The next EATING talk
The next talk of the EATING group will be on Thursday 30th April in the David Gorham Library (Venables N1015) at 2.30 p.m
(Note the change of date from EATING’s normal third Thursday in the month slot.)
Liam Green-Hughes and Rebecca Ferguson
Serious games: engaging, inspiring and motivating learners
‘If they’re learning with Nintendogs at infant school, Endless Ocean at junior school and Guitar Hero at secondary school – what will they expect from us?’ Liam and Rebecca consider the implications of the recent Game Based Learning conference in London.
The conference brought together educators, game designers, researchers and gamers to consider the impact that video games and social media are having on the quality of learning and teaching practice. It highlighted the changing profile of computer gamers and the growth in sales of games consoles. It also focused on broader shifts in technology use, with many moving away from television and towards social networks.
Keynote speaker Nolan Bushnell visualised a future in which students would learn in isolated pods, fed information via screens and headphones, and monitored by webcams. This nightmarish vision united other delegates in a torrent of comment in the Twitter stream. Others – particularly Scottish educators such as Derek Robertson – had a more positive message, demonstrating the use of games to engage, motivate and inspire learners.
Details of all EATING talks can be found on the EATING website