OFFICIAL SESSION NAME: (11:30am)
Techniques for Achieving an Effective Blend Between Engagement and Learning in Games
– Talib Hussain, Raytheon BBN Technologies
SUMMARY/ECAMPUS TAKEAWAY:
Some interesting thoughts on the importance of making the exercise fun, while also allowing room for the pain and suffering struggle that you need for proper learning. Ultimately my notes aren’t very good though.
RAW NOTES: Continue reading
Official Session Name: (10:30am)
US Game-based Learning Market Forecast: All Roads Lead to Mobile
– Sam Adkins (Chief Research Officer, Ambient Insight)
Summary:
At first I thought I went to the wrong session (this was a last minute room change. and initial talk was more about “money making” reality than “education effectiveness” reality). But there turned out to be some interesting analysis, and much food for thought (including several interesting apps and consumer learning products I’d never never heard of).
Ecampus Takeaway:
Some interesting discussion of tablets and asian markets, interesting links, and ideas for mobile apps we should make.
Raw Notes: Continue reading
Official Session Name: (9am)
Platforms: options and decisions
Summary:
round table discussion of the platforms for software development. (not that useful a session, really).
Ecampus Takeaway:
Instead of listening too closely to industry analysts (thbbt), I think we need to start thinking about: how to communicate across ALL platforms, How to record useful stats from each platform, And security.
Raw Notes: Continue reading
Official Session Name: (4pm)
Game mechanics used for learning – Douglas Whatley (CEO Breakaway)
Summary:
Really interesting talk – exploring how “game mechanics” themselves can (and should) affect the player.
Ecampus Takeaway:
This session really nailed the idea that the ever-popular “jeopardy trivia game” is just a damned training exercise. It doesn’t involve true “learning,” and isn’t really a game! (Boom!)
Raw Notes: Continue reading
Official Session Name: (2:30pm)
“How to Create an Effective Sim/Game Strategy”
Summary:
Christopher Hardy, a repected dude from Defense Acquisition University (DAU), talks about what they’ve learned. How they are much like corporate training (for many US Government agencies). Key difference is: Their students HAVE to take and pass their classes. … much more…
Ecampus Takeaway:
“Have a use case. Don’t build a game where all they learn is the game.” (and much more… this talk was gold)
Raw Notes: Continue reading
Official Session Name: (1:30)
B-HIVE: A Human Behavioral Definition Simulation Environment
Summary:
The guy who created DigiPen basically tells his life story (which is damned cool, honestly), rambled slightly about cool work he’s done for various government agencies, then talked about machine learning project he’s pioneered.
Ecampus Takeaway:
“Have the student make the game – that is the way to teach them”
Raw Notes: Continue reading
Official Session Name: (11:30am)
Strategicplay® with LEGO® Serious Play®
Summary / Ecampus Takeaway:
We were given bags of LEGOs, and went through some exercises to show us how using your hands can help anyone with thinking and communication. (mostly bizarrely worthless to me. but led to a good quick chat with a neighbor, who suggested many cool projects/links)
Session was basically being a big advertisement for their wacky consultant service(ugh), but got good leads accidentally from neighbor.
Raw Notes: Continue reading
Official Session Name: (10:30am)
Panel: “From Slate to Chalk to Tablets and Apps”
Summary / Ecampus Takeaway:
The conference really gets started, with some great discussion of the real world state of educational gaming (with some specific examples/links).
Raw Notes: Continue reading
Official Session Name: (9am)
The Serious Games Market : Segment Size (and Where Opportunity Lies)
Summary:
Marketing folks rambled about marketing crap, and I worried I was at the wrong conference (until a following session, where I confirmed I was in the right place).
Ecampus Takeaway:
The interesting thing about this conference was how it threw such a diverse group into the same room (from corporate training tool marketers to educational researchers to military contractors).
Raw Notes: Continue reading
Warning: I’ll be posting all my notes from the excellent 2011 Serious Play Conference (a three day event hosted at DigiPen, which I attended in August).
I’ve tried to do this for several other conferences I’ve attended over the past 2 years, and each time I end up getting distracted before I finish covering the event (usually due formatting photos, or worrying over the text summaries).
So this time, I’m going to… Continue reading
