Abstract of the Talk
Play has no agenda. Children play for their own reasons, and even though their play can exhibit fierce determination, persistence, and a will to mastery, it does so only in the service of goals that children set for themselves. Even as we celebrate the learning that occurs in children's play, and specifically in digital games, we must acknowledge that such learning looks dramatically different from the world of school. Though starkly different on the face of it, we nevertheless believe the ecologies of play and school can be successfully integrated, something we have witnessed through our own experience as educators and game designers. What is missing from the literature of gaming is a coherent articulation of how that integration can be achieved, an explanation of how a "learning game" can both engage players and fortify the work of the classroom teacher. In order to make such a case, we are prepared to argue two equally important points:

1. games can engage players in learning that is specifically applicable to "schooling;" and

2.  there are means by which teachers can leverage the learning in such games without disrupting the worlds of either play or school; and

To succeed, we must look at where the strengths and challenges of both classrooms and games lie and situate learning games at the most productive intersection of these separate environments. We will examine these issues through concrete examples of existing best practices, and speculative designs currently under development at MIT's Education Arcade, and elsewhere.

About the Speaker

Scot Osterweil is the Creative Director of the Education Arcade and currently leads "Labyrinth," a federally funded effort to design and develop mobile games that teach math and literacy to underserved youth. Before coming to MIT, Scot was the Senior Designer at TERC, where he designed Zoombinis Island Odyssey, winner of the 2003 Bologna New Media Prize, and the latest game in the Zoombinis line of products (Riverdeep/TLC). Scot is the creator of the Zoombinis, and with Chris Hancock he co-designed the multi-award winning Logical Journey of the Zoombinis, and its first sequel, Zoombinis Mountain Rescue. Scot is the also the designer of the TERCworks games Switchback, and Yoiks!, the latter also with Chris Hancock.

Scot's other software designs include work on the educational products InspireData, Tabletop and Tabletop Jr., and IBM's The Nature of Science. At TERC he participated in research projects on the role of computer games in learning, and on the use of video in data collection and representation. Previously, he worked in television, on the production of Public Television's Frontline, Evening at Pops, and American Playhouse, and as an animator on a wide range of programs. He is a graduate of Yale College with a degree in Theater Studies.

Convenor:  Alexander Mitchell
Tel : 65163021 / 65164671