Engage
By: Seth Reiman
Why?
The Importance
Who else thinks this is important?
• U.S. Department of Education
• Marc Prensky
• NetDay
• Education Evolving
• Educause
Is School Boring?
Is School Boring?
MNCS (male)
Male
Is School Boring?
MNCS (female)
Female
Yes
Yes
No
No
Sometimes
Sometimes
Is School Boring?
Is School Boring?
LS-H (male)
Male
Yes
No
Sometimes
Female
Female
Yes
No
Sometimes
Wanted: Technology
• Technology is important to student’s education
• Technology is not an “extra”
• Access is limited in school
Would technology make school more fun?
Male
more technology
Male
Female
more technology
Female
Yes
Yes
No
No
Unsure
Unsure
Would technology make school more fun?
Male
Male
Yes
No
Unsure
Female
Female
Yes
No
Unsure
We give them depressants, and then wonder why they are bored!
Twitch speed vs. Conventional speed
Connected vs. Standalone
Payoff vs. Patience
Technology-as-friend vs. Technology-as-foe
Twitch speed vs. Conventional speed
• They are given “depressants.”
• The Games Generation has far more experience “twitching.”
• Humans have always been capable of speed.
• They have hit a “brick wall.”
Connected vs. Standalone
• It is both synchronous and asynchronous.
• Depersonalization?
• Freed from “lookism” and prejudices.
• Much less constrained by their physical location.
• Take advantage of this connectedness.
Payoff vs. Patience
• Put in the hours and you will be rewarded.
• Computers excel at giving feedback.
• Students have a huge intolerance for that which doesn’t payoff.
• Give them rewards now.
Technology-as-friend vs. Technology-as-foe
• Don’t worry, it doesn’t bite.
• “Digital Immigrants” will come to technology some day.
• Having a computer is my birthright!
• Students need to be allowed to create their own learning
elements.
• It isn’t technology to the younger generation.
“Let early education be a sort of amusement.”
- Plato
• Learning doesn’t have to be hard.
• Learning is actually fun.
• Students are taught unimaginatively.
• Teachers need to spark students’ curiosity.
Instant messaging and E-mail
• Two resources which are not utilized enough.
• Instant message during school, students and teachers alike.
• E-mail too can be used by both.
The Internet as textbook, notebook, and even backpack
• The Internet is a vast source of information.
• It is too often thought of negatively.
• E-mail as a notebook.
• Secure file transfer program for use as a backpack.
Half-life 2
Non-curriculum based:
• Problem solving abilities
• Perseverance
• Estimating skills
• Quick thinking
• Hypothesis testing
• Deducing a games rules by playing rather than by being told
Curriculum based:
• Physics
Half-Life 2
Engaged?
What I learned:
Public Speaking
Procrastination
Hard Work
Presentation skills
Research Skills
Task Lists
It’s my future
Thank You!
The Senior Project Team
Aaron Grimm
Dee Thomas
Peter Liljengren
My Parents (Dan and Lisa Reiman)
MNCS and LS-H students
Bibliography
Asimov, Isaac. Past, Present and Future. Buffalo: Prometheus Books,
1987.
2006. Bloomberg.com. 4 Mar. 2006 <http://www.bloomberg.com>.
"Carpal Tunnel Syndrome." 2006. Kids Health. 27 Mar. 2006
<http://kidshealth.org/kid/ill_injure/aches/carpal.html>.
"Dance Dance Revolution 8th Mix - DDR Extreme." 2006. International
Arcade Museum. 5 Mar. 2006 <http://www.arcademuseum.com/game_detail.php?letter=D&game_id=10833>.
2005. Department of Defense Game Developers' Community. 15 Mar.
2006 <http://www.dodgamecommunity.com/index.php>.
"Does Computer Use Damage Kids' Eyes?." Technology & Science.
2006. ABC News. 27 Mar. 2006
<http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Technology/story?id=1409940>.
Bibliography (cont.)
"Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind." Filecloud. 5 Mar. 2006
<http://www.filecloud.com/files/file.php?file_id=213>.
"Genes are Main Culprit in Development of Myopia, Study Suggests."
Ohio State. 27 Mar. 2006
<http://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/myokid.htm>.
Knight Ridder News Service. "DARWARS." The Free Press 1 Feb
2006: C1.
"Monkey Wrench Conspiracy." Games2train. 15 Jan. 2006
<http://www.games2train.com/site/default.html>.
"PLATO Achieve Now K-3 Reading." 2006. PLATO Learning. 26 Feb.
2006
<http://www.plato.com/products.asp?cat=Instructional&mark=&subj=&I
D=93>.
Bibliography (cont.)
Prensky, Marc. Digital Game-Based Learning. : McGraw-Hill, 2001.
"Seymour Papert." Oct 1996. 10 Mar. 2006
<http://web.media.mit.edu/~papert/>.
Shah, Allie. "3 R's and an Xbox." Star Tribune 6 October 2005: E1.
Slagle, Matt. "'Darwinia' stays fresh by constantly evolving, hence the
name." The Free Press 1 February 2006: C1.
"The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind." 2004. Abbyy Software. 6 Mar. 2006
<http://www.abbyy.ua/index.php?m=3:7:0&p=onec/multimedia/morrow
ind.html>.
Understanding Genetics. 2004. The Tech. 27 Mar. 2006
<http://www.thetech.org/genetics/ask.php?id=73>.