Responses to "brainstorm" session.

Hello everyone!

I have been very busy the last couple of days ( I have a job during the holidays), but I still managed to find some time to continue the work on my thesis.

As you can read in my previous message, I posted a questionnaire to several forums on the Internet and I also sent it to several experts on gaming and / or education. I received a lot of useful feedback and I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of people who were willing to help me! Especially the help I received from the experts on gaming and / or education was really useful!

(Mr. Sean Dikkers, an expert on teaching with games, even posted my questionnaire and his answers on his blog. (http://gamingmatter.com/GM/strats/Entries/2011/8/16_Q&A_on_Using_Gaming_in_the_Classroom.html) On his blog you can find out more about his projects, achievements... You can find a lot of information there, if you are interested in games / education. )

First of all: my thanks to anyone who answered my questions. The majority of responses were really useful and I will mention those who want to in the acknowledgements of my thesis.

Secondly: These questions were meant as a "brainstorm" session to get my imagination going and to listen to what other gamers / teachers had to say about these subjects. It was not my intention to let other people do the work for me. The next couple of days / weeks I will begin the real work on my thesis. I will start reading a lot of books / papers / ... about my subject.

Finally: Here are some of the books / articles / ... that seem interesting to read. (note: these are just some of the resources that I might read. I have a lot more that I want to read, but I do not want to reveal everything just yet. Before I start reading I will have to sit down with my mentor and discuss my progress / future actions):

·

• (http://www.amazon.com/Video-Games-Teach-Learning-Literacy/dp/1403961697)
  

This is a book that describes why games can be used in classrooms and also explains what kind of cognitive development occurs while playing a game. James Paul Gee is an American professor of education who tries to show the positive upsides of using games to teach.

• · (http://www.amazon.com/New-Digital-Storytelling-Creating-Narratives/dp/0313387494)

This book describes how games (and other new media) tell a story. It describes how these new media are different from the traditional ones.

• · http://knack.rnews.be/nl/actualiteit/nieuws/dossiers/knack-wt/games-de-tiende-kunst/article-1195041963972.htm

This is a (Dutch) article about whether or not videogames are art. (the full article is published in the magazine: Knack WT)

(any many, many more...)

I will keep you posted on my progress! In my next post I will (maybe) show you a small part of the structure of my thesis...