Blog Title: Learning Games

Future of the Textbook

One of my current interests is the area of Open Education Resources (OER). I’ve got Opening Up Education sitting on bookshelf within easy reach of my desk for when I have time spare to read it. Though of course I can also read it online, as the whole book is also available in PDF format read more..

Metaplace revisited

Metaplace has been making good progress in the last few months – particularly in some of the ’softer’ issues. When first logging into MetaPlace Central there is a simple tutorial. The wiki support is much improved. There are regular inworld classes hosted by some of the more experienced and expert residents. I think I detect read more..

Effective Practice in a Digital Age

New report from JISC – Effective Practice in a Digital Age: The skill of the practitioner remains key to the effectiveness of learning – an unchangeable factor in a context of rapid change. However, practitioners now need to understand how to draw advantage from an increasingly diverse range of tools and media and select the most read more..

Technology revolution stops at classroom doors

New report from JISC – Effective Practice in a Digital Age: The skill of the practitioner remains key to the effectiveness of learning – an unchangeable factor in a context of rapid change. However, practitioners now need to understand how to draw advantage from an increasingly diverse range of tools and media and select the most read more..

Virtual World use in UK education

The latest report from Virtual World Watch is now out. This is the first one that I didn’t manage a response to… though I don’t think there have been major updates or changes here at UWS since the last report. Summer 2009 Virtual World Watch report Trends, especially subject areas of use, are becoming clearer. The academic read more..

Extensions of Man

For the McLuhan fans. Its around 50 years since McLuhan wrote about media as ‘extensions of man’. A recent article in Current Biology adds evidence from neuro-science that the brain adapts to the use physical tools – so that to the brain the tools indeed become extensions of the user. I’m sure this all ties up read more..

Digital Natives/Immigrants Divide Not Supported By Evidence

Thanks to Stephen Downes at OLDaily for this. First up, the story links to the ‘Net Gen Skeptic‘ blog – how could I have not know about this blog? In turn, Net Gen Skeptic summarises a new report from the University of Melbourne, on a project which has been investigating how commencing first year students and their read more..

Universities: Healthy or on Last Legs?

Thanks to Stephen Downes at OLDaily for this. First up, the story links to the ‘Net Gen Skeptic‘ blog – how could I have not know about this blog? In turn, Net Gen Skeptic summarises a new report from the University of Melbourne, on a project which has been investigating how commencing first year students and their read more..

Social Networking and the Brain

Think I missed this one at the time – too busy to blog or something. Ben Goldacre considers the arguments about the effect of Social Networking on the brain and detects some scaremongering. (In the Daily Mail? How unlikely!) Chilling warning to parents from top neuroscientist.

Digital Britain: Skills gap remains

The Digital Britain report was published yesterday – I was away on external examination duties, so didn’t have a chance to look at it till today. Found relatively little reference to the games industry – there is a note in the executive summary about reviewing tax breaks for the industry – as the games industry read more..