Visit to Singapore
I just had the pleasure of visiting colleagues at the Learning Sciences Laboratory at the National Institute of Education in Singapore. There is some really interesting work going on there.
My host was Yam San Chee, who among other projects is working on a game called Statecraft X. The game is built around a Civilization-like simulation model, but the twist is that his team has developed the clever idea of setting one fictional world within another to support the reflection-on-action that turns play in the game into understanding of the world outside the game.
The MacArthur Foundation supports research into computer games and learning
Spotlight on Digital Media and Learning, a blog supported by the MacArthur Foundation, recently posted about the Epistemic Games Group’s new funding from the National Science Foundation…
Games and Learning Research Going to Scale with New Federal Dollars
Posted by Sarah J. • November 6, 2009
Researchers at the University of Wisconsin, Madison will develop technology to allow computers to teach complex real-world problem solving, thanks to a large grant from the National Science Foundation..
UW-Madison Journalism student writes about Epistemic Games
Epistemic games rely on the analysis of the authentic practices of professional practica to inform their design. Here is a case where a student engaged in the authentic practices of a Journalism practicum at University of Wisconsin-Madison, includes news about epistemic games in the content created through those practices…
Computer Games in Education
Oct. 22, 2009
by Emily Mawer
A research team at the University of Wisconsin-Madison will study computer games and learning with federal research grants.
The principal investigator on several of the grants, David Williamson Shaffer, a professor of educational psychology at UW-Madison, said computers games allow students to live in a simulated world where they can face real life problems.
On applications
So, it is one of my favorite times of the academic year: When prospective students start getting in touch with me about applying to our program. UW’s Learning Science program is really outstanding (in my opinion, of course!), so I always feel good about recommending that people apply.
My other best piece of generic piece of application advice is:
No matter where someone is thinking about applying, it is a good idea to get in touch with the current graduate students of professors they are interested in working with. You get a much better sense of the program that way, and can (if nothing else) target your application essay better.
What prompted this post, though, was a realization I had as I’ve been talking with prospective applicants this fall. With all the new projects we’ve started up, our work is getting more and more technical and mathematical.
I don’t think that’s really a good thing or a bad thing, just a consequence of moving to work at larger scales. But perhaps a shift worth noting.
