Two things from MacArthur this week: just over a million dollars to an NYC school to teach literacy and other skills through “game design and game-inspired methods”, and half a million to USC's Public Diplomacy dept for in-world philanthropic events. Both very worthy - and exciting - things.
Katie Salen is at the forefront of the NYC school, and has this powerful chunk of stuff to say on teaching skills and literacy through games and game design:
“This means learning to think about the world as a set of in interconnected systems that can be affected or changed through action and choice, the ability to navigate complex information networks, the power to build worlds and tell stories, to see collaboration in competition, and communicate across diverse social spaces.
It means that students and teachers will engage in their own learning in powerful ways,” she added.
Brilliant stuff. And in reference to the Second Life work:
“This is not just some fad or something new and interesting that we’ve grabbed onto,” said Jonathan Fanton, MacArthur’s president. “Serious conversations take place there, people are deeply engaged, and that led us to think that maybe a major foundation ought to have a presence in the virtual world as well.”
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