Marc Prensky SURF November 15, 2005 Utrecht, The Netherlands © 2005 Marc Prensky

Reference Slides Marc Prensky Workshop: Course Modding; Creating Learning the Natives Will Love © 2005 Marc Prensky

Mod 1: Your Needs Mod 2: Framework Break xx Mod 2: Re-creation Mod 3: Reports + Discussion Plan for Day (Subject to You) 9:30-10:00 10:00-10:30 10:30-11:00 11:00-12:00 12:00-12:30 © 2005 Marc Prensky

Engagement (= motivation, passion) © 2005 Marc Prensky

Content won’t help kids continue to learn, but ENGAGEMENT WILL! © 2005 Marc Prensky

Conventional Speed Step-by-Step Linear Processing Text First Work-Oriented Stand-Alone © 2005 Marc Prensky

The e-Life Communicating IM, chat Sharing Blogs, webcams Buying & Selling ebay, papers Exchanging music, movies, humor Creating sites, avatars, mods Meeting 3D chat rooms, dating Collecting mp3, video, sensor data Searching Info, connections, people Analyzing SETI, drug molecules Reporting Moblogs, photos Programming Open systems, mods search Socializing Learning social behavior, influence Growing Up Exploring, transgressing Coordinating Projects, workgroups, MMORPGs Evaluating Reputation systems– Epinions, Amazon, Slashdot Gaming Solo, 1-on-1, small & large groups Learning About stuff that interests them Evolving Peripheral, emergent behaviors © 2005 Marc Prensky

Printing out our s No instant messaging Not Going to the Internet First Thinking “Real Life” happens only off-line Learning as Work We have a “Digital Immigrant Accent” © 2005 Marc Prensky

“Kids want to put their own mark on the site.” – Deborah Schwartz, MOMA © 2005 Marc Prensky

“What people put into the Internet is much more important to them than what they take out of it.” – Tim Berners-Lee © 2005 Marc Prensky

What’s different about the new technology is that it is programmable. – Alan Kay © 2005 Marc Prensky

“[They are] living in dataspace, begging to handle more simultaneous data streams than their parents ever imagined.” -- Beck and Wade: Got Game © 2005 Marc Prensky

“I don’t want to study Rome in high school. Hell, I build Rome every day in my online game (Caesar III).” – Colin, Age 16 © 2005 Marc Prensky

“Players are producing as much as they are consuming – perhaps more.” – JC Herz © 2005 Marc Prensky

is a big part of the learning process © 2005 Marc Prensky The Game System Official sites IM/chat Mags games Fan sites Blogs Reviews

© 2005 Marc Prensky “Complex” hours NOT TRIVIAL Today’s Games: Complexity Matters “Mini” 5 min-2hours TRIVIAL Or, at best, One-Noted Complex Games take the same amount of time as a course ( hours)

You need to overcome and you need your friends Be A Hero The Entire Span of Human History is in Your Hands GOALS © 2005 Marc Prensky Rise through the ranks to General. Create, Customize and Control Your World. Tell Your own stories. Mix genes from one generation to the next. Meet your friends and tackle a quest together. Your accomplishments have a unique influence on your future.

Reasons Games Engage Fun Play Rules Goals Interactive Outcomes & Feedback Adaptive Win states Conflict, competition Problem solving Interaction with people Representation & Story  Enjoyment and Pleasure  Intense involvement  Structure  Motivation  Doing  Learning  Flow  Ego Gratification  Adrenaline  Creativity  Social Groups  Emotion REFERENCE © 2005 Marc Prensky

Reasons Games Engage Fun Play Rules Goals Interactive Outcomes & Feedback Adaptive Win states Conflict, competition Problem solving Interaction with people Representation & Story  Enjoyment and Pleasure  Intense involvement  Structure  Motivation  Doing  Learning  Flow  Ego Gratification  Adrenaline  Creativity  Social Groups  Emotion © 2005 Marc Prensky

1. Doing and reflecting 2. Appreciating good design 3. Seeing interrelationships 4. Mastering game language 5. Relating the game world to other worlds 6. Taking risks with reduced consequences 7. Putting out effort because they care 8. Combining multiple identities 9. Watching their own behavior 10. Getting more out than what they put in 11. Being rewarded for achievement 12. Being encouraged to practice 13. Having to master new skills at each level 14. Tasks being neither too easy nor too hard. 15. Doing, thinking and strategizing 16. Getting to do things their own way 17. Discovering meaning 18. Reading in context 19. Relating information 20. Meshing information from multiple media 21. Understanding how knowledge is stored 22. Thinking intuitively 23. Practicing in a simplified setting 24. Being led from easy problems to harder ones 25. Mastering upfront things needed later 26. Repeating basic skills in many games 27. Receiving information just when it is needed 28. Trying rather than following instructions 29. Applying learning from problems to later ones 30. Thinking about the game and the real world 31. Thinking about the game and how they learn 32. Thinking about the games and their culture 33. Finding meaning in all parts of the game 34. Sharing with other players 35. Being part of the gaming world 36. Helping others and modifying games, in addition to just playing. Reasons kids learn from games (James Paul Gee: What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy) REFERENCE

1. Doing and reflecting 2. Appreciating good design 3. Seeing interrelationships 4. Mastering game language 5. Relating the game world to other worlds 6. Taking risks with reduced consequences 7. Putting out effort because they care 8. Combining multiple identities 9. Watching their own behavior 10. Getting more out than what they put in 11. Being rewarded for achievement 12. Being encouraged to practice 13. Having to master new skills at each level 14. Tasks being neither too easy nor too hard. 15. Doing, thinking and strategizing 16. Getting to do things their own way 17. Discovering meaning 18. Reading in context 19. Relating information 20. Meshing information from multiple media 21. Understanding how knowledge is stored 22. Thinking intuitively 23. Practicing in a simplified setting 24. Being led from easy problems to harder ones 25. Mastering upfront things needed later 26. Repeating basic skills in many games 27. Receiving information just when it is needed 28. Trying rather than following instructions 29. Applying learning from problems to later ones 30. Thinking about the game and the real world 31. Thinking about the game and how they learn 32. Thinking about the games and their culture 33. Finding meaning in all parts of the game 34. Sharing with other players 35. Being part of the gaming world 36. Helping others and modifying games, in addition to just playing. Reasons kids learn from games (James Paul Gee: What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy)

What Do They Learn? How (to do things) What (Rules) Why (Strategy) Where (Environment) Whether (Ethics) © 2005 Marc Prensky

visual selective attention multiple task processing rule understanding strategy morality ethics identity flow traditional literacy digital literacy new media literacy concentration social skills stress relief scientific thinking intellectual development affective development social development transfer comprehension skills academic skills strategies & procedures use of symbols problem solving sequence learning deductive reasoning What Do They Learn? Areas various researchers claim are improved by Playing Video Games © 2005 Marc Prensky REFERENCE

visual selective attention multiple task processing rule understanding strategy morality ethics identity flow traditional literacy digital literacy new media literacy concentration social skills stress relief scientific thinking intellectual development affective development social development transfer comprehension skills academic skills strategies & procedures use of symbols problem solving sequence learning deductive reasoning What Do They Learn? Areas various researchers claim are improved by Playing Video Games © 2005 Marc Prensky

“Things like strategy, multi-task processing, problem-solving, symbols & map-reading, and media literacy are skills that I will use no matter what profession I elect.” - a high school student © 2005 Marc Prensky

“I’ve learned to think really fast, and to take risks.” – 4 th grader, Age 10 © 2005 Marc Prensky

“Gamers have amassed thousands of hours of rapidly analyzing new situations, interacting with characters they don’t really know, and solving problems quickly and independently.” -- Beck and Wade, Got Game © 2005 Marc Prensky

© 2003 Marc Prensky© 2005 Marc Prensky Don’t be Afraid to Fail – Take risks to get rewards Winning Matters Work in Teams Take Responsibility Add Value Gamer Attitudes Beck and Wade: Got Game Immerse Yourself in Data Be a Hero Make the Tough Calls Take different perspectives Make Things Better

Questions! Who plays a game that relates to what we are discussing? Can you think of an example of this in your games? Who wants to write a game report (or review) for credit? Including “ethical issues and how I dealt with them ” value this stuff! © 2005 Marc Prensky

Complex Game Design: 1.Focuses on the user’s engagement 2.Involves frequent, important decisions 3.“Levels up” toward clear, important goals 4.Adapts to each player individually 5.Is done by iteration and playing, not theory 6.Emphasizes Gameplay, not Eye Candy! © 2005 Marc Prensky

includes Continuous decision making Level Ups Good pacing Complexity Important choices Immediate feedback Adapting to the player’s skills © 2005 Marc Prensky

In Person Gameplay Students (Digital Natives) prefer © 2005 Marc Prensky Teachers (Digital Immigrants) are used to ENGAGEMENT One Thing at a Time Linear Stories Presentation Multiple Data Streams Online Random Access & Branching Options

Engagement Curriculum Design Game Design Decisions Frequent and important Gameplay Content Relatively Rare Presentation Mode Focus © 2005 Marc Prensky ENGAGEMENT

“Whenever you add an instructional designer, they suck the fun out” – A Game Designer © 2005 Marc Prensky

“Fun is the act of mastering a problem mentally.” -- Rafe Kotter: A Theory of Fun © 2005 Marc Prensky

Mobile Phones: Powerful Computers Inexpensive Always in their pocket Optimized for Communication Full of Useful Add-ons e.g. Cameras, GPS, internet Easy to download to Attachable to External input/output © 2005 Marc Prensky Missing? Imagination!

Skills. Languages. Poetry. Literature. Public Speaking. Writing. Storytelling. History. We Can Use Mobile Phones for Learning: © 2003 Marc Prensky © 2005 Marc Prensky Surveys. Polls. Match-ups. Testing. Communication. Memory aids. Blogging. …and even assessment

Challenges: 1.Focus on the user’s engagement 2.Have frequent, important decisions 3.“Level up” toward clear, important goals 4.Adapt to each player individually 5.Include iteration 6.Emphasize Gameplay, not Eye Candy or Text © 2005 Marc Prensky

Ways To Make Your Courses More Engaging: 1.Engagement. Let the learners be responsible for the content. You focus on the context. Minimize Text. 2.Focus on Gameplay above Content (Gameplay = continuous decision making, level ups, good pacing, complexity, important choices, immediate feedback, adapting to each players skills) 3. Goals: Always provide short (lesson), medium (module) and long-term (course) goals that are very clear to the students and that the students want to reach. State your goals in terms of behavior (i.e. do something, overcome, be a hero, get to a destination), rather than knowledge. 4. Make your course a series of important decisions for every learner. 5. Breakup your course skills into mini-levels. Make it clear to the learners where they stand, and how they can “level up.” Offer special things that are restricted to the higher levels. 6. Continually search for and use ways of adapting your course to each kid’s skill level and progress. REFERENCE

Create Media clips Competitions/Contests Ongoing projects Outside content Student Led Discussions Choice / Different order Rating comments Ethics/Gray Areas Making Courses More Engaging © 2003 Marc Prensky © 2005 Marc Prensky

Making Courses More Engaging © 2003 Marc Prensky © 2005 Marc Prensky Find a picture Web Quests Send a letter Balloon/caption Contensts Write directions Teach someone

Guest Speakers Game Templates Create Good Questions Self-formed teams Post and Rank Decisions Comparisons Making Courses More Engaging © 2003 Marc Prensky © 2005 Marc Prensky

Making Courses More Engaging © 2003 Marc Prensky © 2005 Marc Prensky Competition Puzzlers Call Ins Interation Student content COTS Games