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** Play and Learn -** Mike or anyone in the group will suggest a better title

** Play and Learn: Is it a viable option for Education? **

(-New title for the panel session by Mita. Do you like it?)  = = 


 Learning is more effective and efficient when learners feel that they are in a safe, happy and fun environment where they receive positive reinforcement to doing well. This environment could be provided in informal learning setup by organizing special events, field trips, and interactive cognitive activities. With the present day technologies we could provide similar virtual environment for learning. Learning by playing is enjoyable because learners get immediate feedback on performance and also can see immediate application of learning (skills). In this panel session the panelists will debate and discuss the following: How informal learning approaches could be used to introduce and develop lifelong learning skills and increase the knowledge in different subject areas. >  Add more or modify as you wish.
 * to what extend it is possible for us to develop skills for 21st century using web technologies (web 2.0 and beyond)?
 * How similar emotional involvement level could be achieved for learning as it is in a gaming environment?
 * How assessment could be integrated in the learning environment which will lead/direct/allow learners to progress?
 * How can gaming and the gaming environment bridge the digital divide?
 * What can you play and learn besides gaming?

Abstract of 150 words by the panelists

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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255);"> //**Mita**// <span style="font-size: 90%; color: rgb(0, 0, 255); font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Learning and playing is natural to children. Children develop cognitive and psychomotor skills through different types of games and activities as they go through different stages of development. Learning by playing is always take place in informal setup. With the emerging technologies and improvements in existing technologies it is possible to provide environment for deep learning and opportunities for collaborative construction of knowledge. In this paper the author will suggest development of a learning environment where children can develop different skills by working on co-operative projects and sharing information with others. These types of projects could be extended by involving community members and by seeking information from experts using the internet. Author will also discuss the strategies for designing assessment and measuring learning outcomes in such informal learning setup. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> <span style="font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace; color: rgb(137, 8, 221);"> <span style="color: rgb(137, 8, 221); font-family: Georgia,serif;"><span style="color: rgb(137, 8, 221); font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; color: rgb(137, 8, 221);">//**Nada**// Web 2.0 has enabled digital natives to become avid users of communication technologies, social and visual media, as well as gaming. The communities of learners emerging from the use of such technologies are signs of the “emergence of a new form of technology-enhanced learning – Learning 2.0 – which goes beyond providing free access to traditional course materials and educational tools, and creates a participatory architecture for supporting communities of learners.” (Brown & Adler, 2008). This signals a change from passive to active learning. In the age of “digital natives,” the digital divide has multiple meanings and takes on huge importance for a large segment of society. There is no doubt that before the students even cross the school’s threshold, socio-economic status, ethnicity, language, and cultural background are central to the division (Kelly, 2008). This paper will attempt to delineate the various digital divides and to suggest ways to bridge them. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> **Social Media and Informal Learning Spaces: Learning Together is more Motivating and Engaging** //**Mahnaz**// <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Educators working with young generation are aware of the explosive interest and involvement of youth in sites such as MySpace, <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: windowtext; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; text-decoration: none;">[|Xanga] <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: windowtext; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">, <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: windowtext; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; text-decoration: none;">[|Facebook] <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: windowtext; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">, <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: windowtext; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; text-decoration: none;">[|Live Journal] <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">, and the like. These and similar sites are called "online social networking." In online social networking environments, youth register and establish profiles that provide personal information and photos. Then, they make connections or links with other members who share interests or connections -- so-called "friends." Members engage in a variety of forms of communication and information sharing, which can include personal Web pages, blogs, and discussion groups. While the main purpose of these networks and social tools has been to connect with friends <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: windowtext; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">they also support the sharing of experiences and informational resources. (Need to add references)
 * <span style="color: rgb(137, 8, 221); font-family: Georgia,serif;">Gaming, Learning 2.0, and the Digital Divide **
 * References**
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; color: rgb(137, 8, 221);">Brown, J.S., & Adler, R.P. (2008, January/February). Minds on fire: Open education, the long tail and learning 2.0. //EDUCAUSE Review//. 43(1):16-32. Retrieved September 24, 2008, from http://connect.educause.edu/Library/EDUCAUSE+Review/MindsonFireOpenEducationt/45823
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; color: rgb(137, 8, 221);">Kelly, M.A. (2008). Bridging digital and cultural divides: TCPK for equity of access to technology. In //Handbook of technological pedagogical content knowledge (TCPK) for educators// (pp. 31-58). American Association of Colleges of Teacher Education (AACTE). New York: Routledge.

This presentation explores various aspects of social technologies used by “Net generation” particularly in the context of e-learning in higher education. <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> It re-examines online learning environment in order to identify where a good opportunity exists to include social and informal learning spaces and activities in formal learning environments and vice versa. It demonstrates how the results of this exploration are used to conceptualize a design framework and how the framework is used to design, develop and implement an online graduate course.

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<span style="color: rgb(0, 128, 0);">**<span style="font-size: 10.5pt; color: rgb(0, 128, 0);">Play and Learn with mobile technology. ** //**Yayoi**// =<span style="color: rgb(0, 128, 0);"> = <span style="color: rgb(0, 128, 0);"> <span style="color: rgb(0, 128, 0); text-align: left;">The purpose of this paper is to report “Play and Learn” from mobile learning perspective. Recent Net generation learn very differently from the former generation. Their learning takes place beyond traditional classrooms. One of the outstanding phenomena is mobile learning, using digital devices such as cell phone, iPods and gaming machines (Anzai, 2008). How much are university students interested in mobile learning, and why? Their lively responses are introduced form the results of the survey. Furthermore the possibilities and some limitation of mobile learning in EFL settings are discussed in this paper.

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