Customer Reviews

Learning Online with Games, Simulations, and Virtual Worlds: Strategies for Online Instruction (Jossey-Bass Guides to Online Teaching and Learning)

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Many educators from K -16 believe that computer based simulations/games are the future. Many of us endorse moving away from the "learning to know" and promoting a "learning to be" and "learning to do" goal of education. The Internet has enabled this potential exponentially. Now the question teachers ask is: How do I incorporate meaningful simulations/games into my syllabus? Clark's book provides the answer with "a one night read" that will inspire. Here is what I appreciate about this book:
*Includes definitions and justification for the game-based learning phenomena
*Explains the various degrees of interactivity and what that means for learner engagement
*Includes explanation of the important role of the instructor/coach
*Provides ideas of how to use simulations in the classroom
*How to sell the importance of "learning to do and be"
Professors,Teachers,Educators! This book is worth purchasing! What more of my thoughts about Clark Aldrich and his work see my blog: [...]

I have two copies of Clark's book, one a dead-tree version and the other a Kindle version. This is because Clark's books keep disappearing from my bookshelves. I cannot find one of his previous books, "Learning by Doing".

Clark's book is the best introduction to learning from highly interactive virtual environonments. I strongly recommend it to beginners -- and to experienced practitioners. Clark blends practice with the right amount of theory. His conceptualization is sound. His levels and his concept of sims as a new model of content are pragmatic and provocative. Clark's style is highly readable. He is a storyteller and a journalist. But he does not compromise the accuracy of the information and clearly separates fantasy from reality.

Many of Clark's ideas are applicable to teaching and learning in general. They are not limited to geeks.

Buy this book -- and Clark's previous books. No, you may not borrow them from me.

At the beginning of every Wiley's book you can see in fine print: "Limit of liability/ Disclaimer of warranty" and then a specific phrase: "The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation". In a nutshell, this limit applied to me with the contents of this book: No solid strategies, online issue just taken by the side, and meager approaches to instruction.

Final message feels like: HIVEs are an emerging issue in education, in most cases expensive, or, at least, you are strongly adviced to pay money to get something decent. HIVEs are complicated to manage, so it is better to pay for someone to coach you.

The preface reads: "My goal in writing this book is to be more practical than theoretical [...]"; "I want to be as specific as possible [...]";"[...]this text is also aimed at helping instructors meet specific challenges[...]".

Author fails to structure ideas and contents clear enough to follow them (at least in what I consider "accessible" should be). Titles in most of the chapters are quite ambitious and remain incomplete when "developed". It seems that being "specific" just cannot fit with his "practical" good will.

Contents in this book really feel as a "simulation" (a trick that deludes) of what the title and "authorities" recommendations at the back cover declare.

A pretentious "coffe-table" book appropriate to borrow form a friend or local library, but not worth to buy.

As a new entrant to Technology Enhanced Learning, I found this an excellent introduction to using simulations, games and virtual worlds for learning. The book overall was very easy to read with inciteful common sense descriptions of the different types of games and sims as well as design strategies. Strategies for getting support from management before implementing simulations and games for learning is also discussed as well as effective strategies for using these technologies.

This is my first review (of many books bought from Amazon) I would recommend this book to anyone interested in simulations and serious games.