Navta Associates

Synchronous/Asynchronous Spaces

Nikki — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 13:18:19 +0000

Gaston Bachelard, the philosopher of the imagination, suggests that asynchronous spaces are good for what he calls the material imagination, which can roughly be thought of as when we reflect and ponder the subject “matter”.

Synchronous spaces are good for what he calls the formal imagination, where we work to give form to what we understand so it can be engaged by the others with whom we are synchronizing.

Seems like an appropriate summary of what a student experiences during online learning, which can occur synchronously or asynchronously. When a student reads a lesson, watches a video, or responds to a discussion thread, these activities all fall under the categories of “pondering” and “reflection”. When a student is participating in a video conference or live chat, the experience is much more engaged, and the student must communicate the results of their pondering and reflection to others.

An amazing talk on the future of games

Nikki — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 22:36:02 +0000

Carnegie Mellon University Professor Jesse Schell’s inspiring talk at DICE 2010. Well worth the 28 mins!

Wii Games – E3 2010 – Guitar Hero 5

Three Looming Crises in Education

Nikki — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 13:00:58 +0000

A recently-released whitepaper authored by Governor Bob Wise with assistance from Robert Rothman states that “currently, K–12 education in the United States is dealing with three major crises, each of which on its own is capable of wreaking havoc on schools and communities around the nation, but together are an all-out perfect storm. Simultaneously, the U.S. education system is facing

• global skill demands vs. educational attainment;

• the funding cliff; and

• a looming teacher shortage.

These three factors have brought our education system to a point where the need for change and innovation is no longer something to be researched and discussed. We must do what people have done for centuries and turn crisis into opportunity, somehow making progress in the face of enormous challenges.”

Online education is one of the major solutions for all three of these problems. The report goes on to state “Modern technology can also help schools deal with the projected shortages of a skilled workforce, funds, and effective teachers. Through online and other digital means, students can have access to teachers with content knowledge and expertise who live in other parts of the state, the country, or even the world. These teachers, moreover, can be available at any time of the day for questions and advice. Now, time becomes a variable rather than a constant for student and educator. No longer locked into a forty-five-minute class at a set time every day, students are able to learn and interact on a twenty-four- hour, seven-day-a-week basis.”

Yet more evidence in favor of the argument that bringing education to where kids live–on their digital devices–represents the future of education!

The New Literacy . . . and more

Nikki — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 11:32:26 +0000

As an answer to “the pundits” bemoaning about how kids today are terrible writers, Clive Thompson wrote an article last fall that appeared in Wired Magazine, arguing that the advent of technology is actually enabling a literacy revolution. He argues against placing judgment on the quality of their writing, rather that we should recognize that kids are starting to think about writing in a whole new way. Two factors are at work, enabling students to communicate more effectively: 1) knowing your audience, and 2) knowing the reason for writing. Apparently, kids have been demonstrating that they can use texting appropriately, and overall they are writing more than any generation before them.

Very inspiring! Students are adaptable. The web offers a new means of expression, they can reach a larger audience than ever before, and they have responded by becoming more prolific.

This could apply not only to literacy, but other competencies. Technology offers the medium by which students can connect with a more like-minded students than ever before. Together the strength of their interest and curiosity could be more powerful than independently. How can we help students make those connections? Seems logical to use their mobile devices. Is the iPad the answer? Smartphones? SMS on “dumb” phones? Mobile devices can bring distance learning and online learning one step further–into students’ hands. Literally. What are educators waiting for?!

Dojo

Nikki — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 00:32:41 +0000

Frustrated by Facebook’s new terrible photo uploader? Want to share hi-res photos with your Facebook friends? I’ve discovered a new Facebook app called Dojo. Not only can you share hi-res photos, but you can apply filters to them, decorate them with stickers, and make a free-form collage of a bunch of photos. It’s so cool!

Moving Learning Games Forward

Nikki — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 21:34:30 +0000

MovingLearningGamesForward, by Eric Klopfer, Scot Osterweil, and Katie Salen With contributions by Jason Haas, Jennifer Groff and Dan Roy, is one of the most useful reports about games in education that I’ve read in a long time. This is an Education Arcade paper, from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

The report intelligently answers questions regarding the use of video games in education, and provides numerous resources for continued investigation. “Educational games” are placed in rich context, including historical background and recommendations for implementation in the “classroom”. Very much a must-read for anyone even vaguely interested in this timely debate.

Screen-bending art

Nikki — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 00:56:10 +0000

http://zigzagphilosophy.com/

Building Virtual Worlds

Nikki — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 18:34:59 +0000

This was the best excuse yet to take my boys, ages 13 and 15, out of school for the last couple of periods in the day. We had the opportunity to watch the “best of the best” virtual worlds projects generated by this year’s crop of ETC students—an entertaining, mind-bending, stimulating array of “experiences”.

Here’s the “official” info:

On Wednesday, December 2, 2009 at Purnell Center’s Chosky Theater, we at the Entertainment Technology Center will present the annual Building Virtual Worlds Show. From virtual reality to audience interaction and everything imaginable in between, this live showcase of the most impressive student work from the semester is truly a must-see event!

Over the course of this semester, BVW students are collaborating in four-person interdisciplinary teams to create a series of virtual worlds, each of which must be completed within a one to three week time period. We look forward to sharing a variety of these worlds with you.

http://bvw.etc.cmu.edu/content/show

If you are not able to join us in Pittsburgh, please join us live on the web at 6pm December 2nd through our webcast:

To view the webcast, you will need a broadband internet connection, and

For Windows computers, you will need Windows Media Player 9 or newer.
For Macintosh OS X, Flip4Mac is recommended.
GNU/Linux computers, VLC is recommended.

Death of the Card Catalog

Nikki — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 11:20:17 +0000

A couple of recent articles that I’ve stumbled across recently are in connection with libraries getting rid of their card catalogs, and how they go about doing so. For many, there is some nostalgia associated with this ever-increasingly common occurrence, and some libraries have found creative ways to commemorate the occasion without going overboard.

As much as I am completely for progress, it’s not without an occasional backwards glance that I forge ahead into the digital age. It’s hard to forget the mounting feeling of anticipation that I felt sitting in one of my college courses after a research paper had been assigned. There was usually a mad rush to the library, where students would each grab a drawer or two from the card catalog, and the hunt was on! I wonder how I would have felt if someone had told me that in my lifetime each student would be able to perform basic research on their cell phones. At that time, the card catalogs were the first stop on an analog trail of research, one that led deep into the stacks of books and, inevitably, to a hole where the sought-after book had resided before a fellow classmate arrived there first.

The articles to which I refer:
The cARTalog grows from the empty drawers of the University of Iowa Libraries’ main card catalog, which was retired in 2004.
At the University of South Carolina, the Card Catalog Makes a Graceful Departure.

Girls and Games

Nikki — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 20:21:16 +0000

An interesting article about girls and video games. Thankfully, the trend towards more girls finding their way into the professional gaming industry is on the rise. Getting them interested at an earlier age seems to be one of the factors that makes the most difference.