Game Accessibility Example: Control Sims 3 with your eyes!

The video below was shared by SpecialEffect Accessible GameBase:





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Cross-posted on the Interactive Multimedia Technology blog.

Digital Media and Learning Resources: DML Central at the University of California

(If you are in a hurry, jump to the DML Central resource page for lots of links, including teaching resources.)

Here is the press release:

New Center at UC Irvine to Seed Research and Collaboration on Digital Media and Learning

Posted October 27, 2009

IRVINE, Calif. (Oct. 27, 2009) -- Digital media and the Internet are transforming how young people learn, play, socialize, and participate in civic life. A newly-created Digital Media and Learning Research Hub located at the University of California-Irvine will provide an international center to nurture exploration of and build evidence around the impact of digital media on young people’s learning and its potential for transforming education. Funded through a $2.97 million grant from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Center was announced today at a national forum at Google headquarters that brought together leading thinkers around the challenge of reasserting American global leadership in education.

“Global digital media are rapidly becoming a driving force in globalization, scientific advances, and the intersection - and sometimes clash - of cultures,” said David Theo Goldberg, director of the University of California Humanities Research Institute and co-director of the Digital Media and Learning Research Hub. “Every day new questions arise about the ability of traditional systems and institutions to prepare both young people and life-long learners for the social, economic and political demands of a complex and networked new century.”

Through study of how youth are using digital media, researchers will seek to understand the implications inherent in how this generation of youth – unlike any previous one – is embracing the online world to access information, socialize, and engage in public life. Research is expected to help schools, libraries, museums and other institutions engaged in teaching and learning better prepare students for the 21st century workforce.

“We’re at the very early stages of this phenomenon where youth and kids are learning so much more outside of the classroom via the Web and social networking,” said Mizuko Ito, University of California, Irvine researcher and co-director of the Research Hub. “If we don’t tap into the learning revolution that is going on today, I’m very concerned we’re going to have many kids being left behind.”

With a physical office at UC Irvine and a new virtual destination, www.dmlcentral.net, the Center will support emerging research on digital media and learning by hosting international conferences, facilitating workshops and working groups, and bringing together researchers, practitioners, policymakers, industry leaders and others working on related projects. It will also house related research initiatives of the MacArthur Foundation’s digital media and learning initiative. Harvard’s Berkman Center for Internet and Society, and the nonprofit research group, FutureLab, are partnering with UC Irvine on Hub activities.

“At this time of extraordinary transformation, it is critical to harness and coordinate research that provides insight into the impact and applications of digital media for learning,” said Connie Yowell, director of MacArthur’s education grantmaking. “MacArthur has long been committed to improving public education in the U.S., and we see the emerging research and practices in the field of digital media and learning as holding the potential to transform the way we prepare our young people to be engaged citizens and to compete in the 21st century workforce.”

Two MacArthur initiatives are already active at the Hub. They are bringing together researchers and practitioners to explore 1) the transformation of learning and assessment in the 21st century and 2) the unprecedented ways in which technology is enabling youth to participate in the political and public sphere. These investigative efforts, lead by Mizuko Ito and Mills College professor and researcher Joseph Kahne, respectively, are major initiatives of the University of California Humanities Research Institute, the system-wide UC research center for the humanities and social sciences, based at UC Irvine. More information about the Digital Media and Learning Research Hub can be found at www.dmlcentral.net.

About the MacArthur Foundation
The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation supports creative people and effective institutions committed to building a more just, verdant, and peaceful world. In addition to selecting the MacArthur Fellows, the Foundation works to defend human rights, advance global conservation and security, make cities better places, and understand how technology is affecting children and society. In 2006, MacArthur launched its digital media and learning initiative to explore how digital media are changing the way young people learn, play, socialize and participate in civic life and what that means for their learning in the 21st century. More information is available at www.macfound.org/education.
Contact
Jeff Brazil
e: jbrazil@hri.uci.edu
p: 949.824.9956

Update on Game Accessibility Resources

I posted information about game accessibility resources on the Interactive Multimedia Technology blog:

Update on Accessibility and Interactive Games



The post is full of information, resources, and links from the IGDA Game Accessibility Special Interest Group blog:

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Cool Interactive Whiteboard Activities for Teaching Math: Free at Teacher LED

I recently came across the TeacherLED website and was impressed by the numerous math-related activities created for teachers to use when presenting new concepts via demonstration on an interactive whiteboard. This is an excellent way of presenting concepts that appeal to visual learners.

What I like about the resources is that they are open-ended. They were designed so they have flexibility of use, which is a good thing for teachers.There are several activities that function as games that are designed for the whole class, which is a good thing for students.

Math concepts covered on the TeacherLED site include algebra, data handling, number, shape, space, measurement, general math, and investigation. There is a link to alphabet resources, spelling activities, and maps. Many of the resources are accompanied by instruction sheets for the teacher.

The author of the website and creator of the interactive resources is Spencer Riley, a teacher in Birmingham, United Kingdom.

Thank you, Mr. Riley, for your hard work and generous spirit!

If you are looking for information about brain-computer interfaces, follow the link to my post about Emotive Systems neural interface on the Technology-Supported Human-World Interaction blog. It looks like it holds promise for cognitive rehabilitation applications and games.

Emotiv System's Neural Game Controller Headset: Human-Computer Interface of the Future?



Also see:
Game Interaction via Thoughts and Facial Expressions: EPOC - Emotiv Systems Neural Interface

News: Game Accessibility Preconference in Baltimore at Games for Health Conference

I'm writing this post from the Games for Health pre-conference about games accessibility, listening to a presentation by Eleanor Robinson, from 7-128 Software.

If you are looking for family-friendly games that are accessible, the developers from 7-128 have evaluated a wide range of accessible games, and have listed them all of them on their research. Many games on the list are free:

There are several lists that are useful- where to find the games, what to look for when selecting the games, suggestions for using the games, and who to go for for help.

Alert- Links about accessible games

More to come!