Nearly all early learning happens during play, and new technology has added video games to the list of ways children learn interaction and new concepts. Although video games are everywhere - on Web sites, in stores, streamed to the desktop, on television - they are absent from the classroom. Computer-based simulations, a form of computer games, have begun to appear, but they are not as wide-spread as email, discussion threads, and blogs. ""Games and Simulations in Online Learning: Research and Development Frameworks"" examines the potential of games and simulations in online learning, and how the future could look as developers learn to use the emerging capabilities of the Semantic Web. It presents a general understanding of how the Semantic Web will impact education and how games and simulations can evolve to become robust teaching resources.

Short Sims: A Game Changer explores the design concepts, dialogue, and formatting of interactive simulations. Interactivity is the key to effective educational media in schools, corporations, the military, and government. However, challenges like ineffective linear content or expenses can derail the product. This book provides a proven methodology to guide anyone through the steps of quickly creating highly engaging and responsive content. The process combines decades of research and implementations with leading organizations (Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Harvard Business School Publishing, Visa, State Department) with new tools that have just emerged. Key Features This book provides numerous code examples to illustrate how to put the techniques into practice. It includes expanded introductions to mathematics fundamental to computer graphics and game development. Graphics and physics are covered in introductory overviews. Author Bio Clark Aldrich is an education technology thought leader-the author of six books and developer of patent and award-winning projects. He currently builds custom Short Sims for organizations using a revolutionary methodology he has pioneered, or helps them build their own, through www.shortsims.com. He is also the host of an audio series called Education X Media (www.edbymedia.com) about evolving pedagogy in academics, corporations, and the military. He has been called a "guru" by Fortune Magazine and a "maverick" by CNN. Aldrich and his work have been featured in hundreds of other sources, including CBS, ABC, The New York Times, USA Today, the Associated Press, Wall Street Journal, NPR, CNET, Business 2.0, BusinessWeek, and U.S. News and World Report. He has written monthly columns for Training Magazine and Online Learning Magazine. Previously, he was the founder and former director of research for Gartner's e-learning coverage. Earlier in his career, he worked on special projects for Xerox' executive team. He also served for many years as the Governor's representative on the education task force Joint Committee on Educational Technology, volunteered on several non-profit organizations aimed at child advocacy, and has served on numerous boards. He earned from Brown University a degree in cognitive science (during which he also taught at a leading environmental education foundation). He grew up in Concord, Massachusetts, and is the ninth great-grandson of Governors John Winthrop and Thomas Dudley, first and second governors of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, and Captain Walter Neale, the first colonial governor of lower New Hampshire.

Short Sims: A Game Changer explores the design concepts, dialogue, and formatting of interactive simulations. Interactivity is the key to effective educational media in schools, corporations, the military, and government. However, challenges like ineffective linear content or expenses can derail the product. This book provides a proven methodology to guide anyone through the steps of quickly creating highly engaging and responsive content. The process combines decades of research and implementations with leading organizations (Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Harvard Business School Publishing, Visa, State Department) with new tools that have just emerged. Key Features This book provides numerous code examples to illustrate how to put the techniques into practice. It includes expanded introductions to mathematics fundamental to computer graphics and game development. Graphics and physics are covered in introductory overviews. Author Bio Clark Aldrich is an education technology thought leader-the author of six books and developer of patent and award-winning projects. He currently builds custom Short Sims for organizations using a revolutionary methodology he has pioneered, or helps them build their own, through www.shortsims.com. He is also the host of an audio series called Education X Media (www.edbymedia.com) about evolving pedagogy in academics, corporations, and the military. He has been called a "guru" by Fortune Magazine and a "maverick" by CNN. Aldrich and his work have been featured in hundreds of other sources, including CBS, ABC, The New York Times, USA Today, the Associated Press, Wall Street Journal, NPR, CNET, Business 2.0, BusinessWeek, and U.S. News and World Report. He has written monthly columns for Training Magazine and Online Learning Magazine. Previously, he was the founder and former director of research for Gartner's e-learning coverage. Earlier in his career, he worked on special projects for Xerox' executive team. He also served for many years as the Governor's representative on the education task force Joint Committee on Educational Technology, volunteered on several non-profit organizations aimed at child advocacy, and has served on numerous boards. He earned from Brown University a degree in cognitive science (during which he also taught at a leading environmental education foundation). He grew up in Concord, Massachusetts, and is the ninth great-grandson of Governors John Winthrop and Thomas Dudley, first and second governors of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, and Captain Walter Neale, the first colonial governor of lower New Hampshire.

Simulations and the Future of Learning offers trainers and educators the information and perspective they need to understand, design, build, and deploy computer simulations for this generation. Looking back on his recent first-hand experience as lead designer for an advanced leadership development simulation, author Clark Aldrich has created a detailed case study of the creation and deployment of an e-learning simulation that had the development cycle of a modern computer game. With this book Aldrich, a leader in the e-learning field, has created an intriguing roadmap for the future of learning while taking us along on an entertaining rollercoaster ride of trial and error, success and failure. Simulations and the Future of Learning outlines the design principles and critical decisions around any simulation's components— the interface, the physics and animation systems, the artificial intelligence, and sets and figures. Using this accessible resource, readers will learn how to create and evaluate successful simulations that have the following characteristics: authentic and relevant scenarios; applied pressure situations that tap user's emotion and force them to act; a sense of unrestricted options; and replayability.