CAL Virtual Learning Seminar Looks at Games

The CAL "Virtual Learning?" program, which runs from April 4-6th at the University of Bristol in the UK, will host a number of panels devoted to how videogames fit into electronic-based learning, a recent hot topic in the 'serious games' space. On the first day of the seminar is a panel called "Why Video Games Are Good For You," which features Professor James Paul Gee from University of Wisconsin-Madison and Professor Henry Jenkins of MIT. There will also be a session called "Learning through video game playing" given by J. Underwood of Nottingham Trent University; "Invading learners’ space, a study of learners’ perceptions of learning through video games in comparison to more conventional spaces," from K. Royle and H. Harnisch of University of Wolverhampton; "Gameplay and learning: How RPG exploration and characterisation can be applied to learning," by D.J. Squire from University of Bristol, and many more. A full list of the sessions and topics can be found at the conference's web site. The conference is sponsored by Elsevier and Microsoft, and registration begins at 8:00 on April 4th.