Edutopia focuses spotlight on School of Education professor's work in new media learning
Sasha Barab and "Quest Atlantis" focus of video on web
Monday, September 28, 2009
The George Lucas Educational Foundation’s publication Edutopia is featuring Sasha Barab, Associate Professor and Jacobs Chair in Learning Sciences and Instructional Systems Technology as well as Director of the Center for Research on Learning and Technology, speaking about learning in the new media environment. In a video at this link, Barab speaks about the “Quest Atlantis” project. It is a learning and teaching tool for students between ages 9-12 that uses a 3-D, multiuser environment to immerse children in educational tasks.Through Quest Atlantis, players use strategies they might also use in commercial games on lessons from educational research on learning and motivation. Users travel to virtual places to perform these educational activities, or “quests.” There, they can speak with other users and mentors and build virtual personas. The program supports students in learning academic concepts in a variety of disciplines, including science, art, math, and writing, while at the same time providing children with an engaging way to appreciate the value of these concepts. For example, as part of a virtual storyline, students might use their understanding of water quality indicators to determine why fish are dying in a body of water.
The MacArthur Foundation awarded $1.8 million last year to help Barab expand the reach of the program. It also awarded Barab $500,000 three years ago to build upon the program originally funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation. Quest Atlantis is used in the United States and several countries, including China, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Malaysia, Turkey, and Singapore. In two more years, Barab expects the worldwide participation in the program will have grown from five thousand to tens of thousands.
Another video feature on the Quest Atlantis program and the MacArthur Grant is available through the IU Podcast page, http://podcast.iu.edu. Look for the IU School of Education podcast page under the “General” heading. Or click here.
