Tag Archives: article

Is a WebQuest Digital Play?

What is a WebQuest? A WebQuest is an inquiry based online learning activity in which learners are given the task of finding out information on the internet. A WebQuest can last for quite a short time (for instance a half hour computer room session) or for a long time (a long term course project, for [...]

Astro Empires Needs You!

Level: Intermediate & above Location: Home computer Topic: Worlds domination Skills Focus: Writing Game: Astro Empires Astro Empires is a purely text based game.  Look on the left at the screenshot and what you see is pretty much what you get.  It’s not at all the kind of special effects driven game that dominates the [...]

Spotlight on Digital Play Innovators #5 Ralph H. Baer

Clockwise from the top -Magnavoz game console, a light gun, game cartridges, SIMON The Father of Video Games In 2006 Ralph H. Baer was awarded the National Medal of Technology by the President of the United States for his “groundbreaking and pioneering creation, development and commercialisation of interactive video games”.  In fact many believe he [...]

EVOKE – Edugaming Online

EVOKE is an online Alternate Reality Game (ARG) run by the World Bank Institute and directed by Jane McGonigal.  It begins on March 3 2010 and requires gamers to complete ten game challenges over a ten week period.  If you want to reserve a place then do so now. An EVOKE is defined as an [...]

Spotlight on Digital Play Innovators #3 James Paul Gee

Later today (early tomorrow in some parts of the world), there’ll be an interesting opportunity to join James Paul Gee who’ll be in conversation with Steve Hargadon and Ed Hill about Video Games, Learning and Literacy. photo by Preoccupations Event: More Details are here Date: Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010 Time: 5pm Pacific / 8pm Eastern [...]

Spotlight on Digital Play Innovators #2 ‘Lil Poison’

The World’s youngest professional video gamer Manyparents complain that their children waste too much time playing video games and not enough time on their schoolwork.  Maybe it’s because they are worried that their children won’t study hard at school.  If they don’t get good exam results they won’t grow up and get a good job [...]

Why playing videogames better than reading books

Are books on the way out in education? Will their role be taken by educational games? The Digital Educational Revolution The explosion of technology that is taking place in schools has led to a number of ideas being put forward related to the death of the book in education. More and more, laptops are being [...]

Playing video games = Healthy body, healthy mind

In 1961 a psychologist by the name of Albert Bandura ran a series of experiments where groups of children witnessed adults attacking an inflatable bobo doll. The bobo doll experiment was conducted to see whether children learnt violent behaviour by observing and imitating others. This ground setting experiment has led to many studies into the [...]

Video games go to the Movies

  I’m game for the movies   Many films go on to become video games but do you know which films started out as video games? The pictures above show just four of those films, can you name them? You may be surprised to find out that there have been quite a few more. Which [...]