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Digital Game-Based Learning
If you are in any way interested in gaming and training -- or if you're just interested in where training is going to be headed in the next 10-20 years -- you should very definitely read this one and learn more about Prensky's company, Games2Train...I have seen Marc Prensky present at a training conference/expo and am becoming a big fan of his work and his vision. His book makes a fabulous and scholarly but remarkably readable case for the confluence of gaming and training in the years to come. And Prensky has managed to make it interactive by tying in a Web site... ...and actually incorporating contests and games into the text of the book. He practices what he preaches.
Digital Game-Based Learning
The book states a clear and persuasive case for digital game-based learning and its ability to adapt to the varying needs of today's workforce. I highly recommend this book for anyone seeking an effective approach to learner-centered training.This book goes beyond providing a great survey of some of the most exciting learning games created. The author does a great job comparing the cultural differences between the "Games Generation" and its predecessors.I believe this would be a great book for managers working with employees from the Games Generation, especially those that question the generation's work ethic. Members of the Games Generation don't need work that is fun all the time, but it does need to be captivating. Getting stuck in a game isn't fun, but it is incredibly engaging. This information may improve working relationships and bridge some generational gaps.
Digital Game-Based Learning
This book is a timely, perception description of the value of gaming and the potential of the net.With the console wars in full swing (Sony vs Micrsoft vs Nintendo) and the state of graphics on the PC reaching new heights with Nvidia's GeForce3, more and more powerful PCs and the introduction of Broadband; the opportunity for distance learning or online education has never been better. Of course the same is true for gaming and the convergence of the two isthe altruistic message of Marc Prensky's book.Mr. Prensky's book points to the future with promises and warnings supported by a rich amount of research, as demonstrated by his footnotes and bibliography.We let the TV pass by without carefully planning how it could be a force for complementing education. Lets not make the same mistake with the net!This a wonderful eye openner for those that have underestimated gaming (play) and its importance to learning.Just the quotes at the beginning of each chapter make the book compelling and can immediately reveal opportunities in most scenerios. Each chapter is thoughtfully layed out with interesting examples/case studies and methodically introduces a group of concepts then builds to a thoughftul and often unpredictable conclusion.The book is rich with facts and statistics - some of them, while revealing the potential in redirecting gaming, are still frightening."Each day the average teenager in America watches over 3 hours of television, in on the internet 10 minutes to an hour, and plays 1 1/2 hours of video games."In fact this seems conservative to me, but if Marc is right, there is an incredible amount of untapped potential in reaching America's youth and this book is a deliberate first step.Finally a book both gamers and game designers can love, students can share, parents and kids can discuss and left and right brains can savor.
Digital Game-Based Learning
This is an interesting book because it's not so much about games as it is about learning (maybe that's why one reviewer found it boring). For educators and instructional designers, this book is about how to motivate people to learn through pleasurable and challenging activity. Structuring learning activities with this in mind can benefit any learner-- corporate or classroom. Linear, computer or web-based learning programs are boring. Games provide a key to sustained learning-- motivation. Before you build another one, my recommendation is to read this book.
Digital Game-Based Learning
Will all elearning vendors read this book and take note.....Content can be delivered in a format that goes beyond page-turning instruction, with interaction being limited to role plays and multi-choice questions......and the learner will still learn!This book really fired my imagination with the potential for using games as a way of imparting educational material. What made it all the more interesting was reading about those organisations who had already successfully taken this route.Loads of examples and links to game designers. This book is a "must-read" for anyone involved or interested in creating engaging, interactive elearning.
Digital Game-Based Learning
There is so much here. It is worth the read just for all of the fabulous quotes Prensky has collected! This book will frustrate many current eLearners, support eLearning implementors, vindicate many gamers, challenge eLearning developers, and and anger current traditional educators down to high school teachers. Well written and researched.