Category — Multimedia Content

As education expenses continue to grow, strapped taxpayers have begun pushing back on state and local governments. In the tiny State of Maine, many school districts are finding that passing a school budget for the upcoming school year a sincere challenge.

Even the tiny town of Monmouth, home to one of Maine’s finest public school systems, has seen such a rebellion, leaving school officials without a school budget for 2008-09. With another school year set to begin in less than a month’s time, Monmouth finds itself in an extremely challenging position.

Massachusetts Taking a Stance Regarding School Building Projects
One of the areas adding to the current budget issues for many school districts is the repayment of funds for recent building projects. As school buildings age and the respective operating systems become out-of-date, capital improvements have become a greater portion of local school budgets in recent times.

In many states, such projects also create great financial stress on state tax dollars. In Massachusetts, State Treasurer Timothy P. Cahill, is making a strong push towards ending what might be called an open-ended building environment.

Cahill specifically indicated he wanted to see an end to “Taj Mahal” high schools, a reference to local communities being unable to draw a line between what is truly necessary and what is a luxury or design for aesthetic purposes. As one method of limiting the state funding costs, Cahill wants to create a set of building designs that communities would have to select from. The treasurer asserts that such a step could help cut building projects by as much as 30 percent.

Given the recent stories of the new Newton North High School project, a $197.5 million building that easily created the aforementioned “Taj Mahal” image, it is easy to see why Cahill is taking such a stance. The Newton project clearly represents the fundamental debate point, a school community with a “wish list” of what parents and educators might want versus those items that are truly necessary or that a community can actually afford.

Such steps have already been put in place in the South (Florida, for example). The practice not only creates new school buildings in a cost effective manner, the result is a building that has been previously tested for functionality.

Consequences for Communities
One issue that will create a problem for Cahill is site choices. Whereas Florida offers a flat, ledge-free building environment, northern lands often represent unique challenges requiring buildings that must conform to site demands.

Still, Cahill believes a number of plans could be drawn up for suitable sites. Then, if communities were to apply for state funds, they would need to select one of the pre-approved designs to receive financial backing.

Towns refusing to select from one of the designs could face two distinct consequences. One might be simply a refusal from the state to help with funding the project. The second option for those communities refusing to select a pre-accepted plan could be the demand that schools renovate their existing facility rather than build new.

Not too surprisingly, Massachusetts’ architects have come out strongly against such a plan. Phrases such as cookie-cutter and one-size fits all have been thrown around liberally. Many have insisted that there is no such thing as a prototypical site and such a practice would eliminate the individual character that defines a community.

Those same opponents also question whether there would be any real savings.

Time Has Come
With architectural fees running around 10 percent for each project, it is easy to see that the school design business is a lucrative one for firms. And when a school district initially planning a $100 million project instead pushes the cost out to nearly $200 million as Newton did, the final building represents $15-$20 million in architectural fees alone.

Limiting the total structure to ensure that a project does not double in costs because of local desires is a must in today’s tax climate. A tremendous concern for taxpayers as well as for government officials is the fact that one is not looking at only repayment of the initial construction costs with such a project. These buildings must be heated, cooled, cleaned and maintained for many years to come, making the actual costs of such “Taj Mahal” designs a challenge for taxpayers for many years to come.

Providing sound designs that do not shortchange the educational environment for students isn’t just a prudent step for state officials, it is an essential one to ensure continued taxpayer support for education.

As a former college student think back to one of those days, either at the dorm or the library, when you were reviewing your notes from the prior-day’s lecture only to find your hen-scratching devoid of some key phrase or word. As Murphy’s Law always dictated, that missing word or words would lead to some major head-scratching as you tried to figure out just what it was the professor had said. At the same time a sense of frustration or anger would emerge as you soon realized that despite trying to record every key idea the instructor had revealed during class, somewhere along the line your concentration had waned and you had missed some major concept.

And, as a news reporter, think back to the day you forgot your tape recorder and you had to do that critical interview strictly with pen and paper. Back at the newsroom, when you were looking at your notes, your sense of excitement dwindled despite the fact that your source revealed some amazing insight. In your note-taking you realized that you were missing a couple of words from key phrases. Those missing words being truly essential materials, you found that were unable to recreate the exact quote that would have brought greater strength to the article you were about to write.

Fortunately, those stories are about to become as relevant as those of our parents who insisted they had to walk three miles to and from school, in the rain and snow, and it was uphill both ways.

Digital Revolution Continues
Students, writers, and anyone else spending time taking notes may now put an end to the days of missed phrases. No longer will anyone have to fear feverishly trying to record every word of a speaker or remember to bring along a tape recorder.

They will only need their pen and a pad of paper.

Because with Livescribe’s new Pulse smartpen, note-takers can now transform the world of pen and ink forever. Featuring a computer wrapped around a pen, the Pulse will record audio simultaneously as the user jots down notes on special dot matrix paper. Therefore the smartpen functions as a digital recorder, multi-modal computer, and a traditional writing utensil, all at the same time.

For anyone having difficulty keeping up with their note-taking responsibilities, the synchronized audio ensures that every single word is recorded. Adding to the pen’s amazing capability, the user can simply tap on their written notes later to immediately get a replay of what was recorded at the exact moment they were recording a specific phrase. However, the Pulse smartpen works only with the special “dot paper.”

The enormous power for education lies in the potential for information to be shared online. A user can transfer his or her work to Livescribe’s PC software by simply placing the pen in its USB cradle. Students missing a lecture could easily tap into a fellow classmate’s recording while a person taking notes from a written text could record their own thoughts as they took down relevant information. Later, once information is uploaded onto a PC, the student can also search those notes by typing in a word and Livescribe’s software will find a written match.

Assessing the Pen’s Capability
To get a real sense of the details we turn to the tech experts for a bit of insight. Lance Ulanoff of PCMag.com gives the SmartPen’s practicality high marks:

“It takes little effort to use the pen. Simply charge it via the USB cradle, turn it on (there’s a tiny button next to the equally tiny screen), open any page of a microdot notebook, and start writing or drawing. Even without the software installed, I was instantly able to write notes, capture the audio of an entire meeting, and play back any portion I chose. I stopped playback by tapping the playback controls printed on every page of the notebook. Playback of AAC-based files is startlingly loud for such a small device.”

Ulanoff goes on to note a couple of minor negatives:

The pen “picked up the scraping sound of the pen dragging on the paper as I scrawled; but it wasn’t distracting and didn’t hinder my ability to discern who was talking or what they were saying.” As for its fundamental shape and size, he also is bit negative stating “the hard, near-cigar-sized body isn’t particularly comfortable to hold” and that the pen is in definite need of a clip “so it stops rolling off my desk.”

And for a summary, Ulanoff offers:

“The smartpen is easily the best implementation of microdot and audio/image capture technology to date. It’s easy to use and small enough not to look or feel ridiculous in your hands. If Livescribe updates the desktop software with some intelligent indexing features I think the Pulse smartpen could become an essential investment for any student, businessperson, or journalist.”

Available at a Number of Retail Outlets
The national retail rollout for the Pulse™ smartpen, dot paper, and accessories has begun. The new digital pen is available at Target, Target.com, Amazon.com, LiveScribe.com, and those college and university bookstores supported by The Douglas Stewart Company.

It is available in a 1GB model with storage of over 100 hours of recorded audio for $149 and a 2GB model with double the storage capacity and greater future flexibility for downloading applications down the road for $199. Livescribe dot paper is available in 2-pack journals ($24.95), 4-pack college-ruled notebooks with a 100 sheets per notebook ($19.95). Additional accessories include a premium leather case ($24.95) and 5-pack ink cartridges ($5.95).

For more information on this wondrous 21st century education tool, visit livescribe.com or nevermissaword.com.

It was at one of the many endless debates last summer that Barack Obama was asked about meeting with the leaders of foreign countries, including those dubbed the axis of evil by the current Bush administration. Obama barely paused before responding that he would consider sitting down, face-to-face, with the leaders of all nations.

The comment was deemed a mistake by many. Beginning with his Democratic counterpart, Hillary Clinton, Obama was roundly criticized. Republican nominee John McCain, calling the comment naive and reckless, has gone on to make the remark a cornerstone of his campaign.

Those who see Obama’s answer as naive and echo a continued hard-line sentiment would do well to review the story of Greg Mortenson, author of the book “Three Cups of Tea.” The former mountain climber is having a profound impact on both Afghanistan and Pakistan, doing so with an approach that demonstrates that things can be accomplished with tactics other than the hawkish, uncompromising method espoused by the Bush administration.

Education, Not Bombs
Greg Mortenson, dubbed Dr. Greg in Pakistan, has made an amazing transition of self-sacrifice, one that has him helping the Afghans and Pakistanis build schools in some of the most remote areas of the two countries. Considering the anti-American sentiment in the region, Mortenson’s tale is an incredible one.

A critical component to the story is the help Mortenson received after a failed attempt in 1993 to climb K2, a Himalayan peak. Mortenson, reportedly stumbled into a poor Muslim village where he was nursed back to health. The enormous kindness of strangers led the mountain climber to promise he would repay villagers by building a school.

Selling his climbing equipment and his car to help fund the endeavor, Mortenson repaid his debt with some financial support from Tom Brokaw. However, once the first school was complete, Mortenson continued on. To date he has now helped build 74 schools in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Local villagers provide the land and help construct the school to create a local component, but Mortenson is clearly the driving force behind the ongoing efforts. The buy-in locally has been critical; at this point despite the anti-American viewpoint in the region, his schools have been left alone by extremists.

Such schools offer hope that an educated population could eventually lead to a reduction in the level of extremism in that part of the world. A key component to creating additional hope down the road is the fact that Mortenson’s focus is on educating girls. The ultimate belief being that these young women will one day be mothers with enormous power to impact the thinking of their sons.

Opposite Approach
Mortenson’s story also contrasts with the current policy in Washington, one that seeks to use force and intimidation to bring about change in the region. On his blog site On the Ground, Nicholas D. Kristof, a New York Times correspondent notes the work of Mortenson. “He makes a fine counterpoint to American policy in Pakistan, which has been to shower billions of dollars worth of military aid on President Musharraf, without doing much to support education. Supporting Musharraf and bribing him (in effect) to seek a military solution in the Tribal Areas has been a failure.”

Kristof goes on to note that “the Tribal Areas are more radicalized than ever, anti-American sentiment has grown throughout Pakistan, and the militants are now threatening Peshawar.”

In an op-ed piece for the Times, Kristof writes of the difference between the Bush doctrine and that of the former mountain climber: “The only thing that Mr. Mortenson blows up are boulders that fall onto remote roads and block access to his schools.”

Kirstof notes that Mortenson has had setbacks “including being kidnapped for eight days in Pakistan’s wild Waziristan region.” Still, the former Montana resident plugs along, offering the following simple philosophy:

Schools are a much more effective bang for the buck than missiles or chasing some Taliban around the country.”

Using the costs for a Tomahawk missile to reiterate Mortenson’s viewpoint, Kristof explains the worthiness of that philosophy, noting that at least 20 schools can be built for the money spent on a single launched Tomahawk. Kristof also goes on to point out the sentiments of at least one Pentagon official, Lt. Col. Christopher Kolenda, who works on the Afghan front lines.

“The conflict here will not be won with bombs but with books. … The thirst for education here is palpable.”

Respect for Something Other than a Hard Line Approach
In completing his viewpoint on the work of Mortenson, Kristof concludes his op ed piece:

“Military force is essential in Afghanistan to combat the Taliban. But over time, in Pakistan and Afghanistan alike, the best tonic against militant fundamentalism will be education and economic opportunity.

“So a lone Montanan staying at the cheapest guest houses has done more to advance U.S. interests in the region than the entire military and foreign policy apparatus of the Bush administration.”

While many conservatives would most likely disagree with the depth of that sentiment, none would dare indicate that Mortenson’s work is without impact. For those who see humanitarian efforts as key, it also brings new meaning to Obama’s pledge to at least meet with our enemies.

When it comes to bang for the buck, there are likely other steps we can consider to help reduce the extreme, anti-American mindset prevalent in these countries.

As a former principal, I always had great concerns at graduation time about the contents of the speeches of those given the opportunity to speak. Having heard numerous tales of irreverent and inappropriate diatribes ruining the evening of many a ceremony, this culminating event to the school year always came with a sense of apprehension.

Would this be one of the years where one of the chosen few would stray from the script, set aside their pre-approved, typed speech at the podium, and begin to deliver an impromptu talk that would raise the hair on the back of a principal’s neck? And if so, at what point would I dare intercede, knowing full well that a power struggle in front of a crowd did little to help anyone’s image?

A Few Nervous Educators
The teachers and faculty of Broad Run High School, and most certainly, the school’s principal, had to be feeling some of those very concerns when guest speaker Patton Oswalt began delivering his oration at this year’s commencement.

One of the most famous graduates of the school was a natural choice to address another generation of Broad Run seniors. But this, according to his own web site, is how he began addressing his audience:

“First off, I want to thank the teachers and faculty of Broad Run High School for first considering and then inviting me to speak here. It was flattering, I am touched and humbled, and you have made a grave mistake.

“You shouldn’t have people killed.”

Those concerned about the messages we give to our youth had to wince as he continued, even if it was meant to be humorous:

“Boom! Marijuana endorsement eleven seconds into my speech! Too late to cancel me now!

“It’s dumb-ass remarks like that which kept me out of the National Honor Society and also made me insanely wealthy. If I move to Brazil.”

And for those who are concerned with being politically correct, Oswalt soon sent a message that he was unconcerned about such matters.

“I graduated from Broad Run High School 21 years ago. That means, theoretically, I could be – each and every one of you – your father. And I’m speaking especially to the black and Asian students.

“So now I’m going to try to give all of you some advice as if I contained fatherly wisdom, which I do not. I contain mostly caffeine, Cheet-o dust, fear and scotch.”

Getting One’s Attention
Of course the first key teaching point for any speaker is to be sure to gain the attention of your audience. Given that criteria, we suspect the comedian had the attention of every one seated, students, parents, teachers and administrators.

Some might have been simmering but they no doubt had to be awaiting what would come next. It was yet another attempt at outrageous humor.

“The week before graduation I strangled a hobo. Oh wait, that’s a different story. That was college. I’m speaking at my college later this month. I’ve got both speeches here. Let me sum up the college speech – always have a gallon of bleach in your trunk.”

At that point, the principal in me wonders what he might have done had I been seated there. But, oh what a speech was yet to follow.

Lessons Versus Advice
The comedian then got the ball rolling, beginning with a story of a scholarship banquet when he was about to graduate and his being given some advice by a banker at his table. Oswalt’s frank acknowledgment of his own self-absorption and his description of the “myth of myself” is such a dead on descriptor of how our youth conduct themselves had to have the adults nodding in agreement.

He recites the man’s advice:

“And then this banker – clean-shaven, grey suit and vest – you’d never look twice at him on the street – he told me about The Five Environments.

“You need to find out which of the Five Environments are yours. If you belong by the ocean, then the mountains will ruin you. If you’re suited for the blue solitude of the plains, then the city will be a tight, roaring prison cell that’ll eat you alive.”

Oswalt insists the advice was sound:

“He was right. I’ve traveled and tested his theory and he was absolutely right. There are Five Environments. If you find the right combination, or the perfect singularity, your life will click…into…place. You will click into place.”

As he continues to mix in references to his extreme self-absorption, he certainly offers lines that a student or two most likely repeated later.

“I got ripped on absinthe in Prague ….. sank a pint next door at The Ten Bells ….. I cried my eyes out on the third floor of the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam …… have eaten crocodile in the Laneways of Melbourne Australia …… been to hidden, subterranean restaurants in New York with the guys from Anthrax …… eaten at L.A. taquieras with “Weird” Al Yankovic …… held the guitar that Hendrix torched at Monterey Pop …….. watched Woodstock ’99 burn to the ground.”

However great his examples, my fear is that he lost the students as he offered his real message, one that was fraught with a need for experience and a knowledge that the world does not revolve around you alone.

“I missed the banker’s lesson. 100%, I completely missed it. In my defense, he didn’t even know he was teaching it.”

Oswalt goes on to explain the difference between advice and a lesson.

“Advice is everywhere in this world. Your friends, family, teachers and strangers are all happy to give it.

“My lesson was this – experience, and reward and glory are meaningless unless you’re open and present with the people you share them with in the moment.”

The Lesson Learned
Oswalt delivers his personal lesson eloquently, one that a trip into adulthood may be required before it can truly be grasped:

“I completely ignored the deeper lesson which is do not judge, and get outside yourself, and realize that everyone and everything has its own story, and something to teach you, and that they’re also trying – consciously or unconsciously – to learn and grow from you and everything else around them. And they’re trying with the same passion and hunger and confusion that I was feeling – no matter where they were in their lives, no matter how old or how young.

“Please don’t mistake miles traveled, and money earned, and fame accumulated for who you are.”

And just once more to reiterate his lesson regarding the self-absorption of youth and the real meaning of life, he states:

“First off: Reputation, Posterity and Cool are traps. They’ll drain the life from your life. Reputation, Posterity and Cool = Fear.

“Secondly: The path is made by walking. And when you’re walking that path, you choose how things affect you. You always have that freedom, no matter how much your liberty it curtailed. You…get to choose…how things affect you.”

He finished in superb form:

“And lastly, and I guarantee this. It’s the one thing I know ‘cause I’ve experienced it:

I’m going to get out of your way now. Get out there. Let’s see which one of you is up here in twenty years. If you’re lacking confidence, remember – I wouldn’t have picked me.”

Education, Wasted on Our Youth
There is a notion among the adult community that perhaps education is wasted on our youth. I couldn’t help but think of that expression as I contemplated the amazing words of Oswalt.

But I wondered about the students and whether or not they were able to grasp the profound message of what the comedian had to say. Would the throwaway lines, unfortunately, form the major portion of what each student took home?

I also wonder how I would have felt had I been there, how I would have handled the irreverence, the politically incorrect sentences and those throwaway lines. I also thought long and hard about how the other adults in the audience likely reacted, especially the grandmothers and grandfathers, debating to myself whether they could dismiss these troubling aspects so as to be able to hear the message delivered.

Learning of the speech over the Internet, reading it slowly and digesting it, is certainly not the same as sitting and listening to it as it is delivered. And not being able to gauge audience reaction also leaves one wondering.

Reading it, there were many times the speech made me wince. At the same time, for every time I cringed, there were at least three occasions where I nodded in agreement. When I was done digesting, I had to say that Oswalt, at times extolling messages that an educator would prefer he not mention, may have actually given the speech of a lifetime.

Over at the U.K. Times online one will find Catherine O’Brien’s exemplary “How the Google generation thinks differently.” The article should be mandatory reading for every parent and educator – for that matter anyone who works with today’s internet generation.

A Digital Native’s Learning Style
The writer notes that she totally misjudged how her son was learning. In fact, her description of her elder son Oli, nearly 15 is a thing of beauty.

First, O’Brien acknowledges that Oli is “way beyond the stage where I might usefully help with his homework.” Still, what she witnessed as he was preparing for his end of the year exams caused her heartburn of major proportions.

Every time she managed to catch a glimpse of him as he was working she was generally appalled. She writes, “the scene was the same: textbooks remained firmly closed in his bag while the laptop was open on his desk.

On the screen was some history/ physics/English document, but also his Facebook and iTunes pages. In his ears were the iPod plugs, playing back a podcast. And sometimes, just to fracture his concentration even further, he might have had a half-played video running on YouTube as well.”

Witnessing the same behavior again and again simply proved to be too much. She notes, “We each have our breaking points and one night during that exam period I reached mine. How, I wanted to know, as I scooped up the laptop and announced that I was confiscating it until further notice, could he be absorbing the finer points of photosynthesis and his French vocab if he treated his mind like a pogo stick?”

Digital Natives versus Digital Immigrants
Having taken the radical step, O’Brien soon gets a lesson from a third party, a ‘geeky acquaintance’ named Ben. He explains to this troubled mom the descriptors of American futurist, Marc Prensky. Ben informs O’Brien that her son is a ‘digital native’ but that she, unfortunately, is a ‘digital immigrant’.

Once duly informed, the writer appears to have little trouble discerning the critical difference between herself, someone who has adapted to technology, and her son, someone who has grown up with technology. O’Brien indicates that she is in fact computer proficient, but that she still prints out documents to read them, calls people to check if they have received her e-mail, and the clincher, that she still has a dictionary by her desk. She also recalls her study habits, something akin to monk-like behavior, away from any form of distraction.

In turn, she notes her digital native son, multi-tasking, thriving on instant gratification and claiming to function best when he has the opportunity to be networked. Her son, like other digitally native children has a wonderfully flexible mind, absorbs information quickly, and adapts easily to changes.

Superficial Analysis
But though understanding of the difference, O’Brien goes on to point out the shortcomings of a digital native and the new disease afflicting youngsters, ‘internet-induced attention deficit disorder’. She nails the issue, again using the latest terminology to describe how a digital native’s behavior contrasts with that of a digital immigrant.

O’Brien notes the work of researchers at University College London. Studying today’s ‘Google Generation’, the researchers routinely witnessed two forms of behavior. Those logging on to websites demonstrated a propensity for ’skimming’, quickly surveying pages, and then ‘bouncing out,’ moving onto a new search after surveying no more than three pages.

However, this behavior was not unique to the digital natives. The researchers noted that professors and lecturers exhibited this same bouncing/flicking behavior as students.

O’Brien notes that this power browsing can best be described by horizontal searching, of providing breadth. This behavior lacks in vertical searching, methodology that would provide greater depth.

The issue for this mother is that her son, the digital native is developing only quick-twitch fibers. The all-powerful tools of technology are an enormous help to the writer, but as a digital immigrant she has already developed baseline skills in three distinct and critical aptitudes, the areas of concentration, contemplation and knowledge construction.

Lessons for Parents, Educators
The challenge for parents and educators is to develop those same baseline skills in the tech generation. Digital natives need these skills but taking away their laptops is simply not the answer. O’Brien soon realizes that, returning her son’s machine the following day.

Anyone who works with or cares for children knows that they have an amazing ability to assimilate learning quickly. Those who work with children also are aware that youngsters learn simultaneously from multiple sources.

Technology feeds directly into this innate ability. Digital natives simply have been exposed to a greater variety of sensory inputs. Because of that exposure, our tech-savvy youngsters have an even lower boredom threshold than was displayed by digital immigrants when they were still wet behind the ears.

Somehow, someway, those who work with children must find a way to incorporate technology into a lesson structure that helps students learn what technology cannot teach them. The technology genie is out of the bottle and cannot be returned.

Our web can help compile data and has helped create an information explosion. And our kids love what the web has to offer, whether it be YouTube, Google, social networking and electronic games.

O’Brien goes on to quote Rose Luckin, Professor of Learner-Centered Design at the London Knowledge Lab and a visiting professor at the University of Sussex. While technology provides a wealth of access to information, Luckin notes the juncture where parents and teachers come in.

“Technology cannot teach them to reflect upon and evaluate the information they are gathering online. For that, the role of teachers and parents remains fundamentally important.”

Yes, we, the generation of digital immigrants, have a responsibility to our digital native children. The critical question is whether or not we are up to the challenge.

Photos courtesy of Steve Wilhelm, laniv & Arieanna, Libraryman and Will Lion

Today we offer readers a follow up to our recent discussion of the work of Professors Lizzie Jackson and David Gauntlett including a Q&A with the researchers. The two Westminster University professors recently completed a study of the various learning opportunities available to children exploring the virtual world Adventure Rock.

Lizzie Jackson was previously nominated as one of the 100 innovators of the UK Internet Decade by NOP World and e-consultancy.com in 2004. Over the past decade she has managed the BBC’s online community and Internet safety initiatives. She assisted BBC Children’s “with the facilitation of their online communities and user-generated content and the development of editorial policy in that area.”

Jackson is currently a Research Fellow at the University of Westminster, School of Media, Arts and Design. While working at the BBC, producers within her team created websites and services which were later nominated for the Guardian Unlimited Race in the Media Award and The Internet Service Provider’s Association Award for Safety on the Internet.

David Gauntlett (b. 1971) is “a sociologist specialising in the study of contemporary media audiences, and the role of media in shaping self-identity.” For nine years, Gauntlett taught at the University of Leeds, UK. He was appointed Professor of Media and Audiences at Bournemouth University, UK in 2002 and then joined the School of Media, Arts and Design at University of Westminster, London, as Professor of Media and Communications in 2006.

Gauntlett has published a number of books and research papers on the role of popular media in people’s lives. Gauntlett has focused on the way in which digital media is changing the experience of media in general and his critique of media ‘effects’ studies sparked controversy in 1995. In 2007, Gauntlett was shortlisted for the ‘Young Academic Author of the Year’ award in the Times Higher awards.

Today we offer readers a follow up to our recent discussion of the work of Professors Lizzie Jackson and David Gauntlett. The two Westminster University professors recently completed a study of the various learning opportunities available to children exploring the virtual world Adventure Rock.

Educational Value of Virtual Worlds
With their recent research of Adventure Rock, the two professors noted how virtual worlds could serve to educate children in a number of ways. One of the key components for children is the ability of such worlds to involve participants in the activity.

“Virtual worlds can be a powerful, engaging and interactive alternative to more passive media,” states Gauntlett.

In fact, the interactive nature of virtual worlds gave the researchers direct insight into psyche of those children involved in the study. One of the more interesting revelations of the study involved the various roles that the children assumed as they navigated the island.

Gauntlett and Jackson categorized the children by the attributes they demonstrated as they explored Adventure Rock. The eight summative categories the researchers created included explorer-investigators, self-stampers, social climbers, fighters, collector consumers, power users, nurturers, and life-system builders.

One of the more interesting aspects regarding the categories was the lack of age and gender distinctions in certain areas. For example, the group of children making up the explorer-investigator category demonstrated great interest in “following a quest, solving a mystery, going on a journey, and being ‘outdoors.’” Such explorers also demonstrated greater confidence, higher levels of curiosity and more imaginative levels of engagement than did other users. But other than demonstrating greater confidence, this category lacked both age and gender differences.

In contrast, the Fighter category was as one might expect. This group of children was described as more interested in violence, specifically, death and destruction, and the superpower universe. These islanders were more likely to be male and there was a slight bias towards older boys. An interesting characteristic of the group was a sense of frustration due to an inability to express themselves except when beating the crocodiles.

And as one might expect the Nurturers, islanders who were more interested in looking after their avatar and the pets, were more likely to be the younger children or when older, more likely to be girls. Nurturers were also defined by their desire to meet and play with others.

Such distinctions could eventually help educators tailor virtual world experiences to the user’s preference when exploring. In essence, each student could be provided their own unique world to best match their personality and exploration style.

A Q & A with the Researchers
In our prior post we noted the potential of virtual worlds to revolutionize education for children. We recently had the chance to converse with Jackson and Gauntlett about their research and the potential for worlds like Adventure Rock to become a future classroom staple.

Our questions ranged from the basis of their theoretical research to the future of virtual worlds as an educational tool.

Can you give a brief overview of the overall partnership between the BBC and Westminster University regarding Adventure Rock? What is/was the basic goal of this collaborative effort and what were the objectives of your study?

Gauntlett: This project aims to establish how children inhabit and engage with immersive digital environments, based on a case study of Adventure Rock, in collaboration with BBC Children’s department.

The BBC wanted to engage more with academic researchers, and we wanted to be able to study children’s feelings about these new media environments, so we have mutual interests but also some tensions. For example, the BBC tends to think of research as being about product testing, whereas we like to think that we are exploring deeper questions about how a public service broadcaster can use new technologies to provide enriching experiences for children.

My understanding is that one aspect of the study was to research why the BBC chose to make Adventure Rock a closed world. Can you explain what is meant by a closed virtual world? And why was this an important part of the study?

Jackson: Adventure Rock has registration, it’s open to all children but you have to register to play. The children can’t chat to each other directly, but they can chat to Cody, the robot who travels with their avatar and they can chat to other children in the BBC Children’s message boards.

The aim of the study was to find out what the children thought of Adventure Rock, and also to find out what new production techniques were necessary when developing and running a virtual world for children.

We have noted your quote in one of our articles: “Virtual worlds can be a powerful, engaging and interactive alternative to more passive media.” Could you give us a brief explanation of what you meant by that statement?

Gauntlett: For the past two or three decades, researchers in media studies have not liked to talk about television as a ‘passive medium’, as of course people are not entirely passive – they often engage with TV in a range of thoughtful and unpredictable ways. However, compared with interactive media it clearly is a more passive experience. It’s the now-cliched contrast between ‘sit forward’ and ‘sit back’ media. Dealing with a virtual world means that you have to necessarily think about various things – decisions, responsibilities, and (often) interactions with others, that don’t confront you if you’re watching TV or flicking through a magazine.

Could you summarize what virtual worlds have to offer children in terms of the social development and do such worlds offer children a safer environment for overall risk-taking?

Jackson: The older children wanted to meet and chat to others, and most of the younger children too. Many children wanted to have group activities, but some of the younger children felt they didn’t want to fight others for tools or space in the world. This seems to reflect the natural play patterns children have; with younger or more immature children enjoying solo play much more and older or more confident or mature children wanting to have more group play scenarios. Many of the older/more confident children played multi-player games such as World of Warcraft.

Virtual worlds can teach children strategies such as how to avoid or deal with trouble, how to assess and manage risk (fighting crocodiles for example!). They can teach children exploring skills. The children who played in Adventure Rock loved finding out what the adventure or quest was all about. Many of the older children said they wanted to have shops and they said they liked buying and selling things; this is – again – rehearsing life skills.

From your research, can you discuss what you believe to be the possible educational advantages of exposing younger children to such worlds? It would seem that this could in essence revolutionize education, changing many aspects that have always been dull and dry to wonderful, interactive, game-like experiences?

Jackson: We found children wanted to rehearse real life in Adventure Rock, therefore it was a very useful tool for practicing skills. The children also learned keyboard strokes; several children said they normally used the mouse more than the keyboard, so they felt they had learned something about how the keyboard can be useful through the game play. The children said they learned how to put music together (in the music studio) using the available music samples; and they made cartoons in the cartoon studio. Finally, some of the younger children said they were learning exploring skills and how to get back ‘home’ safely.

Gauntlett: Unfortunately we can’t release our findings on this yet. I agree that if we could turn learning into “game-like experiences” then that could be great. At the same time, sitting at a computer usually isn’t that engaging and motivational – person-to-person contact and enthusiasm and direct physical response is crucial to teaching and learning as well, so we are not going to be predicting the end of teachers.

Certainly, not “good” teachers anyway!

You have categorized children according to their roles as virtual world explorers (power users, fighters, etc.). Can you assess how these roles translate to these youngsters approach to the real world and could we conceivably adjust educational programming accordingly for students based on what we observe from their behaviors while involved in virtual worlds?

Gauntlett: The child’s online persona typically, and unsurprisingly, has much in common with their real-life orientation to the world. Education should be carefully planned to match up with children’s needs and interests – as well as a dose of what we as educational professionals believe they really need – but I’m not sure that doing this by observing them in virtual worlds would necessarily be the best way to do it.

Nevertheless, I am sure that as “part” of a range of activities, virtual worlds can be exciting sites of learning for children – diverse, fantastic, and safe places to play and try out crazy things.

What general research findings surprised you the most? Are there any specific findings from your initial research that you would like to follow up on?

Jackson: We were surprised by the number of children who had imaginary friends and how important their imaginary lives and imaginary places were. We were also surprised how many children said they liked Adventure Rock because they could play ‘outside’. We think this may be due to the way children’s exploration of the outdoors has become increasingly curtailed over the last two generations; which is perhaps due to parents worrying about children’s safety.

We would like to follow up on how children could be more involved in co-designing new services for children with producers and how they could become more involved in the production or co-production of media for children.

Gauntlett: In general I was surprised the children liked it as much as they did. Being old, I thought they might get bored much quicker and want to climb a tree instead. But, that was not the case.

What do you see as the potential detriment (if any) to children being exposed to virtual worlds? Are there specific things parents should concern themselves with when their children explore these virtual worlds?

JAckson: Ideally parents should know what games their children are playing and what worlds their children are visiting. It would be nice if parents showed an interest (initially) and perhaps helped the children get started on new games or new worlds. But once the parent and child are happy, the parent should withdraw and allow the child to play on their own. This initial ’set up time’ is a good moment to explain to the child that it is important to avoid very long sessions on the computer. Parents might like to set a time with the child (for example, one hour or 1.5 hours, for playing on the computer) and it might be an idea to encourage the child to move away from the computer to do something physically active for a while, before returning to play again.

It’s important for parents to have some awareness of what games are around, what children like to play; and what games are suitable for their child – some games/worlds are more suitable for younger children and others are more suitable for older children.

The recent work of two University of Westminster professors could ultimately set the stage for a revamped learning process for children. The ground-breaking research [PDF] of Lizzie Jackson and David Gauntlett features an extensive look at children and the learning experiences available to them when they have the opportunity to explore a virtual world.

The potential to connect the pleasure-oriented video game industry with the classroom learning environment is one without limit. The work of Jackson and Gauntlett clearly documents some of that potential, noting many learning opportunities that are very similar to those fundamental to the traditional school setting.

While studying Adventure Rock, an immersive online 3D space that includes both games and creative studios, the professors found that virtual worlds provide children the opportunity to rehearse real life and to do so in a safe setting. In addition, the professors were able to determine the interactive nature of a virtual world serves as a “powerful and engaging” alternative to the current passive nature of television, a preferred medium for many children. Other by-products of exploring virtual worlds include social skill development, the chance for creative expression, and the enhancement of the technological skills of children as they explore.

Defining a Virtual World
For Jackson and Gauntlett, a virtual world is defined as an online space where an explorer can move around and have an impact on the world they are exploring. One of the key potential benefits, according to the professors, is the pay off from the network effects of online experiences. With such virtual online worlds, additional explorers add to the virtual experience, an aspect that a game on a CD cannot provide.

From their research, the professors were able to cite a number of characteristics that help define a successful virtual world for children. Among the critical components is a social aspect, an ability to meet and chat. Children also want to clearly understand the mission they are on and want support when they need it. Yet another critical component is the enjoyment children receive from having a space away from adult rules.

In addition, successful virtual worlds offer a creative component to the environment and provide children the opportunity to own and change that virtual space. Another key component is a degree of sophistication to the virtual environment. Children prefer a large, complex world to explore.

For Adventure Rock, the actual exploration of the island world is done alone. However, children can utilize message boards to share what they find while exploring as well as what they make when utilizing the various creative studios available to them.

In their study, Jackson and Gauntlett focused on the ways that the children used the world. They sought direct feedback from the Adventure Rock users on all aspects of the virtual island including what the children found to be “good” and what they found to be less than desirable.

The Research
Jackson and Gauntlett took an in depth look at children who have been using the BBC’s Adventure Rock virtual world. The online world, built by Belgian game maker Larian, provides children ages 6-12 a themed island for exploration.

The University of Westminster professors conducted research workshops in December of 2007 and January 2008 with 90 participants. The youngsters, ages 7 to 11, were among the first students to test the Adventure Rock online virtual world and came from five mixed socio-economic and ethnic groups, in Scotland, Wales, N Ireland, and England.

The researchers sought direct feedback from the children, encouraging the islanders “to talk about and illustrate imaginary friends and spaces. Jackson and Gauntlett also solicited suggestions as to what the children would like to see in a virtual world.”

Children explored Adventure Rock for four weeks on their own time and kept diaries that focused both on their personal feelings as well as their experiences while exploring the island. The islanders then participated in a second workshop where they provided the researchers maps of their key places and things in the world.

The youngsters were strongly encouraged to make creative suggestions about what they would add, change or remove regarding the island world. In addition to feedback from the youngsters themselves, parents were given a questionnaire to express their thoughts about their children’s participation in Adventure Rock.

Value of Virtual World Exploration for Children
Jackson and Gauntlett found many positive aspects to virtual world exploration for children. First and foremost, virtual worlds offer “a playful, engaging, interactive alternative to more passive media such as television.” Online worlds also represent useful rehearsal spaces where children may try things without fear of the consequences that might occur should such experimentation be conducted in the real world.

For example, children could rehearse taking responsibility and looking after things on the island. At the same time, the children have direct control over specific elements of the world they are exploring.

The researchers found many other basic educational components including fundamental computer literacy as children utilized the mouse and other keyboard function. In addition, through their exploration of the virtual world, children gain an understanding of potential real world systems including things like transportation and finances.

Creativity was clearly fostered by virtue of the content children could create. The explorers spoke positively regarding the chance to create content such as music, cartoons and video. Children utilize such virtual world features as a tool for self-expression.

Finally, Jackson and Gauntlett noted the social skill development that can occur alongside of children as they explore virtual worlds. Such skill development is predicated on children being able to consult with other explorers about the virtual world and be given the opportunity to share their individual creations.

The Educational Potential
Of course, the key to transforming education will be the ability for game developers to embed other learning components in such games with particular attention to age appropriate topics. Clearly, science and social studies subject matter has already been subtly included in these virtual worlds, but adding additional opportunities to reinforce reading and writing skills also appears well within reach.

With only a little ingenuity, it would be possible to reinforce prior reading and mathematics lessons, easily incorporating basic literacy components into both the exploration of the world and the competitive nature of children as they delve into aspects of such worlds. Certainly, exploring such worlds regularly within a classroom setting and then having children post to their own message boards would give students a fun opportunity to improve their writing skills and develop their vocabulary.

As for the learning process, the fundamental nature of virtual worlds would provide children interactive opportunities. It would provide another step away from the teacher centered classroom instruction of yesteryear to the more student driven learning format of the 21st century. Ultimately such video games could create a classroom with a more active learning environment while bringing a greater level of enjoyment to learning tasks.

Next, we spend some time talking with Professors Jackson and Gauntlett regarding their research.

In our last post we noted the growing body of research regarding seniors and the topic of brain fitness. We noted the words of Dr. Elkhonon Goldberg, a clinical professor of neurology at New York University School of Medicine and the co-founder of SharpBrains.

Dr. Goldberg has written extensively on the topic and we noted two quotes that seemed to be particularly apropos. First, “Exercising our brains systematically is as important as exercising our bodies,” states Goldberg.

Second he offers a far more meaningful viewpoint of the need for brain fitness. Goldberg has converted the longstanding statement, “Use it or lose it,” to a more modern version of the brain fitness notion, “Use it and get more of it.”

We referenced again and again a recent NY Times piece that sought to take an in depth look at the notion. The Times indicated that baby boomers are paying attention: “boomers are seizing on a mounting body of evidence that suggests that brains contain more plasticity than previously thought, and many people are taking matters into their own hands, doing brain fitness exercises with the same intensity with which they attack a treadmill.”

At the same time we noted a certain level of skepticism that emerged as writer Katie Hafner explored the topic. She noted the concerns of baby boomers regarding memory loss and the onset of dementia or Alzheimer’s but then wondered aloud if an industry was developing that was “making money on that generation’s fears.”

As the issue of brain fitness garners greater interest, this new industry that is emerging should in fact have a body of research behind it. It is imperative that serious consumers have a specific application or site they can turn to that unequivocally can deliver the goods.

One New Site Receiving a Great Deal of Interest
Today we take some time to talk with the folks at Lumosity.com, one of these new web sites devoted to the issue of brain fitness. One aspect that attracted us to the site was the following mission statement, one that appears designed to focus upon the delivery of a much needed service rather than preying on the fears of a generation.

The site stipulates: “Our mission is to create innovative neuroscience-based tools that empower people to lead better lives through better brain health and performance.” With such a mission and its research-based approach, Lomosity has caught the attention of some big time investment firms garnering $3 million of equity financing from Pequot Ventures, Norwest Venture Partners (NVP), and existing investors including Michael Dearing.

“Lumos Labs is at the center of a booming interest in cognitive exercise and the emerging science about the remarkable plasticity of the brain,” said Amish Jani of Pequot Ventures. “Lumosity.com has seen tremendous demand from users and partners alike by leveraging the power of the web to deliver a unique platform for brain fitness.”

Leaving no doubt as to the need to balance business potential with the need to have a service that users can count on to deliver on the brain fitness notion, Tim Chang of Norwest Venture Partners offered the following assessment.

“In our analysis, Lumosity.com stood out from its competitors because of its best-in-class combination of engaging games and scientific rigor. This unique combination has led to a strong market demand for Lumosity.com’s offerings and has created a leader in the emerging market for brain fitness.”

Michael Scanlon, the Chief Scientific Officer at Lumos Labs, clearly sees the investment as a critical step in the process of creating web based applications that seek to address the issue of brain fitness.

“We’re excited to take basic neuroscience and psychology findings out of the lab and deliver them to consumers in a way that is actually improving their lives,” notes Scanlon. “This investment will enable us to significantly expand the diversity of games we offer, while further advancing the field through creative innovations and research with our academic collaborators.”

To give our readers a sense of the topic as well as the level of scientific rigor behind a new site like Lumosity, we provide a Q&A with Michael Scanlon. The Chief Scientific Officer for Lumos Labs explains the site, a bit about the current materials available and where the research is headed.

It should be noted that one key aspect of the Lumos work centers upon the notion of brain fitness and development irrespective of age group. Though there clearly is great interest in this topic as it relates to seniors, we were impressed to see that Lumos is looking at the topic at all age levels. It is our belief at OpenEducation that games and web based applications that would help develop the intellectual capabilities of school age children is as important a field to research as that of maintaining the current brain fitness levels of aging baby boomers.

How long has the site Lumosity.com been in existence? Can you give us a sense of your level of subscribers at the beginning and where those numbers are at now? And where did the name Lumosity come from?

In 2005, Dave Drescher, Kunal Sarkar, and I quit our jobs in gaming/programming, private equity, and neuroscience, respectively to start Lumos Labs (the company that created Lumosity.com). We’ve been working on Lumosity since then – primarily in development and research – and then launched the site in 2007. We’ve been a subscription service since July 2007, and are now proud to have more online users and traffic than all other similar sites combined.

“Lumos” is Latin for light, so we liked the sound of “Lumos Labs” for a science and gaming company that aims to help people “illuminate” their thinking in a fun but research-based way. “Lumosity” is a better product name (though everyone makes the “Luminosity” mistake…)

In a couple of sentences, can you give a brief explanation of your general mission and the current target audience/age demographic for the site?

“Our mission is to create innovative neuroscience-based tools that empower people to lead better lives through better brain health and performance.”

Our advisory board helps us achieve this mission. An important piece that is not reflected in the mission statement is our desire to make the user’s experience enjoyable. If we can make treadmills and dumbbells really fun, make broccoli and fish oil taste good, then everyone would be a lot healthier.

Our audience is broad, ages range from 9-90s, and our users tend to be healthy and educated. Lots of young professionals and students use the software to be able to perform better at their job or at school.

Can you talk about the specific games/activities available on your site? Are they unique, who developed them and what research/testing has been done to ascertain the impacts of each of these games on cognitive function and brain fitness?

All of the games on our site are unique and were developed by Lumos Labs. Most of them are based on tasks previously used in a research lab and demonstrated to enhance some cognitive ability. Since they undergo some change when going from lab to online game, we do our own randomized, controlled trials to measure their efficacy. Not too surprisingly, everybody improves at the games themselves. What’s more interesting is that their improvements transfer to other, non-trained tests of cognitive function such as working memory, visual attention, and executive function.

We’re also very involved in the academic research community, especially at Stanford where I went to grad school. Increasingly, the scientific validation is being done by un-affiliated researchers at these institutions, which is especially good because it removes any perceived conflict of interest.

There are many new applications of cognitive training that we’re just now beginning to explore. I think in the next few years we’ll see some really exciting new applications for this type of training, and we want to spearhead much of this exploration and research.

Your site appears to offer organized training sessions – essentially an almost course-like format. Can you talk a little bit about the organized programming versus the person who simply wants to stop by the site and take the lead themselves?

We figured some users would want the structure and guidance of the training program, and that others would want the flexibility to do whatever they want. So we provided both options. The default is the organized training program because this ensures a variety of training in different areas. The ‘Basic Training’ is 30 sessions long, and when it’s completed there is an option to enroll in a new course for memory or processing speed – more new courses are coming soon.

Are there specific advantages to your being an online program versus say a person purchasing a hand-held game or a piece of software for their own home computer?

Yes. First, we constantly update the program with new features and exercises, and respond to user feedback to improve the existing games. Because it’s web-based, everyone has the most up-to-date version. Second, game results and test data is all saved on our servers, allowing us to learn more about what works and optimize the games. Third, it can be used on different computers – at home, at work, etc. – just need to log in at the website. And fourth, doctors and teachers can monitor their patient’s/student’s progress (if the patient/student gives permission).

In one of our earlier communications you mentioned developing possible games/activities for children including those in middle school and high school. Can you talk a little bit about this aspect including future plans related to this age group (as well as any other developing materials in the works)?

I think that this sort of training/gaming can be a powerful complement to traditional classroom methods. There are several experiments underway with exciting preliminary results, but I can’t discuss in detail because the researchers want it confidential until they publish.

Some teachers are doing pilot testing in the classroom. One 6th grade math teacher just found that his students were significantly better at arithmetic after doing 30 sessions of Lumosity.

Conclusion
Our site readers know first hand of our interest in video games and the possibility for such games to enhance learning. At OpenEducation.net we strongly believe that properly developed and scientifically researched video games could transform teaching and learning in the near future.

In our eyes, the Lumosity site represents an intriguing mix of potential, one that seeks to address the notion of brain fitness in seniors but is also examining the idea of brain fitness for users as young as nine. Interested readers may sign up for a 7-day free trial here. At the end of the trial, users can then sign up for either a monthly subscription ($9.95/month) or for a full year of access ($79.95).

Brain images/photos courtesy of jj_judes, sunface13, and peta-de-aztlan.

As another school year winds down those teachers with some time left in the school year have a golden opportunity to infuse real world excitement into what can often be a mundane end of the year countdown. With the successful landing of the NASA Mars Phoenix Lander spacecraft on Sunday, teachers have an incredible educational opportunity, one that offers the chance to bring science and technology together with endless learning possibilities for students of every age and grade level.

A simple examination of the many images available on the web, from those that revealed a spacecraft in good condition after the first ever successful landing in a polar region of Mars to those that simulate the future actions of the robotic arm for exploration, would make an interesting single day lesson. A further discussion of the soft-landing that ended a 422-million-mile journey and the upcoming three-month mission to “taste and sniff the northern polar site’s soil and ice” would also be a great single day topic.

A more in depth scientific study would involve the review of the final landing stages. Those last seven minutes of descent to the planet saw a spacecraft enter orbit at 12,000 mph and experience friction-related temperatures exceeding 2,600 degrees Fahrenheit would also yield a wealth of learning potential. Discuss the role of the rocket thrusters and the parachute that helped the craft successfully manage the first soft Mars landing since 1976. Also, have students look into the repositioning of the craft as it landed so that its solar panels could properly catch the sun’s energy and power the craft in the months ahead.

Other Deeper Lessons for Students
For those looking for computer applications, the landing may well be one of the best ways to bring both the computer and science to life in the classroom. There are a wealth of internet sites available beginning with the Phoenix Mars Mission web site that offers up to date information on the topic as well as a complete explanation of the goals of the mission. The site offers a link to explain the Phoenix Mars Mission as the first in NASA’s “Scout Program”, a low-cost method for future missions categorized as major undertakings. The site also features a direct connection to the University of Arizona’s Lunar and Planetary Laboratory (Arizona is the first public university to lead a mission to Mars).

On the site is an education link that offers several sub links to a “Just For Kids” web page as well as “The Phoenix Classroom” web page. It also features a link to the “Mars Exploration Rover Mission” classroom activities. Still other sites are available for teachers including the Passport to Knowledge.

But with the internet, the sky is the limit for teachers to create additional lesson plans and research options. For example, the current landing on Mars represented only the fifth successful in eleven attempts, an issue that would prove to be an excellent research topic; one group of students could research the reason’s for failure, another the costs associated with the near misses, and yet a third research how those failures changed future missions. At the same time other groups could parallel the exploration of Mars with our prior exploration of the moon, again with sub groups taking on specific tasks.

Other aspects of science, from the solar powered research machinery to an understanding of how the robotic arm will search for traces of water, represent potential study for students. Again, the possibilities for real world science based on a relevant event are unlimited.

For teachers, a creative list of questions with specific topic formats open to student selection would give great ownership to students yet provide a diverse set of classroom experiences. In addition, students reporting out in some form of presentation format would ensure exposure of an entire class to a wealth of information.

The Wonder of Space Travel
But perhaps the greatest excitement with younger students would come with a simultaneous exploration into various literature on space travel. A thematic unit with one of the many science fiction novels that discuss space travel is a distinct possibility for the creative teacher with a little ingenuity.

And kudos to that teacher with the real gift who understands that creativity and imagination are so critical for children. If somehow, someway teachers can bring the full wonderment of the moment to their classroom and help students dream, perhaps they could help students feel that “one of the first human explorers to set foot on Mars could well be one of the students in their very classroom” (Passport to Knowledge).

Whatever the case, the Mars Mission provides teachers a golden opportunity to spice up the classroom as this school year heads to its final days or to create a special project for when the next school year opens in August.

Back in March, we did a three-part segment on violent video games. At the time, we did a Q & A with one of the authors of the ground-breaking study, Grand Theft Childhood. Harvard Professor Cheryl Olson contradicted many of the general tenets regarding violent video games, especially the idea that such games are the bane of civilized society.

Two months later, at the time that Grand Theft Auto IV is setting new records for sales, we offer a follow-up with the co-author of Grand Theft Childhood, fellow Harvard professor Lawrence Kutner. Dr. Kutner has written extensively on parenting topics and is the author of five previous books about child psychology and parent-child communication.

We asked Dr. Kutner about the reception Grand Theft Childhood has received both with the general public and within the academic community. We also asked him about some of the criticisms of the study as well as those areas of research that deserve greater study in the future. Finally, we threw some questions his way about GTA IV, in particular his thoughts about MADD’s response to one aspect of the game and the many pundits railing against the game.

As with our first post with Dr. Olson, we are sure you will be intrigued by what the professor has to say.

Can you give us an overview of the general reaction you have received to the release of your study? My understanding is that you have been doing a number of radio talk shows and discussing your work with a whole host of media outlets. Could you review with our readers some of the folks with whom you have been discussing your work and what has been the general response of those media outlets?

There has been a tremendous amount of interest and support from both sides of the political spectrum, ranging from Barry Lynn, a liberal radio talk show host (Culture Shocks), to Adam Thierer of the conservative think tank The Progress and Freedom Foundation. For the most part, people appreciate the nature and approach of our research and our attempts to put our and others’ findings into perspective.

We’ve spent a lot of time on both commercial and public talk radio, including stations in Canada and Ireland as well as throughout the US. National Public Radio’s “On the Media” did a long piece on our findings. So did the CBC. Gil Gross of KGO Radio in San Francisco, the #1 news-talk station in the US, did an hour on the book. We will have that on our website soon. Even the nationally syndicated morning shock jock Mancow did an interview segment.

In print, we’ve been on page 1 of USA Today and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, and on page 1 of a section of the Washington Post. Reuters just did a feature story on us along with a highly laudatory review. Publications outside the US such as The Globe and Mail and The Age and specialty publications like PC World have also given us coverage in print and/or electronic versions.
The most widely distributed television appearance was on the program “X-Play” on theG4 network, which focuses on video games. It was picked up by literally thousands of blogs for and by gamers. Cheryl was interviewed on CNN by Glenn Beck, who cut her off several times, apparently because her data contradicted his opinions.

“There have been other times when our findings and analyses have been cherry-picked by people wanting to force-fit our data to support their own biases. For example, the evening GTA-IV was released, Cheryl was interviewed by two Boston-area television stations. One set up her sound bites by saying that “some researchers say that there’s nothing to worry about.” The other said, “Some researchers are very worried.” Neither statement is an accurate reflection of our research.

One thing we did not think to ask you earlier was about the reaction of the Harvard community or that of others in academia? What has been the reaction of those folks to your study and the subsequent release of the book?

People in academia—even those whose research we criticize—have generally been supportive. They may disagree, but they see the value in what we’ve done. Only rarely have they engaged in ad hominem attacks.

Would you categorize your book as an academic text or as some other classification? And how has it been doing thus far as compared to initial expectations?

This is clearly a popular book, not an academic text—although some professors have told us that they want to assign it in their classes. It’s aimed at the intelligent reader who wants to understand more about kids and video games.

It’s been striking how many people who are neither gamers nor parents have expressed interest in our work.

We see where at least one person has taken strong exception to your findings, referring to the work as “industrial strength whitewash.” Could you comment a bit on that critique? Have there been any other such negative reviews of your study?

Any good book draws critics. That quote was from a review written for Library Journal by a 73-year-old private practice psychiatrist whose expertise is on the influence of Otto Rank on psychoanalysis. While he’s entitled to his opinion, of course, it’s unclear why he was selected to critique the book. By the way, a few days after this review was published, Larry was approached by the American Library Association about giving a keynote address at its upcoming national conference on the use of games in libraries. That gives you an idea of how influential that review was with librarians.

We’re sure that others will find fault with our book, and hope that their criticisms sharpen our thinking and add to the quality of future studies.

Based on the release and the questions you are receiving, are there some aspects of your study that perhaps you wished you had spent more time on or specific questions you wished you had researched but did not? Will any of this lead to follow up studies in the future?

There are several areas that we wish we had explored but could not due to financial and time constraints. We did not anticipate when we started that M-rated games would be as popular with girls as they actually were. This deserves more research. We would like to study a sample of teenagers who have gotten into trouble with the law because of violent behavior, to see how their patterns of video game play may differ. Also, it would be useful to do some different types of studies that involve watching how kids actually play the games (and perhaps to measure their physiological responses) in a typical (non-lab) environment.
Whether we, or someone else, do these studies will depend upon funding.


The recent release of Grand Theft Auto IV has been met with some scathing rebukes. One has come from MADD regarding a section of the game where a car is driven by an intoxicated driver. Would you be willing to provide your thoughts on this based on your prior research? Is this much ado about nothing or have the makers of GTA gone one step too far?

We haven’t played GTA IV yet, so our awareness of this scene comes solely from articles like that. It would be interesting to see if teenage players interpret the scene the same way that MADD apparently does. Our understanding is that the experience of being unable to control the virtual car in the game is aversive, and may actually deter drunk driving. It’s worth investigating.

We will probably end up buying an Xbox 360 or PS3 so we can play GTA IV ourselves and make more informed comments.

Susan Estrich, a syndicated columnist also rails strongly against GTA IV in a recent column. Having done your research, what thoughts go through your mind when you read such an editorial? Is this still the most common reaction people have to these games?

This is strikingly similar to the concerns over and editorials against comic books, radio, gangster films and—back in the late 19th century—the evil influence of paperback novels on teenage girls. None of those bore out. Each time, the pundits and politicians said that earlier concerns may have been silly, but that this time it’s different. So far it hasn’t been.

She says, “It’s not my son I’m really worried about…. It’s his generation, the generation that he is going to grow up in and live with, full of kids who take this stuff for granted and spend more time with it than with real life, that worries me.” We heard that—my kid’s fine, it’s the other kids who are at risk—time and again from parents in focus groups. Many of them had “heard stories” about kids who got into trouble or even died because of video games, but none of them actually knew anyone who did so. It seems to be another set of urban legends.

She also engages in hyperbole in her attacks, stating that kids “spend more time with [video games] than with real life.” Think about that for a second. It’s a dramatic statement, but is it true? Our study found that only 13 percent of boys and 2 percent of girls spent 15 or more hours per week playing video games. Assuming 8 hours/night for sleep, a child would have to spend more than 56 hours per week playing video games to meet her criterion. We’ve only seen that among an extremely small group of gamers not in our study whose serious emotional problems were manifest in other ways—it’s certainly not the norm!

Similarly, we’ve heard statements describing the GTA series as including opportunities for gamers to rape women as part of the game. We’ve been unable to find any instances of this, although there are opportunities for characters to have sex with prostitutes. Yet such hyperbolic statements are rarely challenged in and by the media, perhaps because they’re so effective at grabbing attention.

Most of the parents we spoke with who had actually seen a GTA game recognized that it was satire. Their concerns were not this type of knee-jerk reaction, but were more nuanced, such as whether their children would understand the essence of that satire and the cultural allusions.

Editor: Many thanks to both Dr. Kutner and Dr. Olson for their time – for those wishing to hear more about this groundbreaking study, the many links after the first question will provide readers a wealth of additional information.