Epistemic Games

Introduction to Week 4

Overview

• What is an Epistemic Game• What is an Epistemic Frame• Assessing Learning in the 21st Century• Epistemic Games and Resources

What is an Epistemic Game?

• “Authentic Professionalism”

• “Explicit instructions to specific contexts and situations”

• Include Communities of Practice, reflective practice, and epistemic frames

Source: Shaffer, D.W. (2004). Epistemic games. Innovate.

What is an Epistemic Frame?

• Includes targeted community’s practice, identity, interest, understanding, and epistemology

• Different communities have different epistemic frames

• Must embody the targeted affinity groupSource: Shaffer, D.W. (2004). Epistemic games. Innovate.

Affinity Group

• “A group of people associated with a given semiotic domain” (p. 27)

• Examples: Lawyers, Educators, Gamers, WoW players, Olympians,

• Can be large or small

Source: Gee, J.P., (2007). What video games have to teach us about learning and literacy. Palgrave McMillan, NY.

Cross Functional Team

• Gee video: – Each person must have deep expertise in one skill

set, but understand the big picture. They retain expertise but must integrate with the other different skill sets to be successful.

– http://spotlight.macfound.org/blog/entry/jim-gee-on-the-use-of-video-games-for-learning-about-learning/

Cross Functional Team

Assessing Learning in the 21st Century

• Epistemic Games change the focus of assessment to mastery of:

– Skills– Knowledge– Identity – Values

– i.e. the Epistemic FrameSource: Shaffer, D.W., (Paris juin 2011) Epistemic Games. at http://www.slideshare.net/thomasconstant/david-williamson-shaffer-epistemic-games-paris-juin-2011

Assessing Learning in the 21st Century

• How well does the student’s performance match the community of practice?

• How well does the student role play their chosen profession? (Levasseur 2012)

• Qualitative v. Quantitative VariablesSource: Levasseur, A. (February 6, 2012). Epistemic games are the future of learning, letting

students role –play professions. Retrieved at: http://www.pbs.org/mediashift/2012/02/epistemic-games-are-the-future-of-learning-letting-students-role-play-professions037.html

Assessing Learning in the 21st Century

• Assessment might also include:

– Performance in Cross Functional Group (Leadership?)– Performance in Affinity Spaces (Game, guild site,

forums, etc.) – Depth and Duration of Immersion – Reflection of Experience – Level of Change in Post Experience Activities– Justification of Actions / Decisions– Others

Epistemic Games and Resources

• Budget Hero

Epistemic Games and Resources

• American Institute for Certified Public Accountants – only students have access

• http://www.startheregoplaces.com/– Need to create a student account • Scroll to the bottom and click on simulations• Create your faux student profile make sure you click

Community College instead of high school and use 2012 as your anticipated graduation date.

Epistemic Games and Resources

• World of Warcraft– Cross Functional Teams – Dungeons and Raids

– Epistemic Entrepreneurship – Crafting and Auction House

Epistemic Games and Resources

Epistemic Games and Resources

• Sim School– http://www.simschool.org/

Ludic Fallacy

Simulationthe ability to interpret and construct

dynamic models of real-worldprocesses

New Media Literacies• Play — the capacity to experiment with one’s surroundings as a form of problem-solving

• Performance — the ability to adopt alternative identities for the purpose of improvisation and discovery

• Simulation — the ability to interpret and construct dynamic models of real-world Processes

• Appropriation — the ability to meaningfully sample and remix media content

• Multitasking — the ability to scan one’s environment and shift focus as needed to salient details.

• Distributed Cognition — the ability to interact meaningfully with tools that expand mental capacities

New Media Literacies• Collective Intelligence — the ability to pool knowledge and compare notes with

others toward a common goal

• Judgment — the ability to evaluate the reliability and credibility of different information sources

• Transmedia Navigation — the ability to follow the flow of stories and information across multiple modalities

• Networking — the ability to search for, synthesize, and disseminate information

• Negotiation — the ability to travel across diverse communities, discerning and respecting multiple perspectives, and grasping and following alternative norms.

Events This Week

• WED 7 pm MST (Denver) TweetChat #gamemooc

• THU 7 pm MST/ 6 pm SLT Beverly G. MacArthur – Human Mosaic

• SAT 9 am MST/8 am SLTIntro to Machinima

Game in Education

http://gamesineducation.org/