Experience

Publications

• “Honestly, I Would Stick with the Books”: Young Adults’ Ideas About a Videogame as a Source of Historical Knowledge

  Game Studies

  Decades of research have examined the trust people place in various sources of knowledge about the past, such as documentary films and historic sites. However, despite their popularity, peoples’ thinking about videogames as sources of historical knowledge has not yet been examined empirically. Twelve Canadian university students with varying exposure to history instruction and varying gameplay habits were asked to play the D-Day level of Medal of Honor: Frontline under observation. They were interviewed about how “realistic” they thought the game was, and how they made this judgement. When they lacked the historical knowledge to critique the game’s specific depiction of events and situations, participants judged its trustworthiness as a source in two ways: by identifying game features that appeared unrealistic, and taking these as indicative of the developers’ approach to historical realism; or by trying to imagine the motives that commercial game developers might have for working to achieve historical realism.

• “Honestly, I Would Stick with the Books”: Young Adults’ Ideas About a Videogame as a Source of Historical Knowledge

  Game Studies

  Decades of research have examined the trust people place in various sources of knowledge about the past, such as documentary films and historic sites. However, despite their popularity, peoples’ thinking about videogames as sources of historical knowledge has not yet been examined empirically. Twelve Canadian university students with varying exposure to history instruction and varying gameplay habits were asked to play the D-Day level of Medal of Honor: Frontline under observation. They were interviewed about how “realistic” they thought the game was, and how they made this judgement. When they lacked the historical knowledge to critique the game’s specific depiction of events and situations, participants judged its trustworthiness as a source in two ways: by identifying game features that appeared unrealistic, and taking these as indicative of the developers’ approach to historical realism; or by trying to imagine the motives that commercial game developers might have for working to achieve historical realism.

• “Honestly, I Would Stick with the Books”: Young Adults’ Ideas About a Videogame as a Source of Historical Knowledge

  Game Studies

  Decades of research have examined the trust people place in various sources of knowledge about the past, such as documentary films and historic sites. However, despite their popularity, peoples’ thinking about videogames as sources of historical knowledge has not yet been examined empirically. Twelve Canadian university students with varying exposure to history instruction and varying gameplay habits were asked to play the D-Day level of Medal of Honor: Frontline under observation. They were interviewed about how “realistic” they thought the game was, and how they made this judgement. When they lacked the historical knowledge to critique the game’s specific depiction of events and situations, participants judged its trustworthiness as a source in two ways: by identifying game features that appeared unrealistic, and taking these as indicative of the developers’ approach to historical realism; or by trying to imagine the motives that commercial game developers might have for working to achieve historical realism.

• “Honestly, I Would Stick with the Books”: Young Adults’ Ideas About a Videogame as a Source of Historical Knowledge

  Game Studies

  Decades of research have examined the trust people place in various sources of knowledge about the past, such as documentary films and historic sites. However, despite their popularity, peoples’ thinking about videogames as sources of historical knowledge has not yet been examined empirically. Twelve Canadian university students with varying exposure to history instruction and varying gameplay habits were asked to play the D-Day level of Medal of Honor: Frontline under observation. They were interviewed about how “realistic” they thought the game was, and how they made this judgement. When they lacked the historical knowledge to critique the game’s specific depiction of events and situations, participants judged its trustworthiness as a source in two ways: by identifying game features that appeared unrealistic, and taking these as indicative of the developers’ approach to historical realism; or by trying to imagine the motives that commercial game developers might have for working to achieve historical realism.

• When Form Follows Fantasy: Lessons for Learning Scientists From Modernist Architecture and Urban Planning

  Journal of the Learning Sciences

  Research in the learning sciences is often motivated by the goal of shaping a better future through design. Architects and urban planners share this goal, and the history of their more ambitious designs provides clear examples of how attempts to build the future can turn out. After discussing similarities and differences between design in the learning sciences and design on the scale of buildings and cities, I examine three visionary projects from the modernist era in architecture and urban planning. Each project sought to bring about a radically different and more desirable future, using the most innovative technology and the best ideas of its time. Lessons for learning scientists are drawn from these projects, and suggestions are offered about how architecture scholars can serve as models for learning scientists in how they conceive and study their own efforts to shape a better future.

• “Honestly, I Would Stick with the Books”: Young Adults’ Ideas About a Videogame as a Source of Historical Knowledge

  Game Studies

  Decades of research have examined the trust people place in various sources of knowledge about the past, such as documentary films and historic sites. However, despite their popularity, peoples’ thinking about videogames as sources of historical knowledge has not yet been examined empirically. Twelve Canadian university students with varying exposure to history instruction and varying gameplay habits were asked to play the D-Day level of Medal of Honor: Frontline under observation. They were interviewed about how “realistic” they thought the game was, and how they made this judgement. When they lacked the historical knowledge to critique the game’s specific depiction of events and situations, participants judged its trustworthiness as a source in two ways: by identifying game features that appeared unrealistic, and taking these as indicative of the developers’ approach to historical realism; or by trying to imagine the motives that commercial game developers might have for working to achieve historical realism.

• “Honestly, I Would Stick with the Books”: Young Adults’ Ideas About a Videogame as a Source of Historical Knowledge

  Game Studies

  Decades of research have examined the trust people place in various sources of knowledge about the past, such as documentary films and historic sites. However, despite their popularity, peoples’ thinking about videogames as sources of historical knowledge has not yet been examined empirically. Twelve Canadian university students with varying exposure to history instruction and varying gameplay habits were asked to play the D-Day level of Medal of Honor: Frontline under observation. They were interviewed about how “realistic” they thought the game was, and how they made this judgement. When they lacked the historical knowledge to critique the game’s specific depiction of events and situations, participants judged its trustworthiness as a source in two ways: by identifying game features that appeared unrealistic, and taking these as indicative of the developers’ approach to historical realism; or by trying to imagine the motives that commercial game developers might have for working to achieve historical realism.

• When Form Follows Fantasy: Lessons for Learning Scientists From Modernist Architecture and Urban Planning

  Journal of the Learning Sciences

  Research in the learning sciences is often motivated by the goal of shaping a better future through design. Architects and urban planners share this goal, and the history of their more ambitious designs provides clear examples of how attempts to build the future can turn out. After discussing similarities and differences between design in the learning sciences and design on the scale of buildings and cities, I examine three visionary projects from the modernist era in architecture and urban planning. Each project sought to bring about a radically different and more desirable future, using the most innovative technology and the best ideas of its time. Lessons for learning scientists are drawn from these projects, and suggestions are offered about how architecture scholars can serve as models for learning scientists in how they conceive and study their own efforts to shape a better future.

• 21st century bunkum: What do we value about kids learning to code, and why?

  Teacher Learning and Professional Development

  The commitment to teaching 21st century skills has become one of today’s least-questionable educational dogma; and a movement to teach computer programming to every child is taking root in the mandated curricula of an increasing number of provinces and states, if not yet in the culture at large. This is therefore an important moment to examine the arguments and assumptions behind the current “kid coding” craze, which is heavily supported by the computing industry. Why do so many teachers and academics believe in 21st century skills being teachable, and what in particular does research show about what children learn through computer programming? What do parents and educators value about the skill of computer programming in particular? Why should we teach it to every child, and what would be necessary to make this happen?

• “Honestly, I Would Stick with the Books”: Young Adults’ Ideas About a Videogame as a Source of Historical Knowledge

  Game Studies

  Decades of research have examined the trust people place in various sources of knowledge about the past, such as documentary films and historic sites. However, despite their popularity, peoples’ thinking about videogames as sources of historical knowledge has not yet been examined empirically. Twelve Canadian university students with varying exposure to history instruction and varying gameplay habits were asked to play the D-Day level of Medal of Honor: Frontline under observation. They were interviewed about how “realistic” they thought the game was, and how they made this judgement. When they lacked the historical knowledge to critique the game’s specific depiction of events and situations, participants judged its trustworthiness as a source in two ways: by identifying game features that appeared unrealistic, and taking these as indicative of the developers’ approach to historical realism; or by trying to imagine the motives that commercial game developers might have for working to achieve historical realism.

• “Honestly, I Would Stick with the Books”: Young Adults’ Ideas About a Videogame as a Source of Historical Knowledge

  Game Studies

  Decades of research have examined the trust people place in various sources of knowledge about the past, such as documentary films and historic sites. However, despite their popularity, peoples’ thinking about videogames as sources of historical knowledge has not yet been examined empirically. Twelve Canadian university students with varying exposure to history instruction and varying gameplay habits were asked to play the D-Day level of Medal of Honor: Frontline under observation. They were interviewed about how “realistic” they thought the game was, and how they made this judgement. When they lacked the historical knowledge to critique the game’s specific depiction of events and situations, participants judged its trustworthiness as a source in two ways: by identifying game features that appeared unrealistic, and taking these as indicative of the developers’ approach to historical realism; or by trying to imagine the motives that commercial game developers might have for working to achieve historical realism.

• When Form Follows Fantasy: Lessons for Learning Scientists From Modernist Architecture and Urban Planning

  Journal of the Learning Sciences

  Research in the learning sciences is often motivated by the goal of shaping a better future through design. Architects and urban planners share this goal, and the history of their more ambitious designs provides clear examples of how attempts to build the future can turn out. After discussing similarities and differences between design in the learning sciences and design on the scale of buildings and cities, I examine three visionary projects from the modernist era in architecture and urban planning. Each project sought to bring about a radically different and more desirable future, using the most innovative technology and the best ideas of its time. Lessons for learning scientists are drawn from these projects, and suggestions are offered about how architecture scholars can serve as models for learning scientists in how they conceive and study their own efforts to shape a better future.

• 21st century bunkum: What do we value about kids learning to code, and why?

  Teacher Learning and Professional Development

  The commitment to teaching 21st century skills has become one of today’s least-questionable educational dogma; and a movement to teach computer programming to every child is taking root in the mandated curricula of an increasing number of provinces and states, if not yet in the culture at large. This is therefore an important moment to examine the arguments and assumptions behind the current “kid coding” craze, which is heavily supported by the computing industry. Why do so many teachers and academics believe in 21st century skills being teachable, and what in particular does research show about what children learn through computer programming? What do parents and educators value about the skill of computer programming in particular? Why should we teach it to every child, and what would be necessary to make this happen?

• Special issue of Journal of the Learning Sciences on CHAT approaches to design-based research

  Journal of the Learning Sciences

  Special issue on Cultural-Historical Activity Theory approaches to design-based research, co-edited with Michael Cole and Bill Penuel