This is an ongoing document concerned with how we approach and understand game based learning. It’s also a live Google Doc – if people wish to contribute, send me an email with a request to be an editor and we’ll learn collaboratively from each other. There’s more research to be added to this thread from a ludological perspective. Our main focus is from a maker’s, not a scholar’s approach but an academic perspective also informs our understanding and implementations.

Game Based Learning research/resources:

Contributors: @ianchia,…

Game based learning weaves together a number of disciplines to create a learning experience that is cognitively engaging, with learning and autonomy privileged as part of the gameful experience. In my opinion, game based learning (gbl) is not “gamification” and gamified learning experiences do not equal game based learning. (At the bottom of this post is further reading that explains the differentiation between game based learning and gamification.)

To understand how to make game based learning work best, one needs to grasp interdisciplinary perspectives that underlie principles of cognition, persuasion, game mechanics, storytelling, immersive transmedia storyworlds, and various learning pedagogies both on a child/adolescent cognition development basis, as well as pedagogies that are “in flux” as they’re being developed and investigated on 21st century network learning such as Connectivism (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Connectivism) and the Rhizomic Learning approach (@davecormier & @MaryAnnReilly http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhizome_(philosophy) ). MMOs such as Minecraft, Little Big Planet, Second Life etc exhibit characteristics of emergent behavior within complex adaptive systems by intentional design on the part of the game designer (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complex_adaptive_system) – this is not accidental. The more open-endedness in the design of a network and the larger the scale of adoption, the more likely that network effects will occur. See Mark Pesce’s 5 part talk on Understanding Gilmore’s Law:
1. Understanding Gilmore’s Law (Telecoms Edition)

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

2. Understanding Gilmore’s Law: Network Effects

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

3. Understanding Gilmore’s Law: DIYnets

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

4. Understanding Gilmore’s Law: Check, Mate

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

5. Understanding Gilmore’s Law: Conclusion

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

(@mpesce has a deep understanding of complex networks. See his bio http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Pesce) John Gilmore on his own phrase,

“The Net interprets censorship as damage and routes around it.” This was quoted in Time Magazine’s December 6, 1993 article “First Nation in Cyberspace”, by Philip Elmer-DeWitt. It’s been reprinted hundreds or thousands of times since then, including the NY Times on January 15, 1996, Scientific American of October 2000, and CACM 39(7):13.

In its original form, it meant that the Usenet software (which moves messages around in discussion newsgroups) was resistant to censorship because, if a node drops certain messages because it doesn’t like their subject, the messages find their way past that node anyway by some other route. This is also a reference to the packet-routing protocols that the Internet uses to direct packets around any broken wires or fiber connections or routers. (They don’t redirect around selective censorship, but they do recover if an entire node is shut down to censor it.)

The meaning of the phrase has grown through the years. Internet users have proven it time after time, by personally and publicly replicating information that is threatened with destruction or censorship. If you now consider the Net to be not only the wires and machines, but the people and their social structures who use the machines, it is more true than ever.

If we consider massive, multiplayer online games (MMOs) as not just “video” games, but ecosystems of participatory play and user generated content at large scale, emergent behavior also needs to be considered in view of evidence shown by Shirky and Nielsen et.al., on the group behavior under the power law distribution graph. http://www.shirky.com/writings/powerlaw_weblog.html

Example of Power Law distribution (via shirky.com)

or Nielsen’s perspective of the 90-9-1 rule and Participation Inequality: Encouraging More Users to Contribute http://www.useit.com/alertbox/participation_inequality.html It was noted by Jimmy Wales (founder of Wikipedia) that most video games attract voluntary participants to create wikis that document and discuss hidden rules.

WoWWiki is now the second largest English-language wiki in the world behind Wikipedia. At 3 million unique users per month, a full half of English-speaking WoW players visit WoWWiki every month.

Viewing Minecraft’s abundant collection of how-tos spread across websites and DIY videos on YouTube, or a transmedia phenomenon like Harry Potter’s comprehensive fanfic universe, or alternate reality or transmedia games that invite the user to bridge the virtual and physical, documenting their evidence for other players, the power-law curve applies to the whole ecosystem of user-generated content and participation, not only in the “official” game but the social networks that emerge as a shared community of play & observation. This bears a strong relationship to the notion in rhizomic learning of “the community as curriculum” (by @davecormier).

We also need to pay attention to bridging the market adoption chasm as documented in The Invisible Computer in order to gain scale to achieve such network effects:

Adoption Chasm (from the Invisible Computer Chapter 2)

On interaction design

(Note: interaction design is a continuing summation of prior disciplines such as user experience design and graphic design etc. It is about human focused design for a specific context.)

The excellent @changeorder slideshare applies equally to the design of a game application or an extended network or transmedia storyworld that texts/artifacts are posited within (think of it also applying to the design of an affinity space along the lines of James Paul Gee’s ideas.)

http://changeorder.typepad.com/weblog/2011/04/slides-from-the-language-of-interaction.html

A strong interaction design weaves elements of psychology and manipulation of psychographic (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychographic) aspirations into a cohesive storytelling whole, where the user’s interactions and learning are scaffolded into a series of feedback loops. For learning to occur, the “player/learner” is engaged in progressively more difficult and fun experiences, employing the psychology of flow (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flow_(psychology)), privileging agency and intrinsic motivation.

Kathy Sierra’s video & blog talks much about using the cognitive psychology of engagment and flow to create “passionate users”.
(Apologies, I included the wrong Kathy Sierra video initially. The following one on “cognitive seduction” is the correct one, but I’ve still included the second because I think it pertains to learning if you replace “author” with “curriculum designer or textbook author” – there is some overlap in material between the two videos but worth watching both.)

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

Her archived blog on Creating Passionate Users: http://headrush.typepad.com/

More approaches weaving together a number of disciplines to build “seductive interactions” – narrative and interaction design affects cognitive engagement and learning.

Seductive Interactions (Idea 09 Version) by Stephen Anderson

http://www.amazon.com/Seductive-Interaction-Design-Effective-Experiences/dp/0321725522

Interaction design & narrative design

Long After the Thrill: Sustaining Passionate Users by Stephen Anderson
“Motivating consumer behavior through game mechanics vs Motivating human behavior through psychology”

The fundamentals of Experience Design by Stephen Anderson
http://www.poetpainter.com/thoughts/category/Experience-Design-Strategy/

On historicity, Club Penguin coins and the nature of experiences by Stephen Anderson
http://www.poetpainter.com/thoughts/article/on-historicity-club-penguin-coins-and-the-nature-of-experiences

On intrinsic motivation vs extrinsic motivation

Achievements Considered Harmful? By Chris Hecker (reflections on his GDC10 talk)
http://chrishecker.com/Achievements_Considered_Harmful/

Dan Pink – RSA Animate – Drive: The surprising truth about what motivates us

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

On the importance of User Experience (UX) for human centered products

As computers and interface disappear through better interaction design (think of how an iPad is a blank slate using the interaction device we were born with – the finger), human centered design becomes more important to end-users. User experience will dominate over other aspects of a technological product.

from The Invisible Computer
Growing Up: Moving from Technology-Centered to Human-Centered Products
http://mitpress.mit.edu/books/NORVH/chapter2.html
http://mitpress.mit.edu/catalog/item/default.asp?ttype=2&tid=3484&xid=4&xcid=0

Evolution of Web Interface Designs

The Web has gone through many stages of evolution. From its first “words” to its current complexity, the way the Web “speaks” to us has changed dramatically. In fact, many researchers seem to suggest that the Web is mature enough that function and usability are no longer effective for differentiating products. Instead we need to look to disciplines like Persuasive and Emotional design to take us to the next level of Web interface designs. But are we really ready?

http://www.lukew.com/ff/entry.asp?44

Is this Information Architecture? (Parallels between Cognitive Psychology & Information Architecture).
http://www.poetpainter.com/thoughts/article/is-this-information-architecture

The Conversation Gets Interesting: Creating the Adaptive Interface
(focusing on experiences over tasks, to present information in the most desirable way)

Further reading:

Game Design Concepts – Ian Schreiber @ianschreiber
http://gamedesignconcepts.wordpress.com/2009/04/21/syllabus-and-schedule/

Excellent overview on Game Mechanics and psychology of engagment
http://www.lostgarden.com/2006/10/what-are-game-mechanics.html

A Theory of Fun for Game Design – by Ralph Koster
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1932111972/

Challenges for Game Designers – by Brenda Braithwaite @br & Ian Schreiber @ianschreiber
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/158450580X/

Better Game Characters by Design: A Psychological Approach – Katherine Isbister
http://www.amazon.com/Better-Game-Characters-Design-Psychological/dp/1558609210 

Transmediakids.com – by Cynthia Jabar @cynthiajabar (a wide ranging blog on children focused transmedia and creating texts & artifacts for kids)
htp://transmediakids.com  See also #transmediakids hashtag on twitter.

Transmedia Practice: Theorising the Practice of Expressing a Fictional World across Distinct Media and Environments by Dr Christy Dena @christydena
http://www.christydena.com/academic-2/phd/

Gamine Expedition: Thoughtful research of kids’ new media & literature, digital games, intersections of technology & play by Dr Sara Grimes @smgrimes
http://gamineexpedition.blogspot.com/ Especially check out the INF course curriculum on the RHS nav and the linked publications

Readings on gaming vs gamification:

Overview on the gamification movement and the subsequent backlash from game and gbl developers and educators
http://www.jesperjuul.net/ludologist/gamification-backlash-roundup 

Academic and game developer Ian Bogost’s @ibogost view that gamification should be more accurately termed “exploitationware”
http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/6366/persuasive_games_exploitationware.php 

A deep, critical review by @dingstweets of O’Reilly’s book “Gamification by Design” by Gabe Zichermann and Christopher Cunningham
http://gamification-research.org/2011/09/a-quick-buck-by-copy-and-paste/

Review of Foursquare as a gamified social app
http://thoughtcatalog.com/2011/how-foursquare-intends-to-be-and-how-foursquare-really-is/ 

And a thought provoking, passionate post by educator and game research scholar @melaniemcbride on
Gamification in the classroom (and how to stop it)  backed by comprehensive research.

“To the community of Anastasis Academy, may you craft our shared future with your own two hands, and fill it with imagination and love.”

Emu eggs are very interesting things. They have a dark blue surface which is speckled with darker dots, which are raised impressions on the surface. Using a simple hand electric engraver (a cheap $20 model usually used for engraving serial numbers on electronic equipment etc), I sketched out a design in pencil and engraved over the graphite markings. I discovered that emu eggs are a lot harder than the hens eggs that I’ve engraved a few times before and that it’s quite difficult to make out the pencil markings on such a dark surface. As well, the speckled dots often flake off in a bigger chunk … it was an enjoyable learning experience which took around 5 hours (and burnt out one engraver. Fortunately, this particular model has a 3 year replacement warranty). This emu egg is around 13cms (five inches) and purchased online (already blown empty) from an emu farm in Tasmania.

Sadly, the photos don’t capture the lovely sense of words carved on a three dimensional ovoid, as the words curve around the surface. I love the feeling of cradling a delicate object that has free form words curving around the body in a circular motion.

This egg is on display at a group art exhibition for the next week before it flies to the Anastasis Academy in Denver, Colorado USA on September 12. If you’re around Kew, in Melbourne, Australia – you’re most welcome to pop in and have a look at this piece as well as a couple of other carved hens eggs and a paper cut by myself, in addition to other lovely works by artists in the St Hil’s church community.

(Note: there are lots of links referencing deeper material in these posts. All of them will open an external window to avoid continually hitting the Back button in the browser. Apologies if you find this annoying.)

At the back of my mind are some primary concerns as we create learning environments from Being Prudence:

• what does the topology of a network of learning look like?
• are there benefits to network learning over individual learning experiences, and why?
• how do we (can we?) explicitly architect these networks with the best chance of propagating learning for children & youth?
• do these networks exhibit characteristics of complex adaptive systems? Affinity spaces? Can we implicitly design for serendipity and discoverability to engender forms of salience, bridging principles from interaction design? How do we privilege agency within such networks?
• what theories or evidence can we observe that create this situation? Where are we trending? Where do we want to head? Why?

This will be a series of ongoing posts, detailing my research and thinking in cross-disciplinary fields and how I’ve been synthesizing my ideas. I’d be very grateful to my PLN to contribute with comments, showing me your own views and challenges to holes in my thinking, to build a better overall collaborative understanding.

Part 1: What does the topology of a network of learning look like?

If we were to map a network of learning among multiple participants, what would it look like? I sincerely doubt it would look like this:

 Recently a satirical view of org charts of various prized 21st century organizations popped up via John Gruber’s Daringfireball blog. Original source.

These simplified charts reflect how we perceive different types of groups “learn” from their leadership down.

These organizations are prized within the western world because they embody “innovation” and “success” on a massive, commercial scale. As of August 2011, Apple is flipping between being the first and second most valuable company in the USA. Although they’re all tech companies with different focuses ranging from social networking to consumer goods, one could argue that each of these groups has a core business principle of establishing network platforms – that is, the infrastructure or ecosystem that drive and attract more people towards the hyper-connectivity we live in at 2011. Although Apple can be viewed as a hardware/software or retail business, depending on your lens, it’s also accurate to view their entire business as an integrated ecosystem tying in consumers and 100,000+ 3rd party “publishers” with their products. Apple’s integrated network of iTunes, iPhones, iPads and ongoing products is fundamental to the success of their business. As a privately owned website that launched in 2004, active users of Facebook increased from a million in 2004 to over 750 million in 2011. Google’s YouTube launched in 2005 and is currently the 3rd most popular website according to Alexa and the busiest global broadcaster of video content with over 3 billions views per day, the majority of its content crowdsourced by volunteer participation.

Clearly, something dramatic has been occurring within the last 10 years, driving societies and markets globally to tipping points and major disruptions of traditional 20th century industries and models of citizenship.

Let’s return to examining the org charts. It’s interesting that half of them don’t resemble a traditional approach to org charts, and even in drawn in jest – there are nuggets of truth in how accurately they resemble reality within these organizations.

Here’s another chart of a highly successful 20th century business famed for creativity and innovation. Walt Disney Studios released their own org chart in 1943, outlining their then model of process and production. Source

Disney's Org Chart from 1943

This is a company that demonstrated an ability to create new products and technology (the films, the theme parks, their retail products integrating their multiple franchises) that never existed before. They learnt by making, iterating successively, building upon that learning as they went. Again, their mapping of their learning/making network is very different to a traditional org chart.

Org charts are idealised representations of groups. What does real learning within a network look like?

Fortunately, we now have the technology and research to analyse real world connections, whether virtual or face-to-face. Organizations like Google, Facebook and Twitter spend much of their resources focusing on realtime analytics of the “social graph”. Strikingly, the same technologies are also being used on real-life (non-virtual) social relationships and social networks. Nicholas Christakis performed a longitudinal study mapping the spread of obesity in a large social network over 32 years. Using computation techniques and a range of cross-disciplines, his continuing papers argue that nodes (the influential people within the network) can affect and propagate obesity through a face-to-face social network, and also other health states including smoking, drinking and happiness. Here is an excerpt from his TED presentation on the “Hidden Influence of Social Networks” where the topology of an observed social network within a real-world distributed community is mapped, building upon data recorded from his 32 year study.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

The dots represent people. The lines connecting the dots represent relationships between each person. As the connectedness and social influence of obesity (or ‘the learning to be obese’) grows, the yellow nodes correspondingly increase in visual size. Note that this network of learning/influence doesn’t resemble a traditional org chart relationship at all? Instead, it bears very strong parallels to rhizomatic learning, as described by Mary Ann Reilly and Dave Cormier.

This animated “social graph” demonstrates real learning of human behavior spreading by the network. The behavior is real. The effects are real. Yet the majority of the study occurred before the last decade, and the focus of the study was on participants who interacted in a face to face relationship. How would the networked technologies of the last 10 years, in a hyper-connected world alter learning in this next decade?

Part 2 will focus on ideas related to theories related to connectivism, participatory culture, and ongoing trends in mass culture technologies including video games and other forms of digital media.

I look forward to discussing with you about the ideas above. Thank you.

Said banter, and the “manifesto” below…

This following text published earlier in 2011 is by Phil Hester, a prolific comic book writer. He took over the script duties from J. Michael Straczynski, who initiated a grand narrative arc for a popular serial publication. J. Michael Straczynski himself is a prolific transmedia writer with many credits to his name, including being the creator of the TV series Babylon 5, credits as a screenwriter for many feature films including Clint Eastwood’s Changeling, and the creator of some stunning original graphic novels such as Midnight Nation, as well as long running credits on many DC Comics and Marvel titles.
 
In many ways, it’s a perfect transliteracy manifesto for #rscon3.

An observation: These are incredibly popular texts that our youth and adults read and learn from, in massed participatory affinity spaces, to borrow James Paul Gee’s view that there exists multiple alternatives of thriving informal “communities of practice”. In a March 2011 interview between Henry Jenkins and James Paul Gee, Gee’s own words are an analog of the excerpted script from Wonder Woman #609.

We are never, none of us, one thing all the time. Sure, the world continuously tries to impose rigid identities on all of us all the time. But it is our moral obligation–and one necessary for a healthy life–to resist this and to try to create spaces where identities based on shared passions or commitments can predominate.

from How Learners Can Be On Top of Their Game: An Interview with James Paul Gee (Part Three)

The Wonder Woman excerpt references multiple canons deep in interconnected contexts, among them classic Greek mythology and popular culture. The mythology of Diana of Themyscira’s origins are embedded in the text (and the accompanying visuals in the comic)- the princess of the Amazons, hidden away on Paradise Island surround by waters. Her own birth as a golem formed of earth and a prayer to the Greek Gods. The community of learners, the fans, have soaked up deep levels of informal learning through their own affinity spaces, these networked, participatory places of community. Huge online communities like CBR as well as ever growing face-to-face meetups like Comicon. Is it any surprise when looking at the top grossing movies of all time, we recognize that many of these titles derive from these transliteracy texts?

Is a script from a Wonder Woman comic worthy enough to be classed as literature? (Rhetorical question.) If this form of literacy engage passionate learners at home; found in books, digital media, video games, TV and cinema, their whole world bathed in transmedia culture … how does that relate to the “official” literature curriculum taught within their school culture? What is being privileged? How much opportunity are we missing by failing to tap into the learners’ demonstrated passions?

Finally, if you’re still wondering whether the term transliteracy is really necessary at all, or just a new-fangled term in search of a meaning, here’s a good introduction to various concepts surrounding the understanding of transliteracies.

Pam has been working at Cambridge University in the UK, focusing specifically on the areas of creativity in education. Her current credentials include being Co-Editor, British Journal of Music Education and Co-Convenor British Educational Research Association (BERA) Creativity in Education SIG.

Her own research and practice at Cambridge University has heavily focused on working and researching directly with educators and practioners in many spheres, with a strong interest in the areas of music and arts education.

This is a page of resources related to her Reform Symposium presentation, for people who wish to learn more about the topics she discussed.

Click here to download the Powerpoint file of her keynote presentation.

Her talk has been recorded and will be available on YouTube via the RSCON channel in due course.

The videos referenced in her talk are:

Daubeney Primary School, Hackney – We’re ready to learn

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

Railroad Rhythm – Ferny Grove High School, Queensland Australia.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

Core
Music by composer/educator Leah Kardos. Video art by Matthew Greasley.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

An additional YouTube video of interest that didn’t fit into the length of the Reform Symposium talk: SWEDISH STORYTELLING WITH JAM2JAM
Per Skold from Humfryskolan is an innovative teacher who uses music and digital media production every day with students at his school, Humfryskolan to provide a context for media production and creative experience. Per students’ uses Macbook computers to create media that is streamed to youth in Malmo via the internet and students also produce a magazine that examines youth issues.

In this example two students use jam2jam to create a story for pre-school children. It uses stop animation using jam2jam‘s video features and adds improvised music and spoken narrative. The project was a collaborative effort with Inez’s story and animations and music created with Steve Dillion’s daughter, Australian Bridie.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

Here are 4 papers by Pam and others, related to the subject (downloadable PDFs):

From the journal “Thinking Skills and Creativity”:
Pupil perceptions of learning with artists: A new order of experience?
by Pamela Burnard and Mandy Swann, Jan 2010.

From “British Journal of Music Education”, 19:2, 157-172:
Investigating children’s meaning-making and the emergence of musical interaction in group improvisation
by Pamela Burnard, 2002

From the “British Educational Research Journal”:
Creativity and performativity: counterpoints in British and Australian education
by Pamela Burnard and Julie White
University of Cambridge, UK; La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia, October 2008

From “Research Studies in Music Education”:
A phenomenological study of music teachers’ approaches to inclusive education practices among disaffected youth
by Pamela Burnard, 2008

She welcomes a continuing discussion on these ideas by using the comments on this blog page.

Finland has a long term approach to arts in education. Rather than valuing STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) over the arts like many Western countries, Finland considers the arts to be vital and weaves it through their entire education system.

Curiously when countries like the US or UK talk about Finland’s approach given Finland’s consistent chart topping OCED PISA scores, they hardly ever mention this fact. Perhaps it’s too uncomfortable to consider when their own approaches seem diametrically opposite, with high stakes testing and STEM prioritized above all else. Perhaps the fact of a country with 100% literacy rate and children speaking 2 or more languages is inconceivable? Perhaps the trust given to teachers in a country where it’s more difficult to be qualified as a teacher than a lawyer or a doctor is too much to grasp…

Esa very kindly took the time to translate the following when I asked him about the Finnish arts curriculum.

From: http://www.oph.fi/english/education/basic_education_in_the_arts

Basic Education in the Arts

Basic education in the arts is goal-oriented, progressing from one level to other. It teaches children skills in self-expression and capabilities needed for vocational, polytechnic and university education in their chosen art form. Participation is voluntary and the education providers may charge moderate fees.

Basic education in the arts differs from compulsory basic education. A local authority providing basic education in the arts receives statutory government transfers based on the number of inhabitants. Further, public and private education providers receive government grants based on the confirmed number of lesson hours given.

The network of art education institutes thus funded comprises 89 music institutes and 41 schools in the other arts.

Provision of Basic Education in the Arts

Music, art, dance, visual arts and craft schools and other institutes provide basic education in the Arts for children and young people.

- Municipalities can provide basic education in the arts
- The Ministry of Education can grant joint municipal authorities, registered societies or associations the permission to provide basic education in the arts
- Basic education in the arts may also be provided by a public educational institution on the decision of the Ministry of Education
- Legislation stipulates that basic education in the arts must be provided either by educational institutions or arranged in other ways

Curricula for Basic Education in the Arts

The objectives and core contents are determined in national core curricula devised by the National Board of Education for nine different art forms, which are music, literary arts, dance, performing arts (circus and theatre) and visual arts (architecture, audiovisual art, visual arts, and craft).

Curriculum for the advanced syllabus in basic education in the arts is defined for the following forms of art: music, literary arts, dance, performing arts (circus, theatre), visual arts (architecture, visual arts, and craft).

The Finnish National Board of Education decides on the objectives and core contents of each art form in both basic and advanced syllabi in basic education in the arts. However, the core curriculum may include syllabi of different extent.

——————-

The following is a quick translation from Finnish. This curriculum is for visual arts. There are separate curriculums for music, circus arts, dance, and theater. The curriculums are not available in English in the Finnish National Board of Education web pages.

——————-

Curriculum for the advanced syllabus in basic education in the visual arts (architecture, visual arts, and craft) 2002

Board of Education 2003

© National Board of Education
Layout Pirjo Nylund
ISBN 952-13-1385-4
Helsinki 2003rd
Ref 39/011/2002
Date 08/06/2002

The provision is based on: L 633/1998, 5 - Subsection 1., F 813/1998, 1

Board of Education has determined that the core curriculum for basic education in the arts will be observed from the date 08.06.2002. (day.month.year)

The education provider must draw up and approve a curriculum for teaching in accordance with to what is provided in the adjoining grounds of the curriculum.

The curriculum must define and complement the objectives and core contents described here. A curriculum that follows these principles shall be placed in service 06/08/2002 and shall be launched by 01/08/2004 (day/month/year).

The education provider cannot provide the core curriculum by ignoring or departing from these objectives.

General: Jukka Sarjala
Director General: Aslak Lindström

Chapter 1: The basic task, values and general goals of arts education

1 – The task

These curriculums in architecture, visual arts, and crafts are called visual arts. The studies in the various targeting options for the visual arts - architecture, visual arts and crafts – can be credited between them.

Teaching according to the in-depth syllabus should give pupils an opportunity to work in the long run according to their talents and interests and create the conditions for a lifelong interest in visual representation and for further studies. The goal of the education is that students can affect the values in society and thus society as a whole and the atmosphere in it, because of their knowledge of arts.

The tastk of teaching is to preserve and develop the national visual culture. The goal is to develop cooperation with educational institutions providing education in art education and with other bodies, both nationally and internationally.

2 – Values

Teaching should be based on an idea of a human being, where the individual has ethical and moral ability to choose and actively shape their lives and recognize the importance of beauty in it. Education shall support students’ spiritual growth and personal integrity and help him to develop into a thinking person with discernment.

The goal of education is that student by expressing themselves with art, learn to evaluate and assess himself and his environment and to build and develop their worldview based on both personal experience and heritage. Teaching should help students to become aware on what for him is important in life and to express this by visual means.

Education must develop students’ ability to work in interaction with others. Pupils should receive guidance in understanding and accepting diversity.

3 – General objectives

The goal of education is to develop students’ ability to operate in a society based on knowledge and interaction.
With the help of arts and science a person defines his relationship to nature and culture. Pupils should understand the visual symbols both in society and in the prevailing conception of arts in society, and their influence on architecture, visual arts and crafts.

In teaching, the student will be encouraged to interpret the art on a personal way and recognize their personal history and the context, in which he examines the work of art. Art can be interpreted on many levels, the same works of art, handicraft product, or built environment interpreted differently at different times and in different contexts.

Education must develop students’ capacity for creative problem solving. Pupils should learn to express themselves and to master materials and technology. He will receive guidance in assessing and appreciating the quality of the visual environment.

Chapter 2 The Basis for teaching

4 – Learning Attitudes

The goal of education is to support the student’s artistic learning so that he learns how to combine abstract thinking and personal experience and realize that experience and abstraction are in constant interaction. Knowledge base for artistic learning is created based on the student’s observations, feelings, thoughts, knowledge, expression and skills. One goal of the activity is that the student discovers that view, application of knowledge and activity happens simultaneously. The need for artistic expression is to be based on the student’s own motivation and the student must have an active role in studying and learning. Education must develop students’ ability to combine new knowledge and skills with the conceptual structures that he had gained earlier and to develop his ability to apply in the new context what he learned in the past. Pupils’ former experiences and knowledge base and self-understanding should be taken into account in teaching. Exploration and functional learning should be used, individually and in cooperation with others. Pupils must be able to formulate problems, process information, analyze the facts and form their own opinion about art.

5 – The educational environment

The study environment is the mental, social and physical environment, of curriculum and teaching methods. It also includes the traditions, values and ethical and moral beliefs and the cultural diversity that exists in the community. The ability to systematically develop educational activities is of great importance for a successful teaching and a high-class study. A continuous cooperation with the homes of the students is a goal that should be achieved through feedback and assessment.

A positive, open and secure atmosphere where everyone’s personality is respected and life skills are strengthened should characterize the study environment. It is a versatile way to support the growth of various kinds of students. The goal is to create a stimulating environment that supports cooperation and provides also opportunities for quiet stress free moments.

The study environment should also be aesthetically stimulating. It shall promote the functional, visual and personal expression in the student creations and crafts products. The learning environment must have diverse materials and tools that are safe to use and scheduled in accordance with the objectives and content of the detailed syllabus. Safety requirements for work products and the environment should be considered. The environment, nature, and cultural life are also places where studying takes place. A goal is to develop the computer network as a learning environment and facilities for interaction.

6 – Work methods

Teachers should consider students’ individual learning styles and stages of development. An individual curriculum can be made up for each student. Assimilating visual skills and an exploration, problem-oriented approach to learning and expression requires constant interaction between student, teacher and group. Pupils’ experiences, knowledge, skills and interests must be the starting points for teaching. The choice of subjects and themes should seek to maintain the joy of learning.

Approaches are chosen so that the interaction skills and ability to concentrate, sensitivity, empathy, ability to be initiative, responsibility and self-confidence and social skills of students will grow. The working should be chosen so that the methods teach students to respect the other members in the group and their own and others’ learning processes and results.

Operation and content of studies should be selected so that students can develop their expression in various targeting options in the visual production and make the expression more varied from the basic studies to advanced studies.

Chapter 3 Teaching approach and scope of studies

7 – teaching approach

Studies under the in-depth syllabus of visual representation consist of basic and advanced studies. Basic Studies and advanced studies are primarily designed for children and young people of school age.

8 - scale of studies

The estimated extent of basic studies and advanced studies of the in-depth syllabus of visual representation is 1300 hours. Each lesson lasts 45 minutes. Students’ age, previous knowledge and skills and the teaching methods used are all taken into account when designing the method of instruction.

The education provider decides on the estimated magnitude the teaching of visual representation in early childhood stage.

The estimated extent of basic studies in the in-depth learning course is 540 hours.

The estimated extent of advanced studies in the the in-depth educational course is 760 hours.

9 - the required time to complete studies

The education provider decides on the time used for the studies in young children stage, the basic studies and advanced studies of visual representation.

Chapter 4 Objectives and key content

10 - Objectives of the detailed syllabus of Visual Expression

Common objectives of the detailed syllabus of Visual Expression

Students will learn

• to express themselves by exploring and observing
• to apply their knowledge to plan and carry out their work
• observe and interpret both their own and others’ activities
• use their impressions, ideas and thoughts in their work
• to search ideas from nature, the built environment, historic sites, museums and exhibitions as well as professionals in the various sectors of the visual representation
• to work in collaboration with the community and with working and cultural life
• to collaborate, take initiative and responsibility in their work- to feel responsible for the beauty and diversity of the wild and habitat
• to evaluate products and media environment in the visual representation
• to gain knowledge of visual representation within their own culture and other cultures, their history, present and community tasks and to comply with the interplay between cultural heritage and the various sectors of visual representation
• to understanding the visual culture associated with the internal culture structures
• to be familiar with the visual culture and lifestyle of representatives for other cultures in their own environment
• to take into consideration the principles of sustainable development and ability to apply them ecologically, culturally, socially and economically in their work
• to learn the concepts and vocabulary of visual representation and the ability to communicate through them
• to evaluate own and others’ work processes and learning.

The objectives of targeting options for architecture, visual arts and crafts in the in-depth syllabus of visual representation.

In the targeting option for Architecture, the student will learn to

• express themselves in different fields of architecture, i.e. in architecture, urban design, urban planning, environmental planning, planning of spaces, landscape design, installation art and environmental art

In the targeting option for visual arts, the student will learn to

• express themselves in various fields of visual arts, i.e. in drawing and painting, sculpture, architecture, environmental planning, design, graphics, ceramics, textiles, photography, film and video, series, environmental art and public art, performance art and video media and multiple artistic work.

In the targeting option for crafts, the student will learn to

• express themselves on the various fields of crafts, i.e. in planning and production of items in the planning and construction of textiles and clothing as well as in environmental planning and construction.

11 – Central content

The studies in the various targeting options for visual representation progress from early stage through the basic studies to the in-depth studies in architecture, visual arts and crafts.

Architecture

The objective of the detailed syllabus of architecture is to develop the skills needed in today’s society to interpret the built environment. The goal is that students learn to understand the interaction between nature, the built environment and human activities. In teaching the entire built environment is dealt with, from individual objects and buildings to extensive environmental entities.

One goal of education is to help the student to design and understand their habitat and the world, to extend his general education and promote his ability to meet society’s challenges and meet with individual choices. Building heritage and its development is central in teaching.

The essential thing is to portray the three dimensions of space and understand that people’s way of building their environment is culturally and socially conditioned.
Pupils’ ability to observe, reflect, understand and value and assess the surrounding environment should be developed.

Important approaches are creative problem solving, student’s own artistic expression and construction.

According to the classical definition, the architecture should be beautiful, sustainable and useful. The three-dimensional built environment, nature and historical layers should be processed experientially and with all senses. Pupils should learn to understand their motion in three-dimensional space as a physical and spiritual experience.

Central content

In the architecture education for young students the pupils will

• study the various manifestations in architecture and the built environment
• practice how to be versatile and use all senses to learn how to gather information and use it in their work
• explore architecture’s basic concepts – time, scale and movement
• explore space, shapes, designs, colors and lighting
• investigate the properties of various materials
• learn the techniques needed to work
• learn how to observe, perceive and assess the nature and the man-shaped environment
• observe changes in the cultural landscape
• comply with the fluctuations in the surrounding countryside, the landscape and seasons
• examine different types of housing
• get to know architecture and exhibitions in the near surroundings
• learn how to operate in groups and alone.

In the basic studies, the student will

• familiarize themselves with the ability of a citizen to influence matters relating to their own environment
• develop their expression by applying their ideas and prior knowledge and skills about technology and materials
• use the basic concepts of architecture – time, space and movement – in their work and learn how to build a space using form, scale, color and light
• learn to use different techniques and designs and explore properties of various materials
• familiarize themselves with the qualitative properties of various materials and practice in sorting, reusing and recycling
• through their own work, become familiar with the planning process in different stages, the collection of background materials, brainstorming and using different technologies in the planning
• become familiar with architectural history and current manifestations and visit museums and exhibitions
• evaluate how buildings and structures of various kinds fit into the pristine landscape and the built environment
• perform supervised homework
• develop a portfolio of in-depth syllabus at the end of studies of visual representation

In the advanced studies, the student will

• select one or more of the various subcategories of architecture for the object of their studies
• familiarize themselves with the influence of a national
• Land Use and Building Act and learn how to influence the planning of their own environment
• develop their expression, knowledge and skills in their work and the ability to verbalize thoughts and feelings
• study architectural history and philosophy, and examine the social, ecological and economic influence of architecture during different time periods
• study the interactions between humans, environment and architecture; planning processes in society and become familiar with different stages of urban planning and construction
• study the different work processes in project work and practice to taking into account the different needs of the parties of a project
• familiarize themselves with the work of professionals who influence construction of architecture and environment and visit workplaces together with professionals and experts of different kind
• observe, reflect, interpret and evaluate individual works and wholes in architecture and environmental planning during different time periods
• observe and assess architecture and environmental planning, visualization and other visual media, as the creator and user
• learn about interesting places of architecture, environment and museums
• learn how to monitor their learning, assess their own and others’ work
• perform supervised homework
• publicly present the work and final results
• make independently one final work, which includes a work, a portfolio of work processes and their own assessment of it.

Visual Arts

The goal of instruction in visual arts and aesthetic expression is to develop the skills needed in today’s society to interpret images. Pupils should learn to perceive and understand the world and to extend their general knowledge in visual arts. Important curricula are the visual manifestations, media, arts and cultural expression in nature and in the built environment. Teaching should be innovative in nature. Students should develop into discerning players in the world of art and society also.

Concepts and expressions in the visual representation should be the basis for teaching and they should be the key. The goal is that students learn to use transformations and loans that are typical of the visualarts and to use new and ancient symbols and give them meanings.

Visual production is practiced both by their own work and by looking at the picture artwork and images of everyday life. In teaching the importance of using the senses, intuition, dreams, imagination and empathy is stressed. Education shall be exploration and problem-oriented.

Central content

The young student in visual arts will

• learn to make images and explore different kinds of expressions within art: shape, texture, space, movement, rhythm, color and light
• learn how to use various materials, tools and working methods and learn the basics of how to take care of tools
• observe and interpret the surrounding countryside, built environment and objects in the environment and learn how to transform the observations and ideas into images
• learn how to concentrate on work and take into account others
• familiarize themselves with the images conveyed through the media, assess them and develop their own visual messages
• visit museums and exhibitions, and excursions into the wild and various cultural sites and process their experiences with the visual arts medium.

In the basic studies, the student will

• train and develop their visual expressions
• become familiar with the expression possibilities of different materials and techniques
• gain knowledge of how materials and tools can be used appropriately and safely and promote sustainable development
• practice in visual and related verbal expressions
• obtain comprehensive knowledge of the visual arts sub-areas and the visual media
• practice critical image interpretation as the author and user of image media
• observe and interpret works from different periods and cultures
• examine the relationship between form and content in the visual arts
• familiarize themselves with the basic concepts in philosophy of art and aesthetics
• learn to observe nature, architecture and objects in the environment on the basis of aesthetics and sustainable development and learning to understand the importance of the environment for his and others’ welfare
• perform supervised homework
• publicly present the work and final results
• monitor their learning and evaluate their and others’ work
• will independently make one final work, which includes a work, a portfolio of work methods and their own assessment of it.

In the advanced studies, the students will

• deepen their knowledge and skills in one or more of visual arts and the visual media in different compartments after choice
• train and develop their visual expressions and combining means of expression from different art forms in their work
• immerse themselves in the visual arts history, compare different kinds of art expressions and reflect on fundamental issues in aesthetics and philosophy of art and consider the expressions in art history and contemporary art as historically coherent
• immerse themselves in an unfamiliar culture or in visual expression in different cultures
• familiarise themselves with materials and practices that promote sustainable development
• acquaint themselves with professionals in visual art and other visual production and the way they work
• learn to consider the customers’ needs in product and construction planning
• independently plan and carry out tasks
• perform supervised homework
• publicly present the work and final results
• monitor their learning and evaluate their and others’ work
• will make one final work, which includes a work, a portfolio of work methods and their own assessment of it.

Crafts

The goal of instruction in crafts is that the student learns to understand the significance of crafts for human welfare. In teaching the student is supervised to create aesthetically high quality and environmental and user-friendly products and to develop production solutions that promote sustainable development. Crafts and design are studied from the aesthetic, expressive, functional, physiological, structural and substantive point of view.

The production of crafts is based on cultural heritage, the relationship between the arts and knowledge of nature. Starting points for teaching is the students’ own experiences, working with hands and the ability to produce products and express itself. In teaching the crafts should be seen as handicraft activities, skills, products and works. The goal is to preserve and further develop traditional craft methods and approaches and develop new ones.

The goal of education is that students learn to plan products and production and to give their work the desired direction. Pupils should understand that the assessment of the work affects quality. The content of education must be chosen so that the pupil’s visual knowledge and skills, technology and knowledge of working equipment and the ability to master them develop. In teaching careful observance is emphasized: to consciously observe environment, media and craft process and its conduct. The goal is for the students to act as a receivers, interpreters and authors who learn to monitor how their own ability increases and learn to appreciate the work as an independent part of their business.

Central content

In the craft education in early childhood stage, the student will

• study various aspects and the basic elements of handicrafts: shape, texture, space, movement, rhythm, color and light
• learn how to process natural materials
• observe and interpret the surrounding countryside, the built environment and expressions of cultural heritage and to develop handicraft products based on the mental images he got from them
• understand the design and practice of hand motor function, compliance, firmness and precision, in coordinating hand-eye and the haptic-kinetic powers of observation
• learning how to concentrate on work, consider others and take care of their own workspace and tools
• familiarize themselves with handicrafts, past and present in their own locale
• strengthen their contact with nature and participate in cultural activities.

In the basic studies, the student will

• in a comprehensive way get acquainted with the different kinds of crafts and the expressive possibilities of various materials and techniques
• practice crafts with manual tools and become familiar
• with mechanical crafts and usage of natural materials and of
• man-processed materials suitable for handicrafts
• observe their surroundings, interpret and apply their experience in planning and manufacturing of handicraft products
• take responsibility for their own learning and work
• familiarize themselves with the knowledge and skills that can be applied in a personal way and learn to use what they learned in new situations
• immerse themselves in a creative problem-oriented thinking
• develop the capacity for aesthetic choices
• practice independent work, the verbalizing of craft processes and self-evaluation
• consider and assess the life cycle of a product in view of technology and regulations on labor, products and environment
• get an opportunity to learn about different cultures with regard to crafts and design and use them as sources of inspiration in his own production
• perform supervised homework
• create a portfolio of their studies.

In the advanced studies, the student

• deepen their design and interaction skills in several subcategories of crafts
• deepen their ability to perceive, understand and verbalize the design language, habitat diversity and the surrounding cultural values
• design and manufacture personal products, whose production combines knowledge, skills, experiences and social factors
• independently choose the methods, techniques and materials suitable for expression
• learn how to combine visual, functional, ecological and economic characteristics with high quality and individual handicraft products
• make decisions regarding consumption and the environment from design point of view, aesthetically, ethically, ecologically and economically
• understand that handicraft in society can be seen as activities, products and works
• develop and maintain the Finnish textile, object- and environmental culture and value the cultures differences in a multicultural World
• immerse themselves in the crafts, culture, arts and crafts in
• different time periods
• acquaint themselves with professionals in handicrafts and their modus operandi and examine the school as a profession, skill technology, culture and heritage as well as art and hobby
• monitor their learning and assess their own and others’ work
• perform supervised homework
• independently make a final work, which contains a work, a portfolio of work methods and a self-evaluation as related to it.

12 – Adult education

The objectives and core contents of adult education are the same as for basic studies and advanced studies in the visual production.

13 – Individualization of the syllabus and teaching

If a student who due to disability, illness or other similar reason are unable to study according to the curriculum, the goals of the curriculum can be modified to match the capabilities of the student.

You can easily download YouTube videos in MP4 format (for playback on iPad, iPhone and other iOS devices). Super easy, super quick, without relying on 3rd party sites or conversion programs. The only requirement is that you use the free Safari browser (which comes standard on your Mac) and an open source Safari Extension. It also works perfectly fine for the Windows version of Safari.

Step 1) Go to: https://github.com/jonathanboom/YouTube-video-downloader-for-Safari

Step 2) At the bottom of that page, click the Download link in Jonathan’s Readme section.

Step 3) Go to Window > Downloads and double click the YouTube-video-downloader safariextz file. (There will be a version number in the filename. I haven’t bothered adding it here as it’ll probably get updated from time to time.) Click “Install” to confirm.

Step 4) Now go to a YouTube page. Try this Felicity from Thin Air page.

Notice that above the video is a new “Download Video” button? Click it and you’ll be shown a range of options. Click the link for the MP4 file you wish (some videos may have a HD version) and the video will automagically download straight to your computer. (Some very old videos may be provided only in the Flash FLV format, which will require some additional conversion with Handbrake if you need it as a MP4.)

Tip: If you’re seeing a video on a YouTube channel page, you’ll need to jump to the specific video page before the Download Video button shows up.

Enjoy.

When I woke, on the morning of January 28, 2011 in Melbourne, Australia – I reached for my iPhone as I usually to, to turn off the alarm. I opened the Twitter app to check my messages and scan through my feed to get the morning’s news. As I scanned my feed, I became aware of an immensely serious situation happening in real time across the world in #egypt.I was only peripherally aware of some tweets floating around the past few days, news of the Egyptian government cracking down on internet access and censorship tweets occasionally popping up. As I read more and more, clicking through the shortened URLs embedded in people’s brief snatches of conversation, I began to understand a broader picture and the significance of what was happening across the world, while I lay in my bed in Melbourne.

This is the series of tweets I RTed across to my followers, blinking back tears for an hour and I tried to communicate the scope and tragedy of what was happening. Instinctively, I tried to build a story that my friends would understand – the richness of the each person’s backstory and shared links from their tweets giving this transmedia narrative a power of its own.

It only occurred to me about a week later that my friends, some who follow my tweets more individually, may have missed what I was trying to communicate, as the tweets were mixed and buried in amongst the voices of many of their followers within the twittersphere.

I’ve used Storify to show my narrative so that it can be one coherent message again. The tweets are listed in the order that I made them, pulling out voices just by using the Twitter app, retweeting and occasionally quoting from blog posts from people I follow, or tweets that those people retweeted.

Some may find this just a random collection of tweets.

I was surprised when I went back to read it again that the narrative had attained its own authorial voice, garnered by a collective of disparate voices. I still cry when I read this. I find their collective voices make this “transmedia found poem” a deeply moving tale. I consider myself only a curator of others’ silenced voices.

In “republishing” this series of tweets, I’ve added the tweet from Diane Ravitch. It was something that I had read earlier, which deepened my thinking about education and inequality – something central to my beliefs about social justice and pivotal to the revolution in Egypt – a revolution for the first time in history without a central leader, self-organized by those with education to use tools to find each other. I’ve added her tweet back into the narrative. Otherwise, the “text” presented here is what I tweeted that morning.