virtual worlds
Call for Papers on Game Based Learning closes today!
eLearning Papers seeks contributions about Game Based Learning in both sections: In-Depth and From the Field. Deadline June 3, 2011
In parallel to the phenomenal rise of the digital game development industry through time, the acceptance of games in other sectors has also been changing. Computer game skills have been increasingly applied in almost all areas of human activity within modern societies. Digital games have now been embraced by the academic research community as a research topic, as well as discovered by the education sector as a highly interactive media that can support and foster learning. As a popular and powerful media, computer games are being considered for use in various education and training settings to motivate learners, to focus their attention, and to help them to construct meaningful and permanent records of their learning.
Games have high presence in informal segments of learning – but in formal education, games are still often seen as an unserious activity and the potentials of games for learning remain undiscovered. However, when evaluating games with their children, 85% of parents believed that computer games contributed to learning as well as providing entertainment.
Beside fantasy and fun elements, games have potential to foster players’ ability to communicate and interact with others during gameplay. Computer games can help players to think critically when they are required to construct connections between virtual and real life. Game-like learning environments can provide motivating interdisciplinary learning settings, creating opportunities that could improve student collaboration skills as well as help them learn new concepts and synthesize new information. Games have also been praised for the potential they offer in learning business leadership and other skills by practicing in a safe environment.
The potential of Game Based Learning (GBL) is still underestimated. It can play a major role in renewing learning as it is perceived by learners in all levels of education and training systems. eLearning Papers seeks contributions about mixed realities, virtual worlds and gaming in both sections: In-Depth and From the Field.
We specifically invite contributions which address one or several of the following issues:
- Innovative game based learning technologies, applications, tools and environments
- 3D virtual worlds supporting learning, e.g. in language learning or leadership training
- Use of mobile games and location-based technology for learning
- Innovative applications of mixed realities for learning
- Use of simulations in education, corporate training and military
- Technology for massive multiplayer online games (MMOGs) for learning
- Interactivity design in game based learning applications
- Player immersion and learning
- Case studies and best practices in GBL
- Social and collaborative aspects of GBL
- Implementation issues associated with GBL
- Learning design, good gameplay and instructional theory for GBL
- Use of role plays for learning and training
- Assessment and evaluation in GBL
- Gender, age, cultural and ethical issues in GBL
- Rating of games for learning
- Accessibility of games for learning
The article submission has been extended to June 3, 2011 The provisional date of publishing is 14 July 2011. For further information and to submit your article, please contact: 
Guest editor:
Professor DI Dr. Maja Pivec, University of Applied Sciences FH JOANNEUM in Graz, Austria
The submissions need to comply with the following guidelines:
- Submission language: English
- Title: must effectively and creatively communicate the content of the article and may include a subtitle.
- Executive summary for In-depth section should not exceed 200 words.
- Executive summary for From the field section should not exceed 50 words.
- Keywords: up to five relevant keywords need to be included.
- In-depth full texts: articles should range from 4,000 to 6,000 words.
- From the field texts: texts should not exceed 1,200 words.
- Conclusions: special importance is given to the representation of the conclusions, which should be clearly stated both in the summary and at the end of the article.
- References: All the references must be adequately cited and listed.
- Author profile: author name, institution, position and e-mail address must accompany each submission.
- Images: Please send high resolution JPEG files
See the complete guidelines at: Instructions for writers
Issue 31 of eLearning Papers on Learning and Work published!
eLearning Papers Nº31 explores a range of challenges that emerge when learning experiences coincide within the workplace. The articles presented here show how technology can support new learning approaches and new skills, competences and qualification systems to match users’ personal knowledge development plans.
It looks at how educational technologies transition between educational and professional contexts. In the In-Depth section, T. Coughlan's article looks at how OER can expand beyond higher education, sharing an analysis of the potential role of scholars in the voluntary sector. M. Bonacci's paper sheds light on how better networking to improve and validate TVET systems can improve the employability and mobility of workers.
Most people working in the knowledge economy want to create their own personal learning environments with tools that suit the way they work, gather information, and learn. Two From the Field reports look at how these tools affect learning and pedagogy.
Faced with an increasing demand for flexible and personalised tools, now more than ever solutions are needed that go beyond Learning Management Systems to address tacit knowledge management or performance support. This issue has several contributions that look at the problems posed by the need to develop intercultural competence, and the role of technology in this training.
eLearning Papers 31 that has been guest edited by Fabrizio Cardinali, CEO eXact learning solutions NA and Chair of the European Learning Industry Group (ELIG), and Tapio Koskinen, www.elearningpapers.eu, Director of the Editorial Board, includes the following articles:
In Depth articles
From the Field articles
eLearning Papers: Extended Deadline for Submissions on Learning and Work
Guest editor: Fabrizio Cardinali, C.E.O. (eXact learning solutions S.p.A.), Chair of the European Learning Industry Group (ELIG)
Submissions are invited to explore and share experiences related to the integration of learning technologies into the professional sphere. Papers can be more specifically aimed at exploring the following themes:
- Competence-based learning and e-Learning
- Personalised and adaptive learning services
- Embedded learning and performance support
- Games and simulations supporting induction and learning at work
- Training in virtual worlds
- Collaboration systems and virtual meeting rooms in support of workplace learning
- Semantic Web convergence and interoperability
- Generating learning content from information sources and the Web
- Integrating Media and Learning Management for Mobile and Instant Learning
- Online Validation and Qualification (such as badges, e-portfolios, etc.)
- Computer and Internet Certificates
- Informal and Non-formal Learning
The provisional date of publication is November, 2012. For further information and to submit your article, please contact: jimena.marquez@elearningpapers.eu
See the complete guidelines at: Instructions for writers
eLearning Papers: Call for articles on Learning and Work
This issue of eLearning Papers, dedicated to the topic of Learning and Work, seeks articles dealing with trends and best practices on learning experiences in the workplace that show how technology can support new learning approaches and new skills, competences and qualification systems to match users’ personal knowledge development plans. Article Submission deadline has been extended to October 18th, 2012
The provisional date of publication is November, 2012. For further information and to submit your article, please contact: jimena.marquez@elearningpapers.eu
Guest editor: Fabrizio Cardinali, C.E.O. (eXact learning solutions S.p.A.), Chair of the European Learning Industry Group (ELIG)
Submissions are invited to explore and share experiences related to the integration of learning technologies into the professional sphere. Papers can be more specifically aimed at exploring the following themes:
- Competence-based learning and e-Learning
- Personalised and adaptive learning services
- Embedded learning and performance support
- Games and simulations supporting induction and learning at work
- Training in virtual worlds
- Collaboration systems and virtual meeting rooms in support of workplace learning
- Semantic Web convergence and interoperability
- Generating learning content from information sources and the Web
- Integrating Media and Learning Management for Mobile and Instant Learning
- Online Validation and Qualification (such as badges, e-portfolios, etc.)
- Computer and Internet Certificates
- Informal and Non-formal Learning
See the complete guidelines at: Instructions for writers
4th IEEE International Conference on Games and Virtual Worlds for Serious Applications (VS-Games’12)
The fourth IEEE International Conference in Games and Virtual Worlds for Serious Applications (2012) aims to meet the significant challenges of the cross-disciplinary community that work around these serious application areas by bringing the community together to share case studies of practice, to present new frameworks, methodologies and theories and to begin the process of developing shared cross-disciplinary outputs. In order to achieve this main aim the conference will pioneer new methods for bringing together and supporting communities of practice emerging in themed areas beyond the duration of the conference. Using the conference as an ignition to support a wider aspiration to form and sustain a community of practice around the field.
The term 'Serious Games' covers a broad range of applications from flash-based animations to totally immersive and code driven 3D environments where users interface with large volumes of data through sophisticated and interactive digital interfaces. This shift towards immersive world applications being used to support education, health and training activities marks the beginning of new challenges that offer real scope for collaborative and multi-disciplinary research solutions, and real opportunities for innovative development.
We invite researchers, developers, practitioners and decision-makers working with or applying serious games in their communities to present papers in the following two main streams of the conference: games and virtual world applications for serious applications. The conference will explore games and virtual worlds particularly but not exclusively in relation to:
Aims
The conference aims to ask and search for answers to the following questions:
- In what ways are games and virtual world applications effective tools?
- What founding theories and approaches are emerging to support the field?
- What and how can different technologies contribute to build ever better serious games?
- What are the benefits of serious games for end-users and stakeholders? How can benefits be assessed?
- What are the technologies (e.g. applications, platforms, engines) that are most effective in which areas and for what targets?
- What cross-disciplinary approaches are emerging to support design, development and implementation of the technologies?
- How and for what benefits is user generated content supported?
AVATAR International Workshop broadcasted in real time
AVATAR International Workshop is a day event and will focus on exchange of experience and information on added value of teaching in virtual worlds.
Date and Place of the Workshop: Tuesday, 13th of September 2011, Burgas Free University, Burgas (BG)
In the morning session of the workshop the course, feedback and experience from teachers as well as case studies will be presented. The morning session will conclude with panel addressing lessons learned from the AVATAR course pilot trial. In the afternoon session invited speakers from Austria, Italy, Sweden and UK will outline more use cases and their experience with teaching in virtual worlds. Download the program from here.
For the ones who may not physically attend, the workshop will be broadcasted in real time through the AVATAR website and the AVATAR Island in Second Life. Information for the on line interactive participation are available from the AVATAR’s website.
3D Applications and Virtual Worlds in Visual and Technological Education
This research focused on the integration of 3D technologies (particularly VRML/X3D) in the curriculum of Visual and Technological Education in order to encourage and facilitate meaningful learning in young students through the integration of computers in the classroom and beyond through the use of multiuser virtual reality environments (face to face and e-learning).
This is an exploratory study developed primarily with a group of 6th grade students and with fainter ramifications for other groups of students and teachers. We explored the use of 3D modeling programs and virtual worlds with a working methodology based on constructivist assumptions and meaningful learning by focusing on individual creativity and social interactions in the learning process. The results show the feasibility and benefits of using these technologies in the curriculum area pointing to new curriculum approaches.
iEducate Final Conference at Warwick University, Coventry & Virtual Conference
On 20th September 2011 the iEducate Team presents the tools and resources that were developed during the project lifetime. Furthermore recent developments and technologies that will shape the future of vocational education will be introduced during several break-out session.
On 21st September 2011 a virtual conference will take place at the virtual training island in Second Life for those unable to attend in person on the 20th.
See attached document for details and registration.
iEducate demonstrates how technology can assist vocational education and training professionals across Europe to bridge the technology gap with learners.
As well as seeing the range of tools and resources created as part of the project, you will also find out how technology is helping to shape the future of vocational education across Europe through a range of breakout sessions (see registration form for more details on breakout session topics).