Comments on: Presence and the Potential of Collaborative Play http://www.networkedcollab.org/vles/2009/06/presence-and-the-potential-of-collaborative-play/ sharing and info exchange for the Virtual Learning Environments class at the New School Wed, 17 Aug 2011 14:07:43 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: mvonwahlde http://www.networkedcollab.org/vles/2009/06/presence-and-the-potential-of-collaborative-play/comment-page-1/#comment-143 mvonwahlde Mon, 06 Jul 2009 12:36:12 +0000 http://www.networkedcollab.org/vles/?p=116#comment-143 I don't know that collaborative gaming is just as amazing as this article has stated, and while I see there is some application, I don't know that the majority of the students I have worked with would always find this manner of learning to be truly effective. The skills garnered in online gaming often have less application to real life situations--especially when considering the ideas of permanence and attachment. Relationships that are fostered in online communities have a limited sense of context. While the author nods to families that now "game together" and have found new ways to bond, one can't help but wonder whether there was ever much of a bond there to begin with... or whether there was already a lack of contextual and family bonding. While I am not a fan of online gaming, mostly because I barely have time for my first life, I regularly consider the effects of internet communications on my two year old daughter, who lives 800 miles away from both sets of her grandparents. The majority of the time spent with them is over Skype... and at least that is something that she can have both visually and sonically. Now that we are in Chicago and she can play with them in person, there is some more of a foundation than there might be... I don’t know that collaborative gaming is just as amazing as this article has stated, and while I see there is some application, I don’t know that the majority of the students I have worked with would always find this manner of learning to be truly effective.

The skills garnered in online gaming often have less application to real life situations–especially when considering the ideas of permanence and attachment. Relationships that are fostered in online communities have a limited sense of context. While the author nods to families that now “game together” and have found new ways to bond, one can’t help but wonder whether there was ever much of a bond there to begin with… or whether there was already a lack of contextual and family bonding.

While I am not a fan of online gaming, mostly because I barely have time for my first life, I regularly consider the effects of internet communications on my two year old daughter, who lives 800 miles away from both sets of her grandparents. The majority of the time spent with them is over Skype… and at least that is something that she can have both visually and sonically. Now that we are in Chicago and she can play with them in person, there is some more of a foundation than there might be…

]]> By: adammember http://www.networkedcollab.org/vles/2009/06/presence-and-the-potential-of-collaborative-play/comment-page-1/#comment-141 adammember Sun, 05 Jul 2009 17:24:44 +0000 http://www.networkedcollab.org/vles/?p=116#comment-141 I found "Being There" very interesting. I was very much enlightened by it and the ideas discussed in "Being there: Heidegger and the phenomenon of presence in telematic performance" by Marthy Ladly helped me understand quite a lot about virtual education environments. I realized the connections between cognitive and constructive learning experiences and the virtual platforms. It is a very challenging aspect of the matter because the retention of information and the transfer of knowledge which depends on interpretation becomes clearer in such a context. On one hand we can relate to the concept and description of "Da-sien" (Heidegger 1962) to the virtual existence and presence of the individuals who participate in the virtual reality of the artificial environment and on the other hand we also can depict the interesting situation created by the technological developments which enable the mind of the participant to experience an entirely different mental state of mind separate from the actual physical reality. Learning is I believe very much about transferring the experience into thought processes which is generally called 'transfer' therefore I believe that the advancement of the new cyber, simulation and virtual presences / worlds have and will contribute a lot to the educational practices and systems. I do not know how we should consider the inequality between the people who have access to high technology for advanced learning. It is amazing that the devices and technological opportunities are developing so rapidly and effectively yet it is also a very important issue that not everybody can use and learn with these new technologies. Therefore in a way as everything else in the capitalist system, the education systems are also a very big resource and a market for companies and that is why the computer and the other equipment for education also create a vast market which does not provide the same level of education to all socio-economic classes. I found “Being There” very interesting. I was very much enlightened by it and the ideas discussed in “Being there: Heidegger and the phenomenon of presence in telematic performance” by Marthy Ladly helped me understand quite a lot about virtual education environments.

I realized the connections between cognitive and constructive learning experiences and the virtual platforms. It is a very challenging aspect of the matter because the retention of information and the transfer of knowledge which depends on interpretation becomes clearer in such a context.

On one hand we can relate to the concept and description of “Da-sien” (Heidegger 1962) to the virtual existence and presence of the individuals who participate in the virtual reality of the artificial environment and on the other hand we also can depict the interesting situation created by the technological developments which enable the mind of the participant to experience an entirely different mental state of mind separate from the actual physical reality.

Learning is I believe very much about transferring the experience into thought processes which is generally called ‘transfer’ therefore I believe that the advancement of the new cyber, simulation and virtual presences / worlds have and will contribute a lot to the educational practices and systems.

I do not know how we should consider the inequality between the people who have access to high technology for advanced learning. It is amazing that the devices and technological opportunities are developing so rapidly and effectively yet it is also a very important issue that not everybody can use and learn with these new technologies. Therefore in a way as everything else in the capitalist system, the education systems are also a very big resource and a market for companies and that is why the computer and the other equipment for education also create a vast market which does not provide the same level of education to all socio-economic classes.

]]> By: adammember http://www.networkedcollab.org/vles/2009/06/presence-and-the-potential-of-collaborative-play/comment-page-1/#comment-140 adammember Thu, 02 Jul 2009 14:55:48 +0000 http://www.networkedcollab.org/vles/?p=116#comment-140 The networks and the on-line games help the people to participate in a new kind of experience that allows the participants to explore an alternative virtual environment where they can develop friendships, relationships, discover and establish new worlds and therefore it is also a new level of existence. People live in the virtual space and spend a long time exploring the possibilities of the games. Playing is one of the most effective ways to learn and to develop skills by experimenting and practicing. It also allows the players to interact and share which is a very important aspect of interactive networks. Collaboration, communal and social exchange and formation are achieved as a result of this multilayered cyber experience which is independent of geographic space which is a very critical advantage and an amazing opportunity. The networks and the on-line games help the people to participate in a new kind of experience that allows the participants to explore an alternative virtual environment where they can develop friendships, relationships, discover and establish new worlds and therefore it is also a new level of existence. People live in the virtual space and spend a long time exploring the possibilities of the games.
Playing is one of the most effective ways to learn and to develop skills by experimenting and practicing. It also allows the players to interact and share which is a very important aspect of interactive networks. Collaboration, communal and social exchange and formation are achieved as a result of this multilayered cyber experience which is independent of geographic space which is a very critical advantage and an amazing opportunity.

]]> By: Jonathan http://www.networkedcollab.org/vles/2009/06/presence-and-the-potential-of-collaborative-play/comment-page-1/#comment-123 Jonathan Sun, 28 Jun 2009 22:25:11 +0000 http://www.networkedcollab.org/vles/?p=116#comment-123 I think you’re absolutely correct; finding an effective way to translate learning into gaming is the best way to reach people and retain their interest over the long term. It’s also the one of the biggest motivating factors for people to constantly update and “live” their online presence. People playing collaboratively online shows the strongest degree of online interaction in a real-time environment. You mention WoW as an example, which I think is very fitting. People genuinely live their lives in that game; they spend enormous chunks of time developing their characters and building relationships with others, which I think is a foundation of establishing presence as we’ve discussed in our reading for this week. That being said, the hardest thing to do is developing useful and beneficial games that can have some positive influence on society or promote a social cause. I think that collaborative play and online gaming has enormous potential to reach out to people, increase awareness of social issues, and drive people to make positive changes. Online gaming draws people into the virtual environment to a greater extent than any other platform, and the more people have imprinted their selves into an online world, the more invested they become in the issues that arise in that environment. A real success would be to merge the issues in online social environments with those that exist in real life, and doing so in a gaming format to capture and retain people’s attention. I think you’re absolutely correct; finding an effective way to translate learning into gaming is the best way to reach people and retain their interest over the long term. It’s also the one of the biggest motivating factors for people to constantly update and “live” their online presence. People playing collaboratively online shows the strongest degree of online interaction in a real-time environment. You mention WoW as an example, which I think is very fitting. People genuinely live their lives in that game; they spend enormous chunks of time developing their characters and building relationships with others, which I think is a foundation of establishing presence as we’ve discussed in our reading for this week. That being said, the hardest thing to do is developing useful and beneficial games that can have some positive influence on society or promote a social cause. I think that collaborative play and online gaming has enormous potential to reach out to people, increase awareness of social issues, and drive people to make positive changes. Online gaming draws people into the virtual environment to a greater extent than any other platform, and the more people have imprinted their selves into an online world, the more invested they become in the issues that arise in that environment. A real success would be to merge the issues in online social environments with those that exist in real life, and doing so in a gaming format to capture and retain people’s attention.

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