jessierh

Week 8 Reading

The Steinkuehler study examined how World of Warcraft promoted scientific ways of thinking by providing a simulated world whose systems can be observed and investigated through social knowledge construction and experimentation. The article provides empirical evidence that the WoW fosters informal learning, particularly science literacy. If we assume that this study is correct, that games… Read more Week 8 Reading

Are we designing for the wrong learning goal?

I was interested in the results of the Berkowitz article, which found that children from families with math anxiety improved their understanding of math after playing with a math app at least once a week. However, playing with the app more than once a week did not further improve their math scores. This result made… Read more Are we designing for the wrong learning goal?

Play, Violence and Learning

In reading “The Benefits of Playing Video Games,” I began to wonder what the definition of “play” is in the context of developmental psychology, and whether or not it should be used with regard to games. It seems like pretend play or physical play are very different kinds of play from rule-based, system-driven game play,… Read more Play, Violence and Learning

Technology Review and Redesign - Hello Barbie

I am reviewing Hello Barbie because we have had some conversations about her in class and I already had some insider knowledge about it having interned at Toy Talk last quarter. I thought it might be useful to share this information because it’s a good example of how the limits of technology inform design, sometimes in… Read more Technology Review and Redesign - Hello Barbie

Week 4 Readings - Robots and Empathy

I was really interested in the Kahn Jr., Gary, & Shen reading about children’s social relationships with robots. The report expressed a concern over children’s conceptions of robots as social entities, arguing that children might dominate the robots in ways that are detrimental to their development. What I didn’t understand about this argument was that… Read more Week 4 Readings - Robots and Empathy

Engagement vs. Curriculum: Are We Limiting Ourselves?

The reading from Hirsh-Pasek, et al. surveyed a range of educational media, primarily focusing on young children and apps. It cites research to argue that children learn best when the learning is active, engaged, meaningful, socially interactive, and in the service of a learning goal. The definition of each of these terms is then explored… Read more Engagement vs. Curriculum: Are We Limiting Ourselves?

Jessie - Parasocial Relationship

When I was about 10 years old, I got the American Girl Doll, Felicity. I’m been enamored with her for a long time before that, in the pages of the American Girl Doll catalog. I remember reading her books more than I really remember playing with the doll. It was in those stories that I… Read more Jessie - Parasocial Relationship