Teaching with the Passively Multiplayer Online Game
A classroom use for a new computer game has already appeared, just weeks after the game was launched. A Berkeley sociology class is trying out a Passively Multiplayer Online Game (PMOG) mission, a tour through a series of Web sites and articles concerning digital identity. Each stop is annotated with text, including a question. For example:
We blogged about PMOG two weeks ago, in the context of new tools for socially annotating Web exploration.
Comments:
I think one of Pmog's greatest uses - in terms of education - might be for distance learners. Many of my first year distance students do not have access to proper libraries (or don't visit the ones they *do* have access to), and rely on the internet for everything.How do you teach them what constitutes a good website for research in a particular field?
Pmog solves that to a degree by creating a social, communal, take-you-by-the-hand tour through various websites - invaluable for distance students working alone!
Another approach is to build a puzzle into the Pmog mission, and to leave mines, portals, etc elsewhere to discourage/encourage the students to various sites. In the mission http://pmog.com/missions/awww_sir_how_can_i_find_out_anything_about_that_
I left mines at common sites my first years often go to, and built a simple puzzle into the last stage. The idea is, if they are able to complete the mission (solve the puzzle), they'll be demonstrating some basic internet research skills. This mission is just a test of the idea; for next term I'll be ramping it up.
Comment by Shawn [Visitor] 
· http://electricarchaeologist.wordpress.com 04/18/08 @ 06:25
Permalink
Two good points, Shawn, about distance ed and puzzles.
For the former, does requiring Firefox present any difficulties?
Comment by Bryan Alexander [Member] 04/21/08 @ 07:40
Permalink
Requiring Firefox can present some difficulties. One would think, in 2008, that requiring a 20-something student to get and use an alternative browser than the one packaged on their machine would not be a difficult thing, but I've found that just getting them to even *read* posts on our WebCT (let alone contribute to discussions, etc) is difficult. They are surrounded, immersed, in technology; but getting any but the most 'switched on' to go outside their comfort zone is difficult indeed! My most recent battle involved getting them to use JSTOR rather than Wikipedia...
Part of the problem is that - I suspect - many of my students are on-campus but take the distance courses for their purported 'mickey mouse' qualities. They figure it's an easy way to score some credits without the bother of having to do much work. Students with that mentality who turn up in my class get a bit of a nasty shock.
I think the 'game' aspect of Pmog though might be inducement enough for them to switch and install Firefox. Especially if I present it as an opportunity to try and best the professor, perhaps leaving some mines on his pages... extra points for portals to solid research sites, and so on...
Here's hoping!
Comment by Shawn [Visitor] · http://electricarchaeologist.wordpress.com 04/22/08 @ 04:01
Permalink
Leave a comment
Allowed XHTML tags: <p, ul, ol, li, dl, dt, dd, address, blockquote, ins, del, span, bdo, br, em, strong, dfn, code, samp, kdb, var, cite, abbr, acronym, q, sub, sup, tt, i, b, big, small>
