Recent Sightings

• Some recent educational books – posted to the Learning Sciences & Educational Technology group
• GameMaker 8 and Wonderland 0.5 have released preview versions
• Learn 4 Life wrote a great summary of educators using the OpenSim virtual world and ReactionGrid (opensim hosting). Linden Lab has been upsetting some educators recently.
• The National Research Council’s Committee for Learning Science held a recent workshop on Computer Games, Simulations, and Education, with a few commissioned papers posted.
• This computerworld article summarizes Sony’s new Library Finder site that lets you find e-books that you can check out from your local library for free. See also this pcworld comparison of Amazon Kindle and Sony E-Reader
• WizBang is an open source drag and drop procedure builder – that exports to Java, C++, Python, etc.
• Some interesting articles:
  • Nice post-mortem article on the development of Wolfquest, an educational 3d game that lets you live the life of a wolf. Another more general article discusses the challenges of online game development for education.
  • The Art of Writing Proposals
  • Real Lives and White Lies in the Funding of Scientific Research
  • Keith Taber wrote a nice review and history of constructivism (pdf)
  • Some papers on reality-based interaction – HCI in the post-WIMP world (window-icon-menu-pointer), such as tangible interfaces, gestural input devices, etc.
  • An overview of conceptual change theories (pdf) – published in an open access journal
  • Insidious pedagogy: How course management systems affect teaching
• LMS evaluation reports by universities: Moodle vs. Blackboard vs. Sakai, etc.
• Some new wikis: New Media Literacies Wiki, Perceptual learning wiki
• Some new kids’ sites (mostly via kids-software.com): Kideos – videos for children from Youtube, KidZui – child-friendly Firefox add-on, Site with many physics games, kids online paint and draw activity, description of Scribblenauts, a new interesting Nintendo DS game

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