DIGITAL ABUNDANCE AND THE GAME OF SCHOOL Brandt

DIGITAL ABUNDANCE AND THE “GAME OF SCHOOL” Brandt Redd, Senior Technology Officer Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Brandt. redd@gatesfoundation. org http: //www. ofthat. com CC-BY

The Game of School was designed around scarce resources. But new technology offers abundance where scarcity once ruled. • Intro • Thesis

• • Intro • Outline Digital Abundance Games Game of School

Post Scarcity • Digital Abundance • Post Scarcity

Conventional Goods Equilibrium Price Marginal Cost Marginal Value • Digital Abundance • Supply and Demand

Digital Abundance Marginal Value Equilibrium Price • Digital Abundance • Supply and Demand Marginal Cost

Publishing is Frontier • Digital Abundance • Supply and Demand Publishing Conventional Scarcity Digital Abundance

Digital Abundance • Abundant Content • Abundant Assessment • Abundant Data • Digital Abundance

Abundant Content • Digital Abundance • Supply and Demand • Abundant Content

Abundant Assessment is Expensive • To compose • To administer • To score • To interpret • Digital Abundance • Supply and Demand • Abundant Content • Abundant Assessment

Abundant Data • Purpose (Feedback vs. Compliance) • Cross-Activity (Standards & Privacy) • Scale • Digital Abundance • Supply and Demand • Abundant Content • Abundant Assessment • Abundant Data

A game is an activity that has: • A Goal • Rules • Feedback • Voluntary Participation • Digital Abundance • Games (Bernard Suits as quoted in Reality is Broken by Jane Mc. Gonigal)

• Digital Abundance • Games

• Goal • Rules • Feedback • Voluntary Participation • Digital Abundance • Games • Game of School

Goals for Public Schooling: • 1840: Preserve the Democracy • 1890: Prepare Everyone for Vocations • 1980: Keep America Competitive • 2000: Eliminate Poverty • Digital Abundance • Games • Game of School • Goal (Christensen, Clayton: Disrupting Class)

Society’s Goal: Eliminate Poverty Student’s Goal: Achieve Prosperity • Digital Abundance • Games • Game of School • Goal

Rules • Digital Abundance • Games • Game of School • Goal • Rules

• Digital Abundance • Games • Game of School • Goal • Rules • Failure

Presence ≠ Achievement • Digital Abundance • Games • Game of School • Goal • Rules • Failure • Proxies for Achievement

Learning Credentialing • Digital Abundance • Games • Game of School • Goal • Rules • Failure • Proxies for Achievement • Unbundling

Applying digital abundance to these rules: • Failure consequences • Abundant Assessment • Measures of achievement • Abundant Content • Abundant Assessment • Learning and credentialing are bundled • Digital Abundance • Games • Game of School • Goal • Rules • Abundant Data

What’s the lowest score you expect on a multiple-choice exam? A: B: C: D: 0% 25% 50% 100% • Digital Abundance • Games • Game of School • Goal • Rules • Feedback • Formative Assessment

Control Theory Sensor Feedback Reference Controller • Digital Abundance • Games • Game of School • Goal • Rules • Feedback • Control Theory Input System Output

Pedagogical Theory Assessment Feedback Standards Instruction Activities • Digital Abundance • Games • Game of School • Goal • Rules • Feedback • Pedagogical Theory Student Skills Feedback must be: • Frequent • Fast • Rich

Voluntary Participation = Motivated Participants • Digital Abundance • Games • Game of School • Goal • Rules • Feedback • Voluntary Participation

Duncker’s Candle Problem • Digital Abundance • Games • Game of School • Goal • Rules • Feedback • Voluntary Participation • Duncker’s Candle Problem (http: //anthonyogrady. wordpress. com/2010/05/02/carrots-and-sticks)

Candle Problem “for Dummies” (Dan Pink) • Digital Abundance • Games • Game of School • Goal • Rules • Feedback • Voluntary Participation • Duncker’s Candle Problem

Candle Problem Solution • Digital Abundance • Games • Game of School • Goal • Rules • Feedback • Voluntary Participation • Duncker’s Candle Problem

Candle Probem 7. 41 11. 08 Simplified 4. 99 3. 67 Norm Incentive (Times in Minutes) Subjects given financial incentives averaged 3. 5 minutes slower on a cognitively demanding task! • Digital Abundance • Games • Game of School • Goal • Rules • Feedback • Voluntary Participation • Duncker’s Candle Problem (Glucksberg, Sam (1962) The influence of strength of drive on functional fixedness and perceptual recognition. )

“As long as the task involved only mechanical skill, bonuses worked as they would be expected: the higher the pay, the better the performance. ” But, once the task called for “even rudimentary cognitive skill, ” a larger reward “led to poorer performance. ” • Digital Abundance • Games • Game of School • Goal • Rules • Feedback • Voluntary Participation • Motivation (Dan Pink, Drive pg. 60 quoting a study by Dan Ariely et. al. )

Intrinsic motivators that work for cognitive challenges like learning: • • Digital Abundance • Games • Game of School • Goal • Rules • Feedback • Voluntary Participation • Motivation Autonomy Mastery Purpose

Students are invested in the outcome when they help choose the activity. • Digital Abundance • Games • Game of School • Goal • Rules • Feedback • Voluntary Participation • Autonomy

Extrinsic incentives that aren’t inherent to the task can impede achievement. • Digital Abundance • Games • Game of School • Goal • Rules • Feedback • Voluntary Participation • Autonomy • Mastery Demonstrations of mastery are intrinsically rewarding.

Cognitive Scaffolding • Digital Abundance • Games • Game of School • Goal • Rules • Feedback • Voluntary Participation • Autonomy • Mastery • Purpose

Applying digital abundance to motivation: • Autonomy • Abundant Content • Mastery • Rich Feedback from Abundant Assessment • Purpose • Digital Abundance • Games • Game of School • Goal • Rules • Feedback • Voluntary Participation • Context from Abundant Content

The Game of School was designed to maximize the utility of scarce resources. Teachers Funds Classrooms Curriculum • • Digital Abundance Games Game of School Conclusion Time

To realize the benefits of digital abundance. The structure of the Game of School must be changed. • • Digital Abundance Games Game of School Conclusion

References and Resources • Shared Learning Collaborative: http: //slcedu. org • Learning Resource Metadata Initiative: http: //lrmi. net • Common Core State Standards: http: //corestandards. org/ • Common Education Data Standards: http: //ceds. ed. gov/ • Jane Mc. Gonigal: Reality Is Broken: http: //www. janemcgonigal. com • Clayton Christensen – Disrupting Class: http: //www. innosightinstitute. org • The Silent Epidemic: Perspectives of High School Dropouts: http: //www. civicenterprises. net/reports/the_silent_epidemic. pdf • Duncker’s Candle Problem http: //anthonyogrady. wordpress. com/ 2010/05/02/carrots-and-sticks/ • Dan Pink: The Surprising Science of Motivation http: //www. ted. com/talks/dan_pink_on_motivation. html • Rep. Rap 3 -D Printer: http: //reprap. org • • Digital Abundance Games Game of School Resources Of. That. com Brandt. redd@gatesfoundation. org