This has been an interesting thread. I haven't had time to contribute, but I saw something here that I felt I had to address.
On Sunday 30 April 2006 14:47, kirby urner wrote: > On 4/30/06, Michael Tobis <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Most kids, most humans in general, will voluntarily spend many hours > > in such environments. The game industry proves this. That the graphics > > are amusing is secondary to the design of interesting vs dull games. > > What keeps games interesting is that they stay near the optimum flow > > point between triviality and frustration. This impulse can and should > > be channelled toward useful skills. > > > > mt > > I'm glad you mention REWARD. Many of us share this vision: find a > way to disburse credits via distance education circuits such that > those putting in the hard work of actually learning this stuff > actually get rewarded, and not just in heaven, but on this very Earth > as well. You'd think it wouldn't be so hard, given ample precedents, > including clippable coupons or ID specific promotionals (e.g. use this > code for a free subscription to...). We need to be very careful about "rewards" in this context. A lot of psychological research suggests that once a person is "paid" for doing something that is fun to them, it ceases to be fun and they tend not to do it anymore unless they are paid. One of the real problems in our educational system is that we unwittingly train our students that everything should be done for external rewards (a good grade now, a better job later). Learning becomes something to be done for external reasons, rather than doing it for the joy of learning itself. That leads to all sorts of negative outcomes (rampant cheating is one). In a video game, the compelling reward is simply being good at the game. In learning to program, the reward should be the sense of accomplishment and empowerment that comes with mastering a bit of that craft. I fear that any other type of reward is counterproductive in the long run. > As soon as you start making a return (maybe not in terms of cash, but > in terms of barter, which eCommerce makes easier), the "school space" > gives way to the "work place" i.e. they're paying you instead of > you're paying them -- or at least it's more of a 2-way street. > > Relevant: > http://worldgame.blogspot.com/2006/04/computer-lab-as-playground.html > > Kirby > _______________________________________________ > Edu-sig mailing list > Edu-sig@python.org > http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/edu-sig -- John M. Zelle, Ph.D. Wartburg College Professor of Computer Science Waverly, IA [EMAIL PROTECTED] (319) 352-8360 _______________________________________________ Edu-sig mailing list Edu-sig@python.org http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/edu-sig
