working 2002 conference held online in
Australia. Readers will want especially to note the diagram
on the last page summarizing major issues and attributes of
online communities. The same author provides a similar
summary, and a similar diagram, for the discussion
surrounding Communities of Practice. Other titles
available from the Net*Working 2002 'Extra' include Managers unlock the secrets of success by
Peter Le Cornu, Teaching Online: Complex, chaotic and
creative by Marty Cielens, and Bridging the Digital Divide by Martha
Goldman. By Nancy White, Net*Working 2002, July 1, 2003
[Refer][Research][Reflect]
Map Game
Nice drag'n drop exercise
which, for the record, I got in one try. By Unknown,
Rethinking Schools, July, 2003
[Refer][Research][Reflect]
Is the Academy Ready for Learning
Objects?
The authors of this article answer
"yes, but not at a level that suggests massive
institutional transformation—yet." Academics must consider
whether the contents of learning are incommernsurable
across disciplines. Publishers, also, fear the "starlings"
- massive numbers of small objects that would overwhelm
their ecosystem: "Today's learning content
environment—organized as 1,000-page, $120
textbooks—sustains the publisher, supports the faculty
member, and engorges the student. Although the faculty
selects the text, students are required to purchase the
equivalent of discipline-specific hard copies of The
Encyclopedia Britannica, and then only consume a small part
of the resource." Good article, and I appreciate the desire
to look beyond technology for useful metaphors. By Stephen
R. Acker, Dennis K. Pearl, and Steven W. Rissing, Syllabus,
July 1, 2003
[Refer][Research][Reflect]
Welcome to CourseWork!
Vendors of
commercial LMS and course management systems must be
wondering what new product line they can pursue. This
announcement is yet another in the list of free, open
source course management systems. "CourseWork is a open
source course management system based at Stanford
University and developed by Academic Computing in the
Stanford University Libraries and Academic Information
Resources. Using CourseWork, instructors and TAs can set up
a course Web site that displays announcements, on-line
readings, a dynamic syllabus and schedule, on-line
assignments and quizzes, a discussion forum for students,
and a grade book. CourseWork is designed both for faculty
with little Web experience, who can use CourseWork to
develop their Web site quickly, and for expert Web-users,
who can use it to organize complex, Web-based materials and
link them to Web communication tools." By Various Authors,
Stanford University, June 30, 2003
[Refer][Research][Reflect]
Know a friend who might enjoy this
newsletter?
Feel free to forward OLDaily to your colleagues. If you
received this issue from a friend and would like a free
subscription of your own, you can join our mailing list
at
http://www.downes.ca/cgi-bin/website/subscribe.cgi
[
About This NewsLetter] [
OLDaily Archives]
[
Send me your comments]