From Paper to Pixels: Video Games in the Classroom

At the April 22 Edtech MeetUp, educators, business friends, and community members will be invited to experience the excitement and engagement of game based learning. Through interactive play, attendees will explore the digital worlds that are shaping curricula across the world. Specifically, the Minecraft digital sandbox will be on full display so attendees can dive into this fascinating digital realm. After a short series of talks by Professor Seann Dikkers and EdTech Link Fellows Molly Adams and Justin Eames on utilizing games in their classrooms, attendees will circulate through the Federal Hill Rec 2 Tech center and play several educational games, including Minecraft, Portal II, and World of Warcraft.

Our Guest Speaker will be Seann Dikkers, an assistant professor of educational technologies at the University of Ohio - Athens. Seann spent twelve years as an educator and high school principal prior to academy and has presented nationwide as a, educator, designer and consultant in new media integration strategies for educational leadership, teaching and learning. His work focuses on leveraging 21st century tools for learning. His projects include: CivWorld, ParkQuest, History in our Hands at MHS, Mobile Media Learning, Augmented Reality and Interactive Storytelling editor (ARIS) (http://gamingmatter.com/GM/CV_ARIS.html), Comprehensive Assessment for Leadership in Learning (CALL) (http://gamingmatter.com/GM/CV_CALL.html), and the Teacher’s Toolbox of digital tools for education. Dikkers edited the recent release of Mobile Media Learning (http://www.amazon.com/Mobile-Media-Learning-amazing-learning/dp/110579363X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1349360765&sr=8-1&keywords=mobile+media+learning) and is the founder/director of GamingMatter. Currently Seann is gathering case studies of technology integration into the classroom.