Herminia Wei-Hsin Din, Ph.D., University of Alaska Anchorage NMC Online Conference on Educational Gaming Play to Learn Designing Educational Games in Museums

Play to Learn: Designing Educational Games in Museums Introduction Overview Museum Online Educational Games Bones: An Exhibit Inside You Lessons & Challenges Conclusions How to design an online educational game so kids can play to learn about museum objects and exhibits?

Play to Learn: Designing Educational Games in Museums IMMERSION Suspend or distract from reality, create an illusion of an alternate universe PLAYABILITY The player has to be able to effectively control a major element within the game to navigate whatever challenge is presented. CHALLENGE & COMPETITION There must be a goal to achieve Fundamentally, games are meant to be fun. Core Components to Design a Successful Game

Play to Learn: Designing Educational Games in Museums Role-play Simulation Creative Play Puzzle and Mystery Interactive Reference Building Resources Educational Web Adventures (Eduweb®) Categorized Museum Online Educational Games

Play to Learn: Designing Educational Games in Museums Puts you inside the story You can choose your own adventure such as pick a character, play a role, make decisions, and see what happens. Explore your path through the story Be a Patron of the Arts Allentown Art Museum In Search of the Ways of Knowing Trail Brookfield Zoo & Chicago Zoological Society ROLE PLAY

Play to Learn: Designing Educational Games in Museums Gives you the power to manipulate reality You can “create” a model of the real world and see what happens when you change things. The choices you make will determine the results. Engineering for Earthquakes NewBayBridge.org Virtual Knee Surgery COSI SIMULATION

Play to Learn: Designing Educational Games in Museums Makes the world your canvas You can draw a picture, write a story, make a movie, etc. You can create something original based on the things you learn along the way. A Brush with Wildlife: Create a Composition with Carl Rungius National Museum of Wildlife Art Amazing Reef John G. Shedd Aquarium CREATIVE PLAY

Play to Learn: Designing Educational Games in Museums The Lost Museum American Social History Project/University of New York The Case of Grandpa's Painting EduWeb Lets you discover the solution You have to put on your thinking cap and solve a puzzle or mystery. You need to put the clues together to discover the right answer. PUZZLE & MYSTERY

Play to Learn: Designing Educational Games in Museums Opens the door to deeper knowledge Explore a topic on your own, through informative words and pictures. You choose the links that interest you to find out what you want to know. Theban Mapping Project Rare Books and Special Collections Library American University Cycles: African Life through Art Indianapolis Museum of Art INTERACTIVE REFERENCE

Play to Learn: Designing Educational Games in Museums Allows to collect learning objects You can create and develop your own project by combining and reorganizing different learning objects. Gives the ownership back to the learner LearnAlaska University of Alaska Museum of the North Ology American Museum of Natural History BUILDING RESOURCES

Play to Learn: Designing Educational Games in Museums American Association of Museums – MUSE AWARDS Museum and the WEB – BEST OF THE WEB Educational Web Adventures (Eduweb®) TWO RESOURCES TO FIND GOOD MUSEUM WEB SITES

Play to Learn: Designing Educational Games in Museums To build an awareness of the fundamentals of bone biology, and to provide a knowledge on how modern technology can help us to keep our bones healthy, and how bones have found their way into the art, music and literature of people around the world. Bones: An Exhibit Inside You

Play to Learn: Designing Educational Games in Museums Bones: An Exhibit Inside You

Play to Learn: Designing Educational Games in Museums Let’s Design a Game! Science Exercise Artifact Science Medicine Profession

Play to Learn: Designing Educational Games in Museums Let’s Play a Game!

Play to Learn: Designing Educational Games in Museums What were the challenges? Storyboard Character development Narration and scripting Graphic design & color scheme Learning sequences Entertainment vs. Education Flash vs. HTML Accessibility

Play to Learn: Designing Educational Games in Museums What have we learned? A lot of work & expensive Not able to update new info Minimum playability & no collaboration Lack of challenges No incentive for return visit Scatter segments Good games with good content but …

Play to Learn: Designing Educational Games in Museums Conclusions Play to learn Learn to play Pedagogical Approach Curriculum Connection Personalize Learning Object-based Learning Purpose and Motivation Stimulation & Imagination

Play to Learn: Designing Educational Games in Museums The more you play, the more you learn. THANK YOU!