Alternate Reality Education

Another story about education and the use of new paradigms to teach information.  This is such a fascinating field to me because I tend to learn very well in these environments.  And I'm not sure if its because of the medium used to disseminate the information, or my tendency to be more interested in subjects I find intriguing, such as technology.

Alternative reality: UW prof touts computer game learning

Even though parents and educators increasingly see the value of computer game learning, the powers who drive education policy are either still too wedded to the type of learning that prepared students for the industrial age, or they think teaching with computer games is too radical to suggest at the moment - even if they know the digital world is creating a new paradigm for education.

A couple points here.  I grew up with our "industrial age" education system, and to be quite frank, looking back on it now I find it quite boring and stale.  Accurate and up to date information was incredibly difficult to find, and more research time was wasted flipping through stacks of books and dewey decimal indexes than actual learning.  When you did find a book on a subject of interest, it was more than likely outdated.

As an aging game programmer, my own experience suggests that its possible to get an advanced education from gaming.  It wasn't until Blizzard released Diablo, and I began hacking the game using a real-time disassembler known as Softice, that I really understood all the relationships between hardware, the operating system, and the software programs that run under that operating system.

For me, it was like looking inside a clock, seeing all the moving parts, and instantly wanting to become a clock maker.  This had a dramatic affect on my drive to increase my programming skills, even though the fruits of my labor were nothing more than virtual gold pieces in partially unstable (and unsecured!) video game.

Games introduce challenges.  I love the idea of experiencing a history lesson on World War II, and the battle of Normandy through the use of virtual environments or even a game like Medal of Honor. I found studying WWII in school to be moderately anti-somniferous, but storming the beaches of Normandy in first person game was an experience I'll never forget.  While not real, it was much more life like than a teacher showing a class where Normandy is on a map, and where the invasion took place.

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[Jay D'Ambrosio]

The Hexagon Challenge is an educational alternate reality game (ARG), designed for an ancient history course. Students will attempt to solve an archaeological mystery by infiltrating a secret society, answering initiation questions regarding history, science, mathematics, world languages, and the arts. They will contact and be contacted by various fictitious characters via email, telephone, and instant messenger who will provide clues that enable them to continue their quest to discover the truth about a mysterious artifact known only as the Hexagon. Up to six extra credit points will be awarded along the way, which can be applied to your course if you so choose.
http://www2.svsd.net/~lions/hexagon