Game Jam
Brief Abstract
While gamification and games for learning have their moment, it can be easy to overlook the educational benefits of game design. This session will feature eXperience Play, a game-based learning workshop that emphasizes concepts of design thinking, students as creators, and digital storytelling. Come learn about how to create text-based games that can be used both for teaching and as a way to get students involved in creating rich, digital stories and games.
Presenters
John Stewart is the Assistant Director of Digital Learning for the OU Center for Teaching Excellence. John is interested in developing learning environments to promote digital literacy and opportunities for undergraduate research. Before joining the center, John lectured on history of science at the University of Oklahoma and Missouri University of Science and Technology. He earned his Ph.D. in the History of Science from the University of Oklahoma.
Keegan Long-Wheeler is an educational technologist in the Office of Digital Learning at the University of Oklahoma. Keegan uses his background in science, pedagogy, and technology to provide instructors with holistic solutions to their instructional and technological needs. Additionally, Keegan passionately creates open source professional development curriculum to engage faculty in digital literacy, experiential learning, game design, coding, and more! In particular, Keegan loves working with Domain of One's Own projects and his open professional development programs: GOBLIN, eXperience Play, WebFest, Canvas Camp, and more!
Ben works in the Office of Distance Education and eLearning at The Ohio State University, where he is the Program Manager for College Ready Ohio, a state-funded grant initiative aiming to bridge the worlds of K12 and higher education through teacher professional development, strategic technology implementation, and online/hybrid learning. In addition, Ben coordinates OSU’s GE Online initiative, which aims to develop beautiful online sections of high-enrollment general education courses. Ben has master’s degrees in educational philosophy and psychology and in business administration, both from The Ohio State University. A former high school educator and learning specialist with OSU’s student athletes, Ben is also an Associate Director with the non-profit iBELIEVE Foundation, which promotes leadership development in Appalachian youth.
Dr. Ryan Straight is currently Assistant Professor of Educational Technology at the University of Arizona where he is also a Faculty Fellow and Honors Professor. He holds a PhD in Instructional Technology from Ohio University, where he also earned his MEd in Cultural Studies in Education and a BS.Ed in Integrated Language Arts. He teaches fully online at the undergraduate and graduate levels in topics like game design and development, human-computer interaction, designing online learning environments, and statistics and data visualization. Dr. Straight also serves as a Social Media Advisor for ISTE and writes for the Chronicle of Higher Education on mobile learning technologies, augmented reality, and social presence in online education. He lives in Tucson with his wife and three dogs.