Playing and Making Location Based Learning Games

Talk by Eric Klopfer, professor at MIT
January 27th 2012, 10:00, room BC 410

ABSTRACT:
Playing and Making Location Based Learning Games --- Over the last ten years, The Education Arcade @ MIT has been working on location-based "Augmented Reality" learning games. While location-based services have increased in availability, there is still much to be learned in the pedagogy of creating and using location-based games for learning.
In this talk Klopfer will discuss lessons learned from creating location-based games, and how to structure them to support both engagement and play on the part of players. He will also discuss more recent work on student authoring of location-based games as they study issues in their own communities. The discussion will include a focus on the structures needed in the authoring tools to support good games and good learning.

BIO:
Eric Klopfer is Associate Professor and Director of the Scheller Teacher Education Program and The Education Arcade at MIT. Klopfer’s research focuses on the development and use of computer games and simulations for building understanding of science and complex systems.
His research explores simulations and games on desktop computers as well as mobile devices like smartphones and tablets. Klopfer’s work combines the construction of new software tools with implementation, research, and development of new pedagogical supports that transition the use of these tools to broader use in formal and informal learning.
He is the co-author of the book, "Adventures in Modeling: Exploring Complex, Dynamic Systems with StarLogo," and author of "Augmented
Learning: Research and Design of Mobile Educational Games" from MIT Press. He is working on a new book for MIT Press about the intersection of academia and private industry around technology-enabled classroom innovations. Klopfer is also the director of The Education Arcade, which is advancing the development and use of games in K-12 education, as well as co-founder and President of the non-profit Learning Games Network