MIT-Ubiq-Games_HHL2009

1. Jennifer Groff
US-UK Fulbright Scholar
jennifer_groff@mail.harvard.edu
MIT STEP (Scheller Teacher Education Program)
http://education.mit.edu
www.educationarcade.org
Gaming Together to Learn Together:
PSims & UbiqGames for Learning Complex Systems

4. Gaming Together to Learn Together:
PSims & UbiqGames for Learning Complex Systems

5. Participatory Simulations
Engage learners in computer mediated
simulations
Provide rich learning experiences where
technology and social interaction are key
Use relatively simple and cheap technologies
(Palms<$100) and IR peer to peer
communication
pSims

6. Examples from the lab...
Live Long and Prosper (a.k.a. Genetics)
•Can you decode a genome so that you
can live long and prosper?
•Can you apply the genetic analysis you
learned on paper?
Sugar and Spice
•Economics-Trading
•Negotiation, optimizing trade strategies
Big Fish - Little Fish
•Resource Management
Virus, Tit-for-Tat, Networks…
pSims

7. Customization in the Classroom
•Preferences screen
•Typically accessed by teacher to:
•Pre-set underlying model
•Prevent students from altering model/
cheating
•Secret code is ?!?
•Preferences can be BEAMED from one Palm to
another
pSims

8. Why Handhelds?
Portability
Social Interactivity
Context Sensitivity
Connectivity
Individuality

9. Design Principles
•Fostering learning
•Integrating games and learning
•Facilitating peer to peer / social interaction
•Balancing collaboration and competition
•Relying on action off computers
•Varying timescale
•Having fun
pSims

10. Learning Goals
K-16
•Engage in authentic science
•Foster collaborative learning
•Capitalize on game play motivation
•Solve complex problems with complex solutions
Informal Education
•Encourage deeper and broader interaction
•Connect and collaborate with others
Training
•Promote teamwork and collaboration
•Facilitate role playing
•Provide new perspectives on real problems
•Allow safe play
•
pSims

11. Sample
The Virus Game
•1 Palm = 1 Person
•Enter unique name (ABC=keyboard)
To Meet someone:
•Align Palm IR ports on both machines (4 -
12 inches apart)
•One (and only one) of you hit “Meet” button
•If successful, their name will appear in your
list (in the order you met them)
pSims

12. Virtual pets with Biology
Birds and "owers
Like Darwin’s Finches in the Galapagos
Palmagotchi
Anytime, Anywhere

13. •Foraging
•Mating
•Managing Risks
Palmagotchi
Game Play

14. Pilot studies in two biology classes
Caring about creatures (“sort of alive” - Turkle)
Led to pursuit of strategies for success and learning about
evolution
Evolution is dynamic and depends on the environment
Demand for “mini-games”
Needs a more ubiquitous platform
Palmagotchi
Results

15. Weatherlings
UbiqGames

16. Weatherlings
UbiqGames
Features
Multiplayer
Single Player
Web-based
Collaborative
First Game
Pokemon + Weather Prediction
Maintain creatures and battle creatures
Impacted by “arena weather”

17. http://hlc.mitstep.org/weather
click on “Sign up!”
code: hlcgame
Weatherlings
UbiqGames

18. Weatherlings
UbiqGames

19. Weatherlings
UbiqGames

20. Weatherlings
UbiqGames

21. Weatherlings
UbiqGames

22. Weatherlings
UbiqGames

23. DRAW phase
•four cards maximum at one time
PLAY phase
•make a forecast - attack won't take place for another six hours
•play the card you think will adapt best to the situation
ATTACK phase
•examine the weather data, make a prediction (3 hours from now)
•select a Weatherling from your #eld and the move that you think will
work best under those conditions
•select the opponent’s Weatherling you want to target
Note: Weatherlings will take extra damage if their affinity is
weakened by the weather condition so lookout for
those opportunities!
UbiqGames
Palmagotchi
How to Battle

24. Scoring
•One-tenth (rounded down) of the total damage or healing will be
added to your score
•You score 10 extra points for sidelining an opponent's creature and 20
extra points for attacking the opponent directly
Ending
•The battle ends after the ATTACK phase of the #nal round.
•Most points WINS!
UbiqGames
Palmagotchi
How to Battle

25. Weatherlings
UbiqGames

26. Weatherlings
UbiqGames

27. Weatherlings
UbiqGames

28. Weatherlings
UbiqGames

29. Weatherlings
UbiqGames

30. Weatherlings
UbiqGames

31. Weatherlings
UbiqGames

32. DRAW phase
•four cards maximum at one time
PLAY phase
•make a forecast - attack won't take place for another six hours
•play the card you think will adapt best to the situation
ATTACK phase
•examine the weather data, make a prediction (3 hours from now)
•select a Weatherling from your #eld and the move that you think will
work best under those conditions
•select the opponent’s Weatherling you want to target
Note: Weatherlings will take extra damage if their affinity is
weakened by the weather condition so lookout for
those opportunities!
UbiqGames
Palmagotchi
How to Battle

33. Weatherlings
Data snapshot – 3 days x 20 kids
200 battles
1250 battle rounds
2250 forecasts
5000 weather data points
980 cards = learning time
UbiqGames

34. UbiqBio
UbiqGames

35. What they are:
Casual, Mobile & Multiplayer
CASUAL (not shallow)
Short bursts of game play: Able to #t into schedules
Shallow learning curve: Accessible to all
MOBILE
Play anytime and anywhere: Can reach many players on many
platforms
MULTIPLAYER
Interactions are rich and complex: Facilitates collaboration and
competition
pSims
= Games “in” class
Ubiq
Games&

36. Jennifer Groff
US-UK Fulbright Scholar
jennifer_groff@mail.harvard.edu
MIT STEP (Scheller Teacher Education Program)
http://education.mit.edu
www.educationarcade.org
Gaming Together to Learn Together:
Participatory Simulations & UbiqGames for Learning
Complex Systems