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Volume 1 No. 2 - Fall/Winter 2005
Good morning class!
From the editor 
This fall, simSchool is being piloted and improved to make it ready for public release. in Spring2006. So stay tuned!This issue shares what twenty teacher education faculty across the country told us when theypiloted simSchool in September. We are listening to their insights and advice, making changesin simSchool and then re-piloting with their preservice students in November. simSchool thanksISTE for their contribution to our pilot efforts. As a simSchool partner, ISTE is helping build workingrelationships within their vast network of technology-using educators. As in every issue, simZine serves as a window into research related to games and simulationsin education. Inside this issue are interviews with two reknown researchers and developers- Dr. Chris Dede from Harvard’s Graduate School of Education and Idit Harel the founder of MaMaMedia. Read what intrigues them about games and simulations for learning, what they seeas the benefits for education, and their unique efforts developing educational games and simula-tions. Both interviews are the first installment of a two-part series with each expert, so watch for the next issue to complete these informative interviews. Also check out the survey results on preservice students’ attitudes toward games and simula-tions in the classroom! SimSchool is preparing an article about this preliminary research into thequestion “Are today’s teachers gamers? and How do gamer teachers think?” Watch for newsabout two upcoming books - one with research articles and the other stories from the field abouteducational games and simulations development edited by David Gibson, Clark Aldrich and MarkPrensky.One indicator of increased awareness and use of games and simulations in education is thegrowing number of conferences that serve as forums for researchers, developers and users toshare and further their efforts. See page two for conferences where simSchool will be. See youthere!Please feel free to be in touch with us with feedback, ideas for future issues, and to tell us of your own work developing and using games and simulations in education. We’d love to publish you!
- Take care, Bill
A NEWSLETTER ABOUT GAMES AND SIMULATIONS FOR EDUCATORS
simSchool.. a powerful online learning experiencethat builds confidence in the classroom.
www.simschool.org
simZine
Upcoming Conferences: 
page 2
 
Looking forward to seeing you there
Are Preservice Students Gamers?:
 
simSurvey 2005 
...page 3
Meet Me at the MUVEES: 
page 5
 An Interview with Chris Dede
 Gamers as Construction Zones: 
page 8
 An Interview with Dr. Idit Harel 
Webcast features simSchool:
 
page 11
 
Innovate Webcast 
 
Piolet Testing: 
page 12
Register: 
page 13
simSchool Newsletter 
:
Bill Halverson,David Gibson, Melanie Zibit & Mark Favazza
play the simSchool sliding puzzle online
 
simSchool © 2005|www.simSchool.org
2
One indicator of increased awareness and use of games andsimulations in education is the growing number of conferencesthat serve as forums for researchers, developers and users toshare and further their efforts.This fall’s gaming conferences included topics ranging fromhealth care, business, experiential learning, social change.simSchool will be at the Serious Games Summit in late October. http://www.seriousgamessummit.com/home.html simSchoolwill also be atSITE this year,the Society for InformationTechnologyand Teacher Education (March 20-24, 2006)http://www.aace.org/conf/site/default.htmlational Educational ComputingConf (July 5-7, 2006) arehosting session tracks dedicatedto educational games andsimulations. Each also has aspecial interest group – SITE’s“Educational Games andSimulations” and NECC’s“Innovative Learning Technolo-gies.”http://center.uoregon.edu/ISTE/NECC2006/simSchool is planning to attend these conferences as well as theFlorida Educational Technology Conference,(March 21 -24, 2006).http://www.fetc.org/ If you are planning to be at any of these three educational technologyconferences please look for us. See you there!
simSchool in Upcoming Conferences
 
Looking forward to seeing you there.
 
3
simSchool is funded by the Department of Education's PT3 Program
There is growing use of games andsimulations among young people.
 According to thePew Internet and American Life Project (Jones,2003), 70 percent of college students play computer, video, or onlinegames at least once, and 65 percent reported being regular or occa-sional game players. This growing population expects their teachersto offer learning opportunities in exciting and engaging formats wherethey have some control and responsibility over their own learning.(Prensky, 2001; Bonk, 2005).We at simSchool were recently interested in obtaining informationabout today’s preservice students’ use and attitudes regardingeducational games and simulations. . We wanted to gauge their experience and inclination to use games and simulations when theyenter the classroom and their receptivity to learning through gamessuch as simSchool. During the spring of 2005, we received 245responses from students in six schools of higher education, rangingfrom large public universities to small private colleges. What followsare highlights of our results.
Experience with games before, during and after college
The gamer generation of teachers has played more games than their older counterparts. SimSchool respondents under 34 years of agereported 2.21 games while those over 34 years reported a mean of 0.90 games (t=4.04, p .01). A small percentage of respondents (19.8%) did not report any gamesat all. Beck and Wade (2004) report nearly the same percentage(19.2%) as a characteristic of the gamer generation. So it seemsthat preservice teachers, like the majority of the work force today(if you are a teacher, that means your peers!) have experiencedand appreciate the connection between fun and learning throughcomputer games.The gamer teachers were asked about the game they played themost out of the ones listed. Strategy gamesare the most frequentlyreported although this proportion is based mainly on one game – Oregon Trail – which accounts for 44 out of 54 mentions.Respondents reported playing this game a median of three hoursand a mean of 3.9 hours per week. This number of hours approxi-mately equals the hours spent on homework by many college agedstudents (Buell, 2000; Young, 2002). Preservice teachers reportedplaying fewer games after college, with a mean of 1.09 and medianof 1.00 games. But while playing drops off for everyone, younger gamer teachers are twice as likely to continue playing, and for significant periods of time. There is a surprisingly strong pattern of association between the number of games played before collegeand the number played during or after college (Spearman Rho cor-relation = .60). But the nature of games changes. Gamer teacherschanged from strategy games to less mindful use of time. Solitaire,for example, led the pack of mostly sports and card games men-tioned.
Can games or simulations be an importantlearning tool?
71% of the preservice students were positive, 9% negative, and20% were mixed. Percentages below are based on those that madecomments ( total = 226) out of the total number taking the survey(total = 245).
The most often cited reasons for using games and simulationsin the classroom were:“motivation/fun” (79 responses - 35%);
Games will often motivate students more than other methods of teaching. It is hands on, and if they are making the decisions theywill be more likely to remember it and take it serious.Gamer teachers know that fun and learning go together very well tocreate a state of relaxed motivation that enhances a student’s abilityto take in new information and expend effort.
“Engaging and learn content” (67 responses - 30%)
It [a game or simulation] gets the student involved. It presentsideas in a different format which opens their eyes and gets themexcitedGamer teachers also know that learning is enhanced with multipleapproaches; games and simulations provide many routes to content.
and “learning technology” (58 responses -26%)
I think they’re important because students need all the exposurethey can get with computers. It is a necessity in today’s world tobe able to use software, so using software as a learning tool canbe very beneficial.
Gamer teachers know that fun and learn-ing go together very well to create a stateof relaxed motivation that enhances a student’s ability to take in new informa-tion and expend effort.
Are Preservice Students Gamers?
by David Gibson, Melanie Zibit, and Eric Reidel
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