Hotmilkydrink: The Digital Home of Derek Robertson

Consolarium blogposts...

Just in case you don't subscribe to the Consolarium's blog (the blog that allows me to share my day job work investigating classroom practice with games based learning) here are links to two new blogposts:

BBC Newsround comes to Fraserburgh South Park PS
A summary of the BBC's visit to a P.7 class who have been doing work with Dr Kawashima's Brain Training. Some great stuff on display with a link to a video of the the children talking about their experiences in learning with the game.

More Nintendogs and a Podcast!
I met a probationer teacher who was using Nintendogs with her P.2 class. An account of how she has used this game to help develop learning in Art & Design as well as podcast about my visit to Fraserburgh South Park PS is available here.

Enjoy.

When the going gets tough the tough get traditional!

My profesional career has seen me devote my time, thoughts, ideas and energy into making the classroom experience for schoolchildren as worthwhile, dynamic and memorable an experience as possible. I like to think that I have a growth mind-set and that I will continue to evolve as a professional so that I can always look at new ideas and approaches with a critical eye but where I am always prepared to take informed risks. As Ken Robinson states, "If you're not prepared to be wrong then you'll never come up with anything original!"

Now up until now the work that I have done with teachers across schools in Scotland in the field of games based learning has received a pretty good press. In fact, that fact is mentioned by me whenever I deliver presentations. It seems though that I'll have to make a slight amendment to my presentations now after an article in today's Scotsman.

In Cash-strapped schools urged to spend on games consoles a rather disappointing attack is made on an offer recently made by LTS to local authorities to be able to buy Nintendo DSs for their schools at a discounted price, much less than what is quoted in the article. This, as I understand was a one-off offer to meet demand from schools that have had their interest in this educational resource raised mainly by the work of the Consoalrium but also because of some evidence based research that was carried out by LTS and the University of Dundee. This first research article is about to be featured in the British Journal of Education in the next month and if you are interested the reference is:

Miller, D.J. & Robertson, D.P. (in press) Using a games console in the
primary classroom: Effects of ‘Brain Training’ programme on
computation and self-esteem. British Journal of Educational Technology

Dr David Miller and I are curently working on the paper that details the finding of our extended research study that was partnered by HMIe in the summer term of last year. This work has led to requests to share our innovative work with audiences throughout the school community in Scotland, England (BECTa, Futurelab & Stephen Heppell's Be Very Afraid), and further afield-Singapore, Germany, Denmark, Australia, USA. I have also just finished, today, writing the UK case study for a forthcoming paper for European Schoolnet with a request to share our work in Strasbourg in May.

The Scotsman article mentions research by Professor Alain Lieury but fails to go into detail about research done in Scotland. Now I recently put my thoughts about Profesor Lieury's work down in print on the Games based Learning discussion forum but here's what I had to say about that:

I, on behalf of LTS, carried out the first small scale research initiative in Scotland. This is really what made people sit up and take notice of this application of a commercially available game. If you haven't seen the case study then have a look:
http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/ictineducation/gamesbasedlearning/sharingpractice/braintraining/introduction.asp
As a result of this study and the many questions that we felt were raised by it, LTS funded an extended study http://ltsblogs.org.uk/consolarium/2008/09/25/dr-kawashima-extended-trial-summary-results/last year that saw the same methodology compared with only a control group this time. This was done in 32 schools across Scotland. The results we found were very similar to our initial study. The first study has been peer reviewed and accepted for academic publication and the second one hopefully will too.

I read the headlines about the Rennes study and was at first a little bit apprehensive about what their findings meant for the work that I have led. As a result I have taken my time to reflect on things...

There are questions that I'd like answered before I make a definitive comment about the Rennes research but as there is little available to read (but you'll get it in a forthcoming book ) so I don't feel that I can do that. What I can do though is ask some questions:

• Where did they carry out the research, was it in school setting?
• What was the social setting for this research?
• Was it contextualised within a setting that the children understood, could relate to, that was natural for them?
• Why did he test for memory?
• What were the tests that he used?
• What can schools learn from this research, how does it take things forward?
• Could they not target the use of the device in a much more learner focused way than they appear to have done?
• Who in their right mind, who has maybe worked in some of the more challenging schools in the UK, can honestly say that they'd be prepared to put down pencil and paper questions for the whole class to do independently for 25 minutes a day for 10 weeks? Whatv reaction would we get? I know that I would not.
• Also, how do we then explain what we have found in our sample that was 10 times the size of this research activity?

I do think that they have missed the point here. Come to Scotland, see the children work with Dr Kawashima, listen to them talking about how they are better at maths, challenge them to the x20 test and watch their faces give you total respect when you do it in 10 seconds 

Also come and talk to our teachers who continually talk of improved performance in mental maths, self-esteem gains, social dynamic enhancements, improved time-keeping, metacognitive activity and much much more. Also, teachers don't worry about the tech here, they can focus on supporting the learning. There is so much good that has come out of this initial idea that I devised whilst playing this game nearly two years that I find it hard to take in a piece of work that appears to be so detached from the real world of classroom practice that I like to think that I inhabit.

Finally, with a little help from Dr Kawashima I believe we have made it a valued aspiration for our schoolchildren to be red hot at mental maths. Can you really tell me that pencil and paper does that? I look forward to reading a fuller account of what was carried out in Rennes but I have faith and confidence in what LTS, the University of Dundee and Scottish teachers and children did. It worked an absolute treat.

I was also not convinced that Ken Cunningham's, the general secretary of School Leaders Scotland and Frank Gerstenberg's, the former head of George Watson's College, apparent scepticism was really about the value of the games and what we argue it can bring to the classroom. It was more about school budgets in particular. No it took Nick Seaton, the chairman of the Campaign for Real Education to really get the traditional mobs 16 hole Dr Marten boots on when he said: "It's absolutely crazy and a poor use of taxpayers' money for schools to be spending on things like Nintendos when there isn't sufficient money to pay good teachers and buy school books." Now I know that we are in a difficult climate at the moment and that money must be spent wisely but I do believe that schools who have chosen to spend some valued cash on this offer are doing right here...at least this ICT spend has some evidence to base the spend on! This appears to me to be a clear case of when the going gets tought the tough get traditional. Come on, who in their right mind thinks that pencil and paper, alone, is going to do it for the very many school kids who are not and will not connect with a school experience that does not move with the times, evolve and position itself in the cultural framework from in which it's client group comes from?

Have I got it so horribly wrong. Have I imagined the raise in attainment that our data has shown? Am I strong-arming the very, very, very many teachers across Scotland that I am working with to come on board with this? Am I not seeing happy, challenged and interested faces on school children in the classes that I work in with some of the most thoughtful and objectively critical teachers that I have met? I can assure that the answer to all these questions is no.

Maybe it is the turn of games based learning to have its bad press day but I will debate the merits of gbl with anyone. It works, it's right and this backward and traditional view is one that, in my opinion, will fail our schoolchildren...or do we never want them to come up with anything original?

Korg DS-10 to be discontinued! Grrrrrrrr!!!

Just I was getting in to my Korg DS-10 for the Nintendo DS in order to support a possible trial in schools I find out that it's to be discontinued. Sheesh! What can a man interested in games based learning do when he see something a little bit special albeit it seems with minimal mass market appeal (look at Electroplankton), and then it gets pulled. There is an issue here in terms of people working to support schools and make recommendations for software to use when there is the distinct chance that what you find of great use may not be available after a certain date. What use is that?

I fear that wonderful titles such as Endless Ocean may also go this way. It seems such a pity when it is clearly a superb teaching and learning resource. What, if anything, can be done to ensure that schools can still access these resources?

Well, for those of you who missed it here's what you could have done with it. Ryuchi Sakamoto eat your heart out!

Neil Gaiman's Coraline: a new narrative driven game for learning?

I was spending some time today finalising some of my new projects at the Consolarium for this year when I decided to have a final look at recent and forthcoming releases for all major games consoles. Lots of great stuff coming up but one title that really caught my imagination is the game of the film of the book by Neil Gaiman called Coraline. Now, For those of you into your graphic novels then you'll recognise Gaiman's name from Sandman. I've also read another of his books called Neverwhere which was bizarre and surreal but eminently readable so Coraline is now on my list for purchase this Saturday.

Anyway, although the release date is January 2009 it seems that it just can't be got yet! No sign of it at all on any of the major retailers sites. AS soon as it comes out a copy will be in my hands because I think that this has potential. Have a look and check out the black button eyes in the 'other people'...

In terms of bridging that gap between games and quality narrative I feel that this title might have something real to offer. It might be the case that the game and the book could be studied in tandem? Is this an approach that might work and even bring a new dimension into understanding and relating to the characters and plot? There is also the aesthetic of the stop-motion nature of the movie and the beautiful design which is most similar to The Nightmare before Christmas. Just think what something like I Can Animate by Kudlian could offer learnrs here: making their very own Coraline-esque short movie stop-motion animations. So much to offer here I think that this could be a new must try for schools.

The clips available so far online really look stunning and the short snippets, as well as the game trailer video clip, that I've seen have really made me want to stray into and getv lost in the narrative and mystery of Coraline's 'other world'. This short clip is quite disconcerting, particulalry when you're the last one downstairs and it makes me think that ther suspense that this book/game presents might just give it that edge for it work within an S1/S2 scenario! Will be more sure once I've read the book.

I think there is real scope for suspending learners disbelief with this resource and for taking them to this 'other world' when in class..where their creativity can be inspired by both the story/writing and the aesthetic of the movie adaptation. I'm sure the game will also help encourage and excite those involved. Looking forward to getting my eyes and hands on it.

Professor Layton in the classroom

Please have a look at this post on my work blog about the project that I have been supporting in a school in the Orkney Islands. They have been using Professor Layton for the DS. Enjoy...

BETT '09: 2Simple do it again with 2DIY

It's that time of year again when we get a chance to see the range of wonderful (and not so wonderful) educational resources on show at BETT. This years's event is as huge as ever but with the noteable exceptions of the BBC and Apple it appears. Drat, I always like to use their electric guitars with Garageband!

Anyway, I'm here with Kim Aplin (the teacher who set the standard for using Guitar Hero in school) my new colleague. She is the Consolarium's new Development Officer and we have been busy milling about the exhibition to see what their is that we could use in out work at the Consolarium.

First shout must go out to the team at 2Simple Software. We had the pleasure of meeting up with our ex-LTS colleague Alan Yeoman who now works as an educational consultant with 2Simple. In his usual ebullient , enthusiastic and educationally focused manner he took us on a tour of 2 Do It Yourself. This lovely little application has the potential to introduce the concept of game design to very young children. Simple menus, simple ideas, simple interface but in depth and quality learning will, I believe, come out of pupil interaction with this app. We watched as he very quickly and very easily created a few games that I'm sure P.2 child and above could cope with. They could very easily create their own games that their peers could play. This type of low technology skill threshold software is what can work in class in my opinion. Teachers would get success with this quite quickly and they could then use this to engage their children in rich and purposeful learning with ICT where they are the creator and not just the consumer of digital media.

I suggest you take a look at this excellent addition to the range of resources that can be used to help deliver the design aspect og games based learning.

The VITTA '08 Conference in Melbourne

It's funny the way things can happen and the circumstances in which you can met people. I'm currently in Australia as a result of one of those funny happenings that occured at BETT in London earlier this year. I delivered a seminar about the work that I have been doing in schools and at the seminar was a chap called Phil Callil from the Victorian ICT Teachers Association (VITTA). He introduced himself to me, said he was very interested in what I was doing and asked if I'd like to come out to deliver a keynote at the VITTA conference later that year. The proposed invite did duly arrive and eleven months later I found myself on a plane heading to Australia for the first time in my life...

This is the end of the second day of the conference and up until now I have been so very impressed with the standard of seminars in the programme, the keynote speakers and the organisation of the event. I have also been taken with the enthusiasm, knowledge and passion for teaching that seems to emanate from everyone that I meet. I can't remember meeting so many teachers who are interested in and working with games design in their schools!

Twitter also appears to be a huge hit here and the twittering that was going on in my keynote (live feed by ICT Guy here VITTA Day 2) showed just how this tool can be used to enable teachers to share ideas, perceptions and resources instantaneously.

It was really pleasing and also a great relief to see that my keynote was well received today. You can get a feel for how things are going when you present because you can tell from the members of the audience's faces, their body language and how they react to your attempts at humour if things are going well. All of these seemed to be at a good level today so that really just sealed an otherwise superb trip.

If you ever get the chance to come to Australia then I would say that Melbourne is a must see. The city itself is huge but so relaxed and welcoming. There are great things to see in the city, (including a pair of crested cockatoos that lived outside my hotel room) such as
Queen Victoria Market, the Eureka Tower, St Kilda Beach, numerous alleyways such as Desgraves Street. But not far from the city you have the Yarra Valley, the Dandenongs, Philip Island and Great Ocean Road. This place is spectacular, beautiful and welcoming and I would recommend it to anyone.

Countdown to return to Scotland now and to more bearable weather. Thanks to all at VITTA and evryone I met during my stay here for making this such a worthwhile and memorable experience.

Play Kraftwerk on the DS

I remember the late 1970s and the initial sounds of keyboard bands. Before Depeche Mode and the Human League I remember my brother playing Warm Leatherette and TVOD by The Normal. Great stuff but one day he came home with a 12" single of a German band called Kraftwerk and I was attracted to the somewhat harsh/angular sounds that were really quite infectious. They became the huge band that we all now know with Trans Europe Express being my particular favourite.

Now you can have a go at recreating your own Kraftwerk song as this chap has done by using the Korg DS-10 Synthesizer for the DS.:

Apparently it's quite a complex interface but I wonder how secondary music departments might be disposed to trying this out?

Here it is in action...

...and here's a fill list of the detailed features:

• 2 patchable dual-oscillator analog synth simulators + 4-part drum machine.
• 6-track/16-step sequencer – connect wirelessly to play up to 8 units simultaneously or exchange sounds and songs.
• Delay, chorus and flanger sound effects available from the mixing board.
• 3 note-entry options: touch-control screen, keyboard screen, matrix screen.
• Sequence keyboard and KAOSS Pad, allowing intuitive note input and control using the Nintendo DS Touch Screen and Stylus.
• Unlimited range of sound creation thanks to an authentic synthesizer sound editing environment with an installed patch-panel

The sound output from a DS is really quite something so I look forward to hearing what can be created with this. I'm not doing the robotic movements though.

Vermin, feral, animals: Is this really how we view children?

I have just felt my blood run cold with despair and then turn red hot with anger as I read the BBC post about a newly released report from Barnardos called Breaking the Cycle. The actual report did not lighten my mood in the slightest nor did the promotional video that will be released on 24th November. This video is severe. Be prepared for its hard hitting and ugly message but be even more prepared for the shock of finding out that every sentence said by the men in the video clip were actual responses to a recent YouGov poll about how young people are perceived by adults.

As I read this report it made me think about the bleak imagery and frightening vision of feral frightening children in 'Come to Daddy' by Aphex Twin:

Ugly yes but look at some of the really disturbing responses to this poll:

• Some 54% of the adults questioned thought that British children behaved like "animals".
• More than a third of those surveyed also agreed that the streets were "infested" with children, while 43% said something had to be done to protect adults.
• Around 49% said they disagreed with the statement that children who "get into trouble" were "misunderstood" and needed professional help.

The ignorant flippancy of this last comment has really left me speechless. I was speaking to my wife last night on Skype and we got to talking about our two wee girls that we've recently adopted. We were laughing at some of the things they had said and done, pleased at how they were coping with me not being there at the moment but also marveling at how they had settled in to their new life and at how they were to put it …blossoming. Their arrival in to our house has been one of the best things that could ever have happened to us and we are so privileged to have these two characters. I am guarded about my girls but I mention them because our experience is so caught up with this. Our understanding of their needs, informed by Social Work partners, has helped us deal with issues, avoid conflicts, lay down boundaries - all within an informed framework that has let us understand our girls and to help them move forward in a positive fashion so that they can, and will, achieve their potential. My wee one hardly ‘gets in to trouble’ now.  Where would we, and our girls, have been without this professional help?

My ethos in education and life I suppose was very much informed and influenced by my upbringing and then work as a teacher in Whitfield, Dundee- a so called poor area where schemies lived. (God! This monkey on my back is really itching today!!!) We must always have the highest aspirations of young people and we should never give up on them. Don't want to sound like the lyric to an anodine Whitney Houston song but some of the challenging children that I have worked with have been talented, able, smart, engaging but it needed me as the professional person in their lives to help create the context/environment to open those qualities up and to allow them to flourish. Isn't that the job of a teacher too?

We can’t allow this to escalate any further folks. Some of us might live outwith peripheral housing schemes, some of us might get our children to the school of our choice but what about the children in these peripheral housing schemes and in the schools that are not the chosen ones? We MUST keep arguing for, and ensure, that all our young people are valued, challenged and that the highest expectation what they can do and where they can go is the minimum they experience when they are in the education system.  We’re failing them if we don't and if that's the case then get somebody in who can do it.

Vermin, animals, feral? No, children and young people deserve to be valued and supported by an informed set of professional services, hopefully sound families but also by a more empathetic and understanding wider society. I hope this video and the resulting campaign makes some people sit up and take a look at themselves.

Engage me: a message from children to teachers

Thanks to Graham Brown-Martin at Handheld Learning for posting this video that was made by children at Robin Hood Primary School in Birminham. Well worth a look and maybe something to share with decision makers? See what you think: