Games & Learning

MIT Completes First Course Devoted to PlayStation Tech

MIT last week completed what claims is the first course in the United States devoted to the capabilities of the Cell Broadband Engine or Cell/B.E., the chip that powers the Sony PlayStation3 entertainment platform.

Teach Your Children Well: RPI Offers Games Degree

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute launched an undergraduate degree program in Games and Simulation Arts & Sciences (GSAS), which it said would play on the success of an existing games studies minor offered in the university's School of Humanities an Social Sciences. Article

Wells Fargo Teaching Money Management in SL

I just found this article on Stagecoach Island, a destination in Second Life that was created by Well Fargo for teaching players money management and savings tactics.  You can also view trailers on Stagecoach Island on the website of the agency that did the development for Wells Fargo: http://www.swivelmedia.com/fun_money.htm

Bits, Bytes, Bots

This is a great educational service in Colorado for getting kids age 6-14 into game development: 

http://www.bitsbytesbots.com/index.htm

Familiarizing kids from age 6 with the logical skills necessary for game development seems like a great way to infuse critically needed competencies into our region.  Note that there are opportunities for franchising their service as well.

Computer game shot at Owens to help firefighters

Check out the collaborative effort between the OU Grid Lab, the Ohio Board of Regents and Owens Community College’s Center for Emergency Preparedness. I can't wait to play this game!

Just Doin' It - MMORPGs

Dr. Rod Reigle of Illinois State University is of the opinion (and it is an opinion that I tend to agree with,) that Higher Education will never truly have the development horsepower to create games from their own shops that can compete graphically and interactively with the rich MMORPGs coming out of large consumer game development studios.  Because of this, he chose to build his course titled Social Foundations of Education in and around the existing consumer game World of Warcraft.  Here is the course homepage and a trailer:

http://people.coe.ilstu.edu/rpriegle/eaf228mmorpg/login/index.asp

Here is a short article by Todd Bryant of Dickinson College on using World of Warcraft for second language acquisition

http://www.academiccommons.org/commons/essay/bryant-MMORPGs-for-SLA

Cheers,
Christopher Keesey

Just Doin' It - Second Life

Here is a look at some folks in the Second Life environment who are “just doin’ it”

Here is a link to a real-live Harvard law course that takes place in both the 1st and Second Life space.  Make sure to check out the trailer.  It says it all:

http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/cyberone/

Aline Click is a designer at Northern Illinois University who is creating the Glidden Campus representation at Northern Illinois.  It is a massive and impressive structure and looks visually to be a strong frontrunner for aesthetic best practice in a virtual campus (behind Ohio University of course ;) Here is some info on Aline:

http://www.glsconference.org/2006/pop/click.htm

Bryant Carter partnered in 2006 with Aline Click and Northern Illinois to offer a Cyberculture course in Second Life through Central Missourri State. The course explored various themes pertaining to Cyberculture. Here is some info on Bryant and his work:

http://www.glsconference.org/2006/pop/carterb.htm

Finally, Here are the top 20 educational destinations in Second Life according to the simteach site

http://www.simteach.com/wiki/index.php?title=Top_20_Educational_Locations_in_Second_Life

Cheers,

Christopher Keesey