tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17490422747003140512012-02-16T05:29:10.130-05:00A Reflection Piece on Learning in World of WarcraftLisa S. Cohenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12952813185566558786noreply@blogger.comBlogger131100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1749042274700314051.post-5348239818947247412010-09-11T17:18:00.000-04:002010-09-11T17:19:45.927-04:00

Amazing TED Talks.and more at:http://sugatam.blogspot.com/

Lisa S. Cohenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12952813185566558786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1749042274700314051.post-37947077869275145182008-03-18T15:50:00.005-04:002008-03-18T16:32:58.713-04:00

Acronym: A word formed from the initial letters of other words. Hence as v. trans., to convert into an acronym (chiefly pass. and as pa. pple.). Also acro* nymic a.; acro* nymically adv.; acronyming vbl. n.; acronymize v. trans. (from OED Online)Internet slang: Such terms typically originated with the purpose of saving keystrokes, and many people use the same abbreviations in text messages. They

Lisa S. Cohenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12952813185566558786noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1749042274700314051.post-42872312885327051332008-03-18T15:21:00.004-04:002008-03-18T16:34:25.754-04:00

In a short amount of time (about 3 - 4 weeks), I have gone from playing zero digital games (okay, I admit, I have a mild Solitaire habit) to playing World of Warcraft 2 - 3 hours a day. I have brought two characters up significant levels. Bentley, my gnome, is almost to level 30, and I easily took GenY up to level 17 (opting for the "expert" route, which I will discuss later). The game has

Lisa S. Cohenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12952813185566558786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1749042274700314051.post-44415168913499088562008-03-18T14:22:00.020-04:002008-03-18T16:19:38.592-04:00

Topics in Learning in World of Warcraft: A Visual Table of ContentsTwo goals here:I want to start narrowing my focus from World of Warcraft play in general to the specific learning activities involved. I would also like to begin matching my original intentions (as loose as they may have been) to my new discoveries and findings. There has been some specific feedback on the blog that the posts are

Lisa S. Cohenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12952813185566558786noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1749042274700314051.post-24512435565803577542008-03-18T13:44:00.008-04:002008-03-18T16:44:04.421-04:00

I haven't posted for a while because I've been playing the game. A lot. A quick summary of what has happened since the last posting: 1. I started exploring, in general, a lot more. I created several different characters, of different classes and races, and genders, and I started them all on different servers. I have also started honing the specific learning outcomes that I see as fruitful as

Lisa S. Cohenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12952813185566558786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1749042274700314051.post-82452610137850263962008-02-25T21:36:00.008-05:002008-02-26T09:06:43.522-05:00

On Friday night (yes, this is what I was doing), once I got to about level 7, I wasn't able to kill bad guys in the same way I had done in earlier levels. I had also left my starting point, Northshire, and traveled south to Goldshire and other places around the map. Also, the bad guys, or "mobs," as I learned they are called, could now attack me unprovoked, which frustrated me. A visitor to this

Lisa S. Cohenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12952813185566558786noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1749042274700314051.post-46781648202186126432008-02-22T14:54:00.016-05:002008-02-22T23:46:53.647-05:00

1. Since installing the game on Wednesday, creating a character, and figuring out how to move around, I have played for about 15 - 18 hours (collectively). This is way more than the "one hour per week" that my course requires. However, I'm not sure that I would be able to understand "involvement" (Calleja, 2007) without spending some time, at least initially, and really, this game is pretty

Lisa S. Cohenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12952813185566558786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1749042274700314051.post-49743052164045722882008-02-22T13:10:00.028-05:002008-02-22T23:40:12.441-05:00

Besides spending most of my early game play not knowing exactly how to operate the controls in the game (I am still resisting using W & S and instead have been using the Up and Down arrows, which I'm sure is not the "right" thing to be doing in the long run, and just yesterday, after about 10 - 12 collective hours of game play I took some time to figure out how to jump), a kinesthetic factor, my

Lisa S. Cohenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12952813185566558786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1749042274700314051.post-73417810981106710032008-02-22T12:22:00.011-05:002008-02-22T23:45:48.498-05:00

I started playing World of Warcraft with basically only text knowledge-- the things that I had read in preparation from academic literature, from fan sites, and what I had heard from friends. I also started getting some information when I actually purchased the game and started reading the manual (*Anne has some interesting examples of how she has been using the manual in her game play), but none

Lisa S. Cohenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12952813185566558786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1749042274700314051.post-28426319162548073312008-02-21T14:56:00.005-05:002008-02-22T23:14:36.642-05:00

Anne, in my games class, is also going to play World of Warcraft! This is her blog: T545 Pensieve.It will be interesting to see how having someone I know to talk to about WoW will change the whole social dynamics.I actually have other big news... I have been playing. A lot. Like until 1:30 a.m. last night. And this morning. I have a lot to report and I have been collecting screenshots of my

Lisa S. Cohenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12952813185566558786noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1749042274700314051.post-11509173894286158902008-02-17T23:19:00.007-05:002008-02-18T22:08:33.253-05:00

Thanks to a visitor (who will remain anonymous) for pointing this out: I have changed the settings on this blog and you may now post comments anonymously. This has real significance because it means visitors to this blog may "choose their own identities."See Gee (Chapter 3, 2003) for information on virtual, real, and projected identities. And leave comments! As yourself, your avatar (or most

Lisa S. Cohenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12952813185566558786noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1749042274700314051.post-43158741586883183532008-02-15T19:08:00.004-05:002008-02-22T23:16:22.289-05:00

But I'm just going to acknowledge it and move on. This is what Gee (2003) writes in What Video Games Have to Teach Us about Learning and Literacy on confronting teaching and learning in the face of an identity, such as mine, that says "I'm not good at hand-eye coordination" or "I don't think elves are cool" or "I'm going to get very upset if the geeks attack me and call me a 'noob'.":1. The

Lisa S. Cohenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12952813185566558786noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1749042274700314051.post-30739096688907855402008-02-15T17:28:00.008-05:002008-02-22T23:16:06.196-05:00

I started by asking my friends for game recommendations...So many came in: get a Wii. Brain Age. Who Wants to Be A Millionaire. The Sims games, Guitar Hero. Grand Theft Auto. But the most convincing response came from my friend A.M.:"This was the company I worked at for the last 2 years. I believe the entire entertainment space will be dominated by the idea of community building. Musicians

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