Learning+Virtually+Anywhere

Session Description:
This is a **lectorial** to allow teachers, familiar with using ICTs to explore and go behind the scenes of virtual worlds and games. The session includes a guided tour of educational virtual space – together with practical advice and explanation of how to start thinking about using commercial games and worlds in the classroom.

There are strategies that game designers employ to hold the attention and motivate players to try harder. This session explores some of these techniques – and gives practical examples of how to transpose those into the classroom.

The session includes regular rest-stops along the way. Teachers can ask questions and get answers and advice on where to go, what to use and where to look for highly motivational resources to play games, explore virtual space, make words, make games. The focus is to explain how games and virtual worlds influence student behaviour and how to harness the skills they learn in game-play into discipline learning.

Avoid the pit-falls, traps and trolls … if you are thinking about, or interested in using games (consoles, PCs, Hand Helds, Mobiles) in learning then this session will give you a real chance to find out more.


 * Field trips include:** Simple social worlds for pre-school and primary, Massive multiplayer and multi-user virtual worlds.

We’ll probably meet the locals, slay a few dragons and get our arms tired from flying.

There’s a reason more youth online play more games than use social networks – and why the number one activity on the number one social network – is social game play … this session will immerse you in realms and ideas that are only just emerging in Educational Technology.

Presenter Bio: Dean Groom, Sydney, Australia
Dean is Head of Educational Development Design at Macquarie University, and previously Head of Information Technology at a Sydney High School – passionate about creating workable ‘Web2.0’ classroom environments

He conducts workshops, provides advice to educators, and mentors teachers beginning to explore the pedagogical impact of technology and blended, enquiry approaches to learning. Dean works with a diverse range of educators in all sectors and participates and speask at conferences and symposia.He has co-authored two books about Learning with Technology with long time friend, Judy O’Connell, whom I regularly work with to provide professional learning for teachers and executives in cross sections of education in Australia and overseas.