GLS Educator Symposium

• Ari Bader-Natal, Chief Learning Architect of Grockit and Jeramy Gatza, Innovation Specialist at Florida Virtual School
• Alex Games, Assistant Professor of Telecommunication, Information Studies, and Media, Michigan State University
• Michael Young, Associate Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Connecticut, and Roger Travis, Associate Professor of Classics and Director of the Video Games and Human Values Initiative, University of Connecticut
• Suzanne Rhodes, PhD Student in Educational Psychology, University of Wisconsin – Madison
• Selen Turkay, PhD Candidate in the Instructional Technology and Media Program, Teacher’s College, Columbia University
• Ben Aslinger, Assistant Professor of English, Bentley University
• Rebecca Black, Assistant Professor of Language, Literacy, and Technology, University of California - Irvine
• Erica Halverson, Assistant Professor of Educational Psychology, University of Wisconsin - Madison
• Michael K. Thomas, Assistant Professor of Educational Communications and Technology, University of Wisconsin - Madison

Workshops: Participants will choose one workshop to attend, and each workshop will have a maximum capacity of twenty attendees.

Main Lounge, 2nd Floor
FULL Rapid Game Prototyping with University of Wisconsin graduate students Kevin Harris, Matt Gaydos, and Ryan Martinez. Description: Video games are just one way to integrate games into curriculum. Used within the video game industry, paper prototyping helps individuals explore content, think systemically, and iteratively develop game concepts – all using everyday supplies, such as dice, cards, pens and paper. In this workshop, participants will develop playable games in small groups; afterwards, we will play the games created. The last portion of the session will be an open discussion between participants and the facilitators for feedback on how games and game design might be integrated into curriculum. Playful dispositions are a must, but no previous game design experience is required.

Inn Wisconsin West, 2nd Floor
Invading Species, Giant Robots, 3rd grade Algebra, and Other Classroom-Ready Curiosities with Marjee Chmiel, Director of Digital Media for the National Geographic Society’s JASON Project. Description: Have your students analyze the effects of a never-before seen invasive species, classify organisms in the Gulf of Mexico, design a roller coaster, or rebalance the energy portfolio of a thriving city. We will see some model lesson plans, demonstrate the diversity of games available, and leave some time open for collaboration and play! This workshop will introduce participants to the library of games offered by National Geographic’s The JASON Project. The JASON Project works alongside scientists from NASA, the Department of Energy, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to develop science curriculum that unites the leading edge of scientific research with elementary and middle school science standards. The JASON Project’s digital labs offer rigorous and engaging learning environments for students and are designed with the realities of classroom teaching and media resource rooms in mind. Come by and invigorate your digital science offerings instantly! Laptops with the latest version of Flash Player installed are optimal, but not necessary.

Inn Wisconsin East, 2nd Floor
FULL Digital Storytelling with Chris Blakesley, University of Wisconsin graduate student and Academic Technology staff, and John Martin, Learning Consultant with the University of Wisconsin Academic Technology. Description: Stories have been used for centuries to entertain, enlighten and educate individuals and groups. Coupled with new technologies, a practice called "digital storytelling" takes the shape of a short personal narrative set to a series of images. Creating digital stories is a process that promotes course concept understanding, information literacy, communication strategies, and interdisciplinary learning. This workshop steps through a story-building process involving the use of multimedia tools. Please bring a laptop with iMovie or Windows Movie-Maker, if possible. This workshop is more about the process and less about the technology, so familiarity with video editing software is helpful, but not mandatory.

Old Madison East, 3rd Floor
FULL Up and Running: Making Mobile Games with ARIS with Chris Holden, Assistant Professor with University Honors Program at the University of New Mexico, Julie Sykes, Assistant Professor of Spanish and Portuguese at the University of New Mexico, and David J. Gagnon, Instructional Designer for the University of Wisconsin Academic Technology’s ENGAGE Program. Description: Mobile games can be a powerful way to connect place to academic content. Developed at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, ARIS is a mobile game platform for the iPhone/iPod Touch that is both open-source and easy to use. Researchers have already used it to create mobile games in a variety of contexts. We will share a couple success stories with you and get you started on making your own games in this hands-on workshop. If you have an iPhone or iPod Touch, bring it along. If not, don't worry. If you'd like to author your own games, all you need is a computer with a web browser.

Old Madison West, 3rd Floor
Learning with the Lich King: The Potential of World of Warcraft in the Classroom with Lucas Gillispie, Instructional Technology Coordinator at North Carolina’s Pender County Schools, and Peggy Sheehy, Instructional Technology Facilitator and Media Specialist at New York’s Suffern Middle School. Description: “You mean there's educational value in World of Warcraft?” Absolutely! In this session, we will discuss some of our experiences playing MMORPGs like World of Warcraft (WoW) with students and other educators over the past eight years. Lucas and Peggy will also share information about their latest project, WoWinSchool, a program in which they target at-risk students in an after-school collaborative program designed to build community, leadership, and students' confidence in a variety of curricular areas using WoW. This session will close with an opportunity for the audience to speak with members of his guild, both students and teachers, live in World of Warcraft. Participants will be invited to join the Cognitive Dissonance Guild - a fast-growing guild of educators in World of Warcraft. Prior to the workshop, participants need to download a 10-day trial version of WoW onto their laptops.