Wii-hab Rising

Physical therapy benefits for patients using the Wii has hit the tipping point. A nice article by Teresa Martin over at CapeEyes.com chronicles the use of the Wii, “at the Rehabilitation Hospital of the Cape & Islands (RHCI) in Sandwich, MA.”

Susan Owen is a grandmother and recovering stroke patient — and the Wii is part of fast-growing trend in rehabilitative therapy: Wii-Hab.

“You get so caught up in the moment of the game that you forget you’re ‘not supposed’ to be able to move that way,” she told me as she and her physical therapist competed with each other to knock down the most virtual pins.

Another therapist helped support her as she “threw” the ball, while at the same time relearning how to shift weight, regain strength, and redevelop her balance.

Beyond physical therapy, patients at RHCI use Brain Academy for cognitive therapy, according to Martin.

The folks at RHCI and its sister Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Boston have been actively integrating Wii activities into both physical and cognitive rehabilitation – and they are part of a rapidly growing international trend:

• William Randolph Hearst Burn Center at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center is using the Wii and Guitar Hero to help severe burn victims start moving their arms and upper torsos again.
• Dr. Bruce Battles a physician specializing in brain injury rehabilitation at Western Kentucky University, received a US Dept. of Education grant to look at the outcomes of Wii-Hab. Battles began exploring rehab uses of the Wii after his own 16-year old son suffered serious head injuries in a car accident.
• The Medical College of Georgia is working with Parkinson’s patients and the Wii. Initial research from their work shows the Wii made significant impact on rigidity, movement, fine motor skills, and energy levels – and depression.

Finally, and of most interest to us, Martin points us to wii-hab.com, and their most interesting Research page. Thanks for the tip.

Projectors with Built-in IWBs

Tech directors were talking early this week about an article in eSchool News concerning Epson’s new line of projectors that serve double duty as interactive whiteboards (IWBs). Another company called Boxlight has a similar projector called the ProjectoWrite2/W.

This is potentially disruptive technology if it catches on, because it eliminates a major component of IWBs, namely the board itself. The new projectors run a couple thousand dollars, or about half what a low-end IWB costs. With downward pricing pressures on technology the way they are, it’s possible prices could sink lower, perhaps pressuring IWB prices down across the board.

One of the big benefits to going with an established IWB company is the included interactive software. Some of the educational games included with the SMART products are outstanding. There is also an established base of acceptance with existing products and add-ons that may hinder even a far less expensive product from catching on. The article indicates the Epson BrightLink 450Wi will come bundled with RM Education’s Easiteach interactive lesson software, which seems to be a good start if Epson intends to become a major player in this market.

While a boardless IWB seems to be a new market ripe for harvesting, there has long been a hunger for inexpensive IWBs. Johnny Chung Lee wowed the ed tech world a while back by adapting the Wii-mote and an infrared pen to make an IWB for under $100.

Update:
I watched a presentation on the new projectors at the Epson booth this week at TCEA 2010. One neat thing: they have “short throw” models, which can be mounted on the wall, and project sharply downward. The presenter showed how she had to stand literally touching the wall before she cast a shadow. This is a superb improvement over typical IWBs where the projector hangs down from the ceiling 10 feet or so from the board.

The presenter also stressed any wall can be used, and talked about a school that had windows all along their desired IWB wall. The school simply mounted heavy flat poster board over the windows, and voila: instant IWB space. I think Epson has a winner here.

References:
Stansbury, M. (2010, January 13). New projectors make any wall an interactive whiteboard. eSchool News. [Online.] Available: http://www.eschoolnews.com/2010/01/13/new-projector-makes-any-wall-an-interactive-whiteboard/

Five Video Games for ESL and Language Development

Kathy Sargent, outgoing editor for TechEdge, (who is a great editor and has done a remarkable job over the years as Director of Communications for TCEA) recently accepted my article on “Virtual ESL” for the next issue. This post expands on the article with games suitable for ESL and the ongoing development of English skills. Certain video games are particularly well-suited to language acquisition and development, a point I made here a couple years ago. There is a heavy dollop of personal opinion in the assertions below, and I welcome dissenting views. Some of these suggestions are relatively expensive, some are free, and all but one are available online.

1. Second Life
   Second Life has a long history of educational adaptation, and the idea of using the environment for ESL purposes was adopted early. Like many efforts with no external motivations however, some formal ESL initiatives have fizzled over time. One still going strong is the Second Life English Community. Founder Kip Boahn had a nice article profiling his work in Forbes a while back. Players from almost 100 different countries regularly gather for such online ESL activities as phonetic treasure hunts through SLEC.

   The global reach, open nature, and ease of use offered by SL, (not to mention the fact it’s free), have helped academics around the world key in to the platform for language training. Since avatars can type or talk over a simple computer connection, engaging native speakers in an interesting 3D environment that is not overly taxing to most hardware results in an ideal environment for language learning.
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2. World of Warcraft.
   Of the millions of players frequenting the popular MMORPG, you might be surprised to learn there are some engaged in educational activities amidst all that medieval fantasy action. The most famous group devoted to exploring pedagogy in WoW is the guild Cognitive Dissonance, run by Lucas Gillespie and Peggy Sheehy. Lucas’ blog EduRealms follows his educational efforts in the game.

   It is very easy to start up groups and guilds in WoW, and while Asian gold farmers have annoyed North American players in the past, Dr. Edd Schneider over at SUNY-Potsdam gained considerable attention in 2007 for suggesting WoW was a promising platform for ESL in Asia, provided stateside supervised guidance was included.
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3. My Word Coach
   Although available for the Wii, the DS version of My Word Coach offers players an easier time writing, with its included stylus and touch screen. Plus, the “DS factor” makes it more portable and affordable for classroom or after-school use. It’s not promoted as an ESL product, but the vocabulary training couched in a gaming environment works just as well for non-native speakers.
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4. Webkinz
   The popular children’s game tied to collectible plush dolls offers a restricted communications feature. “Kinz chat” uses basic sentence elements for players to communicate. While Webkinz probably is not suitable to older ESL students, for the younger crowd it offers a fun and relatively painless way to introduce English. It’s also offered in 12 other languages, so gamers can play in their native tongue as well as the Queen’s.
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5. Whyville
   Whyville is the free online world designed for children learning, and it has an impressive pedigree with corporate and government sponsorship stretching back several years. Although its strengths lie in STEM games and activities, one of the key features of Whyville appealing to teachers is the sanitized chat feature where cursing is automatically edited out.

In the process of investigating the many mini-games out there, a couple of nifty titles rose to the top. The advantages to using online mini-games for ESL include the fact that teacher supervision is not as heavily needed as it is for the above examples. On the other hand, mini-games typically focus on a much narrower skill set, and kids may tire of them quickly.

A couple of my favorites in the mini-game category included Word Frog, which is a neat way to drill antonyms and such, ala Number Crunchers. I also enjoyed Grammar Ninja,which drills identifying parts of speech in a playful way.

Wii Products Topped Game Items Sold in 2009 at Amazon

Amazon released its top 100 best selling video game items for 2009 recently, and the Wii console was number one. In fact, eight out of the top ten items were Wii-related.

Via: Adrenaline Vault & The Escapist

Nintendo: Walking is a Game Now

We’ve discussed Zyked, and efforts to link workout stats in an online social or gaming environment. Now, Mike Musgrove over at the Washington Post has a nice article on the Nintendo DS title, Personal Trainer: Walking. Seeking to capitalize on the success of such effort inducing products like the Wii Fit, Nintendo essentially tied a pedometer to software that runs on the DS. Players download their pedometer data to the DS and it tracks statistics, compares your daily distances walked with your friends’ records, etc.

Musgrove discovered he walks around 8,000 steps a day. Out of curiosity, he attached the pedometer to his dog one day. The animal recorded 4,000 steps. Alas, the pedometer he gave his son was quickly lost at summer camp.

“Walking is a game now?” one of the lad’s incredulous campmates asked as they waited for the morning bus to arrive one recent weekday. “Nintendo is genius.”

Yes, walking is a game now. And, physical activity continues to be mated with video games in interesting ways.

References:
Musgrove, M. (2009, August 23). Nintendo makes some strides. The Washington Post. [Online]. Available: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/21/AR2009082104305.html?nav=emailpage

Latest Nielsen Findings Show Interesting Video Game Statistics

We’re always hungry for more data on video games, the more recent the better. The good folks over at Nielsen have been recording console use for some time. They figure if an activity is taking place with a television set, they’d better collect that data. Also, they have monitoring software for computers that collects gaming and software usage from volunteers.

This newest report from Nielsen on video gaming, for both console and computer use for 4Q 2008 has some interesting info. Read my write-up for Associated Content here.

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Can the Wii Cause Injury? Or …

… are kids going to get hurt playing anyway? Such are the potential research questions stemming from a new report via British medical doctors who maintain that up to 10 folks a week in the UK are hospitalized from rough game play on the Wii.

The physicians have taken to calling tennis elbow from playing Wii Tennis “Wii-itis,” and injuries resulting from bending too much on the Wii Fit are called “Wii-knee.” More on the story here.

A Useless Interactive Whiteboard

The use of interactive whiteboards is gaining increasing acceptance in schools, despite high price tags often pushing them up above the $3,000 mark. One of the things pounded into our heads as technology trainers is that technology is only as good as the user. This is particularly important with expensive technology, as it can quickly become a wasted resource in the wrong hands. Several books have been written by ed tech critics decrying wasteful spending in schools, and such criticism can pose formidable challenges to raising support for additional funding.

Last night on the SNL election special, I watched a hilarious example of the misuse of high-end technology. Fred Armisen used an electoral map to accomplish absolutely nothing of significance. The larger point of the skit probably revolved around the pointlessness of political analysis by the media, but using high tech to accomplish nothing provided a beautiful example of how not to use interactive whiteboards in the classroom.

A couple of funny moments: zooming in on Ohio for a “closer look,” only to stare at the rooftop of a warehouse; taking a look at Oregon by moving it out in the ocean; moving Minnesota over Virginia (“Imagine the sheer weight of it”).

Interactive whiteboards are one of the next big things for classroom gaming. We’ve seen efforts at creating them on the cheap using simple laser pointers and the Wiimote. A commenter to that post pointed out a new classroom MMO called Edusim3D, which is an open-source virtual world students access through whiteboards.

Anyway, take a look at Armisen’s skit here. You have to fast forward through a couple minutes of Amy Poehler and Seth Meyers to get to Armisen’s bit. This skit would be good to play in training to make the point that technology empowers teachers, but only if it is used well. By itself, technology (even interactive gaming technology) is worthless.

Zyked Mixes Video Game Incentives with Physical Fitness

Tom Söderlund, CEO of Zyked, sent me a note about his new startup merging physical fitness and videogames. Currently the company is on the ground floor of testing, with 100 users in alpha, offering “points systems, skill levels, achievement badges and highscore lists” combined with users’ exercise. An open beta is scheduled in coming months.

One exciting aspect of Zyked is its mobile capabilities, allowing a jogger, for example, to enter and receive data through her cell phone while out and about. Advancements in RL physical activities merit advancements in Zyked, resulting in the merging of incentives commonly found in MMOs with activities in meatspace. This is a hot idea, as seen with Weight Watchers Online and the Wii Fit.

Study: Roommates with Consoles May Cause Lower GPAs

One of those lovable academic rapscallions at The Irascible Professor, namely Dr. Sanford Pinsker, recently discussed a paper by Ralph Stinebrickner, over at Berea College, and Todd Stinebrickner, over at Western Ontario.

The Stinebrickners published their paper in the Berkeley Electronic Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy. At first glance, the study would not attract the attention of researchers interested in videogames. The title and abstract do not hint at videogames, but rather the mundane effect studying has on college student grades.

Subjects were recruited from Berea, where roommates are randomly assigned. Students assigned to roommates who brought a videogame console system to college with them spent less time studying than those whose roommates did not bring a videogame system. To wit: if you go to college without a gaming system, and your roommate brings one (Playstation, Xbox, or Wii), your grades will suffer. Dr. Pinsker summarizes:

At Berea, those students whose (randomly selected) roommates had video games earned significantly lower first-semester GPAs: for males, 2.74 vs. 2.98; for females, 3.03 vs. 3.16. Students with a roommate who brought a video game to college report playing video games 4.06 hours per week; students with roommates who did not bring a video game report spending 0.79 hours per week. The first group spent 2.9 hours a day studying; the second group reports spending 3.6 hours a day studying.

I’ve discussed this paper before, back when it was a work in progress. As I pointed out then, the effects gaming consoles have on GPAs as shown in the paper, while statistically significant, remain negligible in practical terms.