Learning with the Lich King: Education in World of Warcraft
Lucas Gillispie · Peggy Sheehy · Craig Lawson
Wed., June 09, 5:00–7:00, Great Hall
“You mean there’s educational value in World of Warcraft?” Absolutely! In this session, Lucas Gillispie, Peggy Sheehy, and Craig Lawson will share their experiences with students and other educators in World of Warcraft (WoW). This session will present the journey of the Cognitive Dissonance Guild. Cognitive Dissonance (Sisters of Elune, Alliance) was chartered in December of 2007 as a group of educators exploring the concept of MMORPGs and their relationship to education. It has grown to a guild of colleagues and friends exploring the platform and experiencing the implications and applications to teaching and learning while having fun! We will then move into a hands–on introduction to WoW where participants will experience the game first–hand. The team will also share the design, implementation, and observations to date of their latest project, WoWinSchool, a collaborative project that targets at–risk students in an after–school program designed to build community, leadership, and students’ confidence in a variety of curricular areas using WoW. This session will close with discussion between the participants and teachers and students live in WoW.
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