Learning at Play: a one-day symposium on games for learning and social change

Learning at Play was held on
Friday, November 8, 2019.

If you’d like to see what happened, visit our
Flickr album from the event or read these blog posts.

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Games, both analog and digital, can immerse players in other worlds and give them experiences that help them see their own worlds in new ways. Play, structured or otherwise, can create opportunities to reflect, grow, and learn. During this one-day symposium, we will explore the ways that games and simulations can be used to foster learning and social change, both in and out of the classroom.

Co-sponsored by the Center for Teaching, the Curb Center, the Center for Digital Humanities, and the Comparative Media Analysis and Practice program, Learning at Play features a day of talks, panels, and games. The keynote will be provided by Mark Sample, associate professor and chair of digital studies at Davidson College, whose teaching and research includes software studies, video games, and other forms of algorithmic culture.

We’ll have three morning sessions, lunch at noon, then three afternoon sessions, followed by a reception. You can drop in and out, but please register to let us know you’ll be coming and to reserve a lunch.

If you’re using games for learning or social change, we would love to have you share what you’re doing. The 3:10 session will be for lightning talks and mini-games. You can propose something for the lightning session here.

Thanks to the Learning at Play organizers, Derek Bruff, director of the Center for Teaching; Haerin Shin, assistant professor of English, and Derek Price, PhD candidate in German and media studies.

Keynote

Mark Sample is associate professor and chair of digital studies at Davidson College. Sample is a literary scholar whose study of recent American fiction led him to the digital world, where contemporary artists and writers are on the vanguard of experimental literature. His teaching and research has evolved to include software studies, video games, and other forms of algorithmic culture.

Read more about Mark Sample on his Davidson faculty page or his website, samplereality.com, or follow him on Twitter @profsample.

Schedule

All sessions will be held at the Curb Center.

Call for Proposals: Lightning Talks

Are you doing research on games and learning? Are you using games in the classroom? Are you developing an educational, serious, or historical game? Want to get some feedback on a project, share an idea, or show off your work?

Faculty, staff, and students at Vanderbilt (or elsewhere!) are welcome to share what they’re working on during the Learning at Play “Lightning Talk” session, held from 3:10 to 4:00pm on Friday, November 8th. Lightning talks are a fast-paced, fun, and easy way to share your current work, research, or interests with a friendly and supportive audience.

Participants will have a maximum of five (5) minutes to introduce their topic, project, or idea to the audience in a quick, focused, and compelling presentation, with or without a supplementary PowerPoint slideshow (3-5 slides), images, videos, or even a (very brief) game demonstration. A good lightning talk will catch the audience’s attention with a clear message that inspires them to learn more about your work.

If you’re interested in participating, please submit this Lightning talk form by October 25, 2019.