How the Nintendo DSi Could Be Educationally Useful

We’ve talked a lot recently about the ascendency in educational gaming of the Nintendo DS, the descendant of the once ubiquitous GameBoy Advance handheld gaming system. New research is showing positive results for appropriate DS games to increase test scores, and gaming companies are porting over titles for studying the SAT to the platform. Now Nintendo is releasing an update to the system, called the DSi. It has generated quite a stir. Here are some ways the DSi may prove useful for educational gaming.

Larger Screens
Screens for the DSi are slightly bigger than the older DS. I’ve joked about the GBA and DS being designed for young people, as folks over 20 often complain about the size of the displays. But larger screens set in thinner cases will help players see more of the action. For the sake of education, larger screens means more text on the screen, either in quantity or quality (size of font). Admittedly the increase is small (3.25 inches up from 3.0 inches), but the increase will most certainly be worth it. Especially for old(er) people.

Cameras Outside and In
The DSi will have two cameras built in: one facing out and one facing in toward the player. I see this as benefiting ARGs, where players use devices to electronically enhance surrounding reality for the sake of the game. We’ve seen increased ARG use in lessons at historical sites thanks to the potent new crop of cell phones lately, but with two cameras added to the mix on the DSi, possibilities suddenly blossom. Students armed with Nintendo’s device could easily take pictures of objects on scavenger hunts, for instance, and share them with other teams. Pictures of players from the inward pointing camera provide proof of presence, and one imagines an easier way for teachers to remotely track students roaming about a site.

Built-in Web Browsing
Web support brings the DSi into Sony PSP territory. The nice thing is the price of the DSi is expected to fall somewhere south of $200. Imagine handing a fifth grader the equivalent power of an iPhone for a fraction of the cost and with no long-term contract. Downloading games might provide developers an inexpensive means of distribution for educational titles which may not otherwise be carried in traditional gaming venues.

SD Memory Card Support
Portable memory is a key issue for educators, as it eases dissemination of lessons and collection of data. SD memory cards are the de facto standard for portable data on a lot of devices, and many laptops and desktops have SD ports built in. A backwards compatible GBA slot is eliminated in this newest model, perhaps helping to keep the case slim. But with the SD slot, might the possibilities for home-made programming help up-and-coming educational game makers, ala the R4 Revolution, aka Majicon?

MP3 Support – sort of
The music-playing capabilities of the DSi will help with audio books, and flash cards that read words back to students. It’s not true MP3 support; users will have to use the AAC format. At least, that’s the current specs. But, folks adroit at gaming and such will have few problems converting MP3s to AAC.

Alas, American players will probably have to wait until fourth quarter, 2009 to buy one. But for players, and educators, it looks to be worth the wait.

R4 Revolution Majicon May Provide Homebrew Educational Games Solution for the DS

Here’s an intriguing story about the R4 Revolution, nicknamed the Majicon in Japan. The device provides an interface for micro SD cards to be read by the Nintendo DS. Consequently, they provide an avenue for piracy since game cartridges could be copied and shared without paying. In light of that, Nintendo has sued manufacturers, and retailers in Japan have become reticent about current inventories.

However, from an altruistic, educational gaming viewpoint, such devices may make it easier for aspiring programmers to share their creations with others. Previous efforts to create educational cartridges outside of traditional game companies were possible but rather difficult, requiring emulators and the purchase of dedicated hardware and cartridges if one wished to actually play the games on the devices.

With the R4, no fancy hardware is necessary. Programmers can save their code on micro SD cards and easily distribute and play the games. That would be a revolution indeed.

STEM Possibilities Through Programming the Nintendo DS

Josh Fishburn, a grad student over at U. Denver, graduate RA at the NSF, and adjunct at Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design, notes on his blog a YouTube video of a French team controlling a robot through a homebrewed software mod for the Nintendo DS.

I agree with Josh that the possibilities of programming in a “closed” system are intriguing. It reminds me of listening to Elliot Soloway over at GoKnow, in a lecture he gave at UNT, regarding the travails GoKnow had when setting out to create a truly educational game for the Nintendo GameBoy. At the time, Nintendo was not at all interested in educational games, perhaps fearing a negative backlash toward the GAMEboy brand if too many titles promoted educational objectives. My how times have changed, with the BrainAge series and other educational titles for the DS out there. Of course, Nintendo’s main handheld product is not referred to as a GAMEboy anymore, either; it’s now simply known as the DS.  

There have always been ways of programming your own game cartridges, though such efforts have largely been the purview of uber-geek programmers willing to poke around in grey market areas. Perhaps, as Josh’s video shows, closed system programming may become more prevalent. Certainly Microsoft has seen the light with their XNA programming initiative for the Xbox.

If Nintendo or another company offered a simple way to program or modify game cartridges, millions of young boys and girls the world over might well take a stronger interest in computer programming. I suspect math and engineering initiatives would get a major boost from such an initiative.

CFP: IADIS International Conference Mobile Learning 2008

Here’s an important international conference on mobile learning that will focus on “recreational interactions” on small gadgets. This conference will accept papers on gaming centered on mobile devices, a niche poised to grow for educational applications.

– CALL FOR PAPERS – Deadline for submissions (second call): 28 January 2008 –

IADIS INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE MOBILE LEARNING 2008
Algarve, Portugal, 11 to 13 April 2008
http://www.mlearning-conf.org/

* Keynote Speakers (confirmed):
Doctor David Cavallo, MIT Media Lab, USA

Graham Brown-Martin, Handheld Learning Ltd, United Kingdom

* Conference background and goals

The Intricacies of Mobility
Early definitions of mobile learning focused on the mobility of the technology. They described mobile learning as: “elearning through mobile computational devices: Palms, Windows CE machines, even your digital cell phone.” (Quinn 2000).

Recently, definitions of mobile learning have shifted their focus from the mobility of the technology to the mobility of the learner. Accordingly, researching mobile learning requires studying: “…how the mobility of learners augmented by personal and public technology can contribute to the process of gaining new knowledge, skills, and experience” (Sharples et al. 2007).

The change in emphasis from the mobility of the technology to the mobility of the learner is a significant one in that it signifies a broadening of the many dimensions of mobility that interplay in enabling learning.

This provides us with a more comprehensive outlook into the inherent complexity of the notion of mobility in mobile learning. Such complexity encompasses among others, mobility in physical space, mobility in conceptual space, mobility in social space and mobility of technology (Sharples et al. 2007).

This multidimensional view of mobility enriches the discourse in this area of research and poses additional challenges. The IADIS Mobile Learning 2008 International Conference seeks to provide a forum for the discussion and presentation of mobile learning research. In particular, we aim to further our understanding of mobile learning from the standpoint of learner mobility. We seek to explore how the multiple perspectives of mobility and the interactions among these influence and enhance current definitions, design, and evaluation
of mobile learning.

* Format of the Conference
The conference will comprise of invited talks and oral presentations. The proceedings of the conference will be published in the form of a book and CD-ROM with ISBN, and will be available also in the IADIS Digital Library (accessible on-line). The best paper authors will be invited to publish extended versions of their papers in the IADIS Journal on Computer Science and Information Systems (ISSN: 1646-3692) and also in other selected Journals.

* Types of submissions
Full and Short Papers, Reflection Papers, Posters/Demonstrations, Tutorials, Panels and Doctoral Consortium. All submissions are subject to a blind refereeing process.

* Topics
Mobility in Physical Space
Submissions under this topic should critically explore the implications of learner mobility in physical space in relation to how the physical space may contribute to the learner’s acquisition of new knowledge, skills, and experience. Physical spaces may include, amongst others, formal and informal learning settings, work place, home and recreational environments.

Mobility in Conceptual Space
Under this topic we seek contributions that will investigate the notion of learner mobility in conceptual space. Conceptual spaces may include, amongst others, domain specific content, curriculum based content, recreational content and content generated by personal interests.

Mobility in Social Space
We invite submissions under this topic that examine learner mobility in social space. Social spaces may include, amongst others, formal and informal learning situations, professional, family, and recreational interactions.

Mobility of Technology
Under this topic we request contributions that will investigate mobility of technology from the perspective of the learner. We seek submissions that examine how learners transition and alternate from one tool to another or from one device to another in order to perform tasks. Transitions may be determined by numerous factors such as access to technology and resources or suitability of the technology in relation to the task at hand.

Interplay between Different Dimensions of Mobility
We invite submissions under this topic that examine the interplay of two or more dimensions of mobility. We are keen on exploring how the added complexity of transition between dimensions of mobility, for example from social space to conceptual space or from social space to the mobility of technology space, influences learning processes.

Additional Dimensions of Mobility
Under this topic we seek contributions that propose additional dimensions of learner mobility and that examine how these dimensions contribute to learners’ acquisition of new knowledge, skills and experiences.

Contributions under all of the above topics may include, but are not limited to, the investigation of areas such as:

- How do the different conceptualisations of learner mobility contribute to current definitions of mobile learning?

- Designing learning experiences, tools, and technologies that support learner mobility in spaces (for example mobility from one physical space to another or from one conceptual space to the next), and between dimensions of mobility (for example from social space to conceptual space or from social space to the mobility of technology space).

- Educational pedagogies and approaches that support learner mobility in spaces and between dimensions of mobility.

- Learner mobility in spaces and between dimensions of mobility as a learning context.

- Studies that report on experiences of learner mobility in spaces and between dimensions of mobility.

- Research methodologies to evaluate learner mobility in spaces and between dimensions of mobility

- Technologies and tools to facilitate learner mobility in spaces and between dimensions of mobility.

References:

Quinn, C. (2000) mLearning: Mobile, Wireless, in your Pocket Learning. LineZine, Fall 2000. http://www.linezine.com/2.1/features/cqmmwiyp.htm.

Sharples, M., Arnedillo Sánchez I., Milrad M., Vavoula G. Mobile Learning: Small Devices, Big Issues in Technology Enhanced Learning: Principles and Products (in press) http://telearn.noe-kaleidoscope.org/open-archive/browse?browse=collection/30/publication&index=0&filter=all&param=30

* Important Dates:

- Submission deadline (second call): 28 January 2008

- Notification to Authors: 25 February 2008

- Final Camera-Ready Submission and Early Registration: Until 17 March 2008

- Late Registration: After 17 March 2008

- Conference: Algarve, Portugal, 10 to 13 April 2008

* Conference Location

The conference will be held in Algarve, Portugal.

* Secretariat

IADIS Secretariat – IADIS INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE MOBILE LEARNING 2008

Rua Sao Sebastiao da Pedreira, 100, 3

1050-209 Lisbon, Portugal

E-mail: secretariat@mlearning-conf.org

Web site: http://www.mlearning-conf.org/

* Program Committee

Mobile Learning 2008 Program Chair

Inmaculada Arnedillo Sánchez, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland

Mobile Learning 2008 Conference Chair

Pedro Isaías, Universidade Aberta (Portuguese Open University), Portugal

Steering Committee

Anxo Cereijo Roibás Vodafone Global Marketing – User Experience Planning and Research

Marcelo Milrad, Center for Learning and Knowledge Technologies, Växjö University, Sweden

Mike Sharples, Learning Sciences Research Institute, University of Nottingham, UK

Elliot Soloway, University of Michigan, USA

Brendan Tangney, Centre for Research in IT in Education, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland

John Traxler, Applied Innovative Digital Technologies Research Group, University of Wolverhampton, UK

Giasemi Vavoula, Department of Museum Studies, University of Leicester, UK

Niall Winters, London Knowledge Lab, UK

Committee Members: *

* for committee list please refer to http://www.mlearning-conf.org/committees.asp

Prick Skin to Advance a Level

If you missed the last episode of South Park, you missed yet another whimsical take on the videogame industry by creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker, this time attacking Guitar Hero. Another riff on videogames and doped up rock stars centered on a game called “Heroin Hero,” where the player sticks a needle in his arm while trying to catch an onscreen dragon. “No one ever catches the dragon.” There was a rather overt reference to the comparisons between videogames and heroin.

In real life, there is a new game that actually does have kids poking themselves with needles. Not for drug hits, but for glucose readings. It’s something that diabetics don’t particularly care for, and something child diabetics sometimes have a tendency to avoid to an unhealthy extent.

Word from Australia is, the $299 Gameboy cartridge combines glucose checking with on-screen action.

Kids who test regularly for healthy levels of blood glucose are awarded extra points to unlock new characters and secret game levels.

Characters in the five specially-designed games include a galaxy-hopping maverick who fights his way through a planet of aliens to rescue the admiral’s daughter, and a regular boy called Hunter who takes on Carnie Cal and his evil clowns.

“It’s a good idea, just brilliant, particularly for boys who are not so good at doing their blood glucose testing,” said Dr Neville Howard, president of Diabetes Australia-NSW.

Necessity, apparently, was the mother of invention for the device, which was the brainstorm of an entrepreneur from Minnesota. It offers positive feedback in the game for regular glucose checking.

The device was invented by an American businessman Paul Wessel, funded by an Australian investment bank and jointly marketed by Diabetes Australia-NSW.

“I stumbled across the idea really,” said Mr Wessel … “My son Luke is diabetic and he kept deliberately losing his blood glucose meter because he hated testing, so this was a solution.”

The Aussies seem to like it. The article concludes with a quote from Paul Zimmet, director of the International Diabetes Institute in Melbourne, praising the device.

The game has been in development for a couple years now. A quick scan on the web turned up discussion on the Games for Health site, and in US News & World Report. Apparently, the device combines a glucose meter with a Nintendo Gameboy cartridge, and incorporates the readings from the meter into the game. By all accounts from Australia, Mr. Wessel’s efforts are successfully coming to fruition.

References:
Streisand, B. (2006, August 14). “Not just child’s play.” US News & World Report, pp. 48-50.

Video game turns skin pricks into fun. (2007, November 14). Herald Sun. [Online]. Available: http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/
0,21985,22756352-29277,00.html

Tim Holt’s Byte Speed Podcast

Tim Holt, the Director of Instructional Technology for El Paso ISD, interviewed me yesterday after my presentation on instructional gaming at Fall TecSIG. The Technology Coordinators Special Interest Group is the biggest SIG in the Texas Computer Education Association (TCEA). Tec-Sig members meet twice a year in Austin, and again in February during the annual TCEA Conference and Exhibition, which is the largest state-based conference of its kind.

Tim and I talked about educational videogames and their various impacts on the classroom. The podcast lasts 15 minutes. Tim’s blog is quite extensive, and he has podcasts from interviews with several folks in the field at both the corporate and academic levels.

So, give Tim’s site a visit, and if you’ve got 15 minutes or so to spare, have a listen on a podcast dealing with instructional gaming and education.  

Handheld Learning Conference, 2007

With all the talk recently surrounding the educational uses of handheld gaming platforms such as the Nintendo DS and the Sony PSP, it makes sense that practitioners have banded together to form a conference on the topic. Andy Pulman blogs about the Handheld Learning Conference and Exhibition, 2007, that is taking place next week in London. A press release that Andy references gives more details.

Here’s a couple of key paragraphs in that press release from the Nintendo folks:

David Yarnton, General Manager, Nintendo UK says:
“The Handheld Learning Conference and Exhibition brings together so many thought-leaders it is natural that Nintendo gets involved with this important educational conference. As the biggest supplier of handheld entertainment, Nintendo is already driving learning across all age groups with its products, in particular the Touch Generations series, including Dr Kawashima’s Brain Training: How Old is Your Brain? and Big Brain Academy. So we’re delighted to play our part, furthering the developing role of handheld devices in learning.”

Graham Brown-Martin, Managing Director, Handheld Learning, says:
“The majority of gaming devices – and particularly those by Nintendo – all feature local and wide area networking capabilities, which are exploited by its software titles to enable positive social interaction and networks. Whilst the world has been focussing on the $100 laptop Nintendo had already developed one in the form of the Nintendo DS.”

Ouch. I think the OLPC people might be asking: Where is the keyboard for the DS? Anyways, that’s an argument for another day. Additional details on the conference are available at the conference’s official website.

On a side note, despite our noting the increased discussion surrounding the educational uses of the Nintendo DS and the Sony PSP in Japan, Gaming Today informs us that both products have been banned from use on Japanese airlines. Fortunately, other airlines have not followed suit. My oldest will be glad to hear this, flying back from New England later this week, loaded down with several books and both mini consoles to fight the boredom and wait out potential delays.

Elderly Turn to Videogames to Stay Mentally Fit

The Washington Post had a nice article recently about octogenarians using video games in order to keep their minds fit. A “brain health movement” is sweeping retirement communities nationwide, according to the article. Leslie Walker wrote that Nintendo’s Brain Age and other mentally strenuous video games have joined Bingo, Sudoku, and crossword puzzles as mechanisms to promote brain fitness in the aging and elderly.

Other video games offered by retirement communities to their citizens include one called Brain Fitness, and the virtual bowling game on the Nintendo Wii.

Brain fitness in general is booming, thanks in part to America’s aging population:

In fact, baby boomers may be the biggest catalyst of the brain-fitness boom. They started turning 60, and the nation’s over-65 population will double between 2000 and 2030 — from 35 million to 72 million people. That forecast has triggered an entrepreneurial rush to supply them with anti-aging products.

Next, Walker plugs a couple of related blogs, including SharpBrains.com, with whom I’ve recently traded links:

A growing body of research suggests that mental activity in middle age and earlier can help later in life. As a result, Web sites such as HappyNeuron.com are springing up to offer online games to people of all ages, while blogs like SharpBrains.com provide commentary on the fledgling industry.

Finally, Andrew Carle over at George Mason gets a nice quote:

“No technology trend in fitness has gotten more media attention than cognition training,” said Andrew Carle, a George Mason University professor who studies brain-training products. “What’s driving it is the jump we are seeing in Alzheimer’s, which is an age-related disease.”

References:
Walker, L. (2007, September 12). Keep your brain power up. The Washington Post, pp. HE09. [Online]. Retrieved September 22, 2007 from http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/
2007/09/10/AR2007091001879.html

DFC Intelligence Briefing on the Videogame Marketplace

DFC Intelligence, a California company offering market research, has released a nice set of reports detailing information regarding the video game industry. The reports are aimed at corporate consumers, and consequently are not cheap with subscription prices hovering around $3,000/year.

The site eMarketer.com sums things up nicely in an article here. According to DFC, video games and interactive entertainment are expected to grow from worldwide revenues of $33 billion last year to $47 billion in ’09, then $54 billion in ’11.

References:
eMarketer.com (2007, September 20). Video game market to set new high score. [Online.] Available: http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?id=1005393

Vintage Games Still Turning Heads

On the heels of my look at old Soviet video game machines, Moscow News Weekly gives a close up look at the museum over at Moscow State Technical University.

You dropped a 15-kopek coin into the slot and were transported to a world of adventure: win a sea or air battle, take part in a race, shoot at targets, or have a hockey game with friends.

Now comes a story of a New Jersey man whose hobby collecting vintage video games has expanded from the world of traditional newsletters to a vibrant website. Joe Santulli runs www.DigitPress.com for video game collectors. The site bills itself as “The Video Game Database.” The site is linked to Santulli’s RL store, Digital Press Video Games which specializes in vintage and no longer published titles. Santulli’s private collection is viewable here: www.videogamecollectors.com/gallery/digitalpress

Researchers looking into vintage video games should find both the MSTU museum and the DigitPress resources valuable tools.