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Learning with Simulations

Learning with Simulations: Gaming, Virtual Worlds & Immersive Online Environments
Simulation defined: Something which simulates a system or environment in order to predict actual behavior.

 WHAT?     WHY?  HOW?
Students have been using computer assisted instruction for many years now. However, these programs are, for the most part, drill based programs and involve the computer and the one student. Simulation activities are more advanced and require the user to solve problems to move ahead in the 'game'. Simulation games involve multiple users playing together to reach a common goal. Actions of one player will often effect the 'life' of other players.
 Simulation environments, however, are more authentic for students and require more on the part of the student. Students make decisions and problem solve to make their way through 'the game'. Simulation activities allow students to test hypothesis that cannot be tested in reality, such as level of acidity in water and the effect on fish in the water.
 Research simulations that fit with your curriculum and identify where and how students can participate. If simulations are not available, consider downloading and open source programming tool to encourage students to develop their own games.

Contents

  1. 1 MMOG
    1. 1.1 Lego Universe
    2. 1.2 Pirates of the Carribean
  2. 2 Virtual Worlds
    1. 2.1 Second Life
    2. 2.2 Club Penguin
  3. 3 Creating Games in Education 
    1. 3.1 Lego Mindstorms
    2. 3.2 Scratch
    3. 3.3 Alice
  4. 4 Virtual World Resource Links

Lego Universe MMOG Interview



MMOG

~from Wikipedia

A massively multiplayer online game (also called MMOG or simply MMO) is a video game which is capable of supporting hundreds or thousands of players simultaneously. By necessity, they are played on the Internet, and feature at least one persistent world. They are, however, not necessarily games played on personal computers. Most of the newer game consoles, including the Xbox 360, PlayStation Portable, PlayStation 3, Nintendo DS and Wii can access the Internet and thus can have MMO genre games.






Virtual Worlds


Introduction to Second Life


Second Life

Second Life® is a 3-D virtual world created by its Residents. Since opening to the public in 2003, it has grown explosively and today is inhabited by millions of Residents from around the globe.

  • From the moment you enter the World you'll discover a vast digital continent, teeming with people, entertainment, experiences and opportunity. Once you've explored a bit, perhaps you'll find a perfect parcel of land to build your house or business.

  • You'll also be surrounded by the Creations of your fellow Residents. Because Residents retain intellectual property rights in their digital creations, they can buy, sell and trade with other Residents.

  • The Marketplace currently supports millions of US dollars in monthly transactions. This commerce is handled with the inworld unit of trade, the Linden™ dollar, which can be converted to US dollars at several thriving online Linden dollar exchanges.









Club Penguin


Club Penguin is a snow-covered virtual island where kids can play games and interact in a fun-filled, online playground that's guided by a commitment to safety. Club Penguin was acquired by Disney in 2007. Club Penguin differs from an MMOG, in that there is not an end goal ~ the purpose of the site is to interact with others and 'live'.


    Creating Games in Education 

    A K12 Online Conference Presentation

    Presentation Description: It sounds like a simple idea– kids don’t like school… kids like games, so if we sneak some educational content into games, won’t everyone benefit? This session will explore what’s right and wrong about this idea, and how educators can discern the difference between the hype and the promise. I believe that although some of the promise has been oversold, there is much to learn from exploring the educational promise of games in the classroom.

    Presenter Bio: Sylvia has programmed and designed educational games for consumer and school markets. For 8 years she was executive producer at Davidson & Associates, the makers of Math Blaster, and designed games for all subjects and ages. She’s also been in charge of console and PC casual game design for adults and children, working in all aspects of design, development, manufacturing and publishing.

    Presentation Link  & Presentation Resources

    Virtual World Resource Links


    Virtual Worlds