SCHEDULE – subject to modification

NEW! Links to the presentations. See below.

The entire conference was be video recorded for the development of a best practices whitepaper.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 9

VANDERBILT CENTER FOR DIGITAL HUMANITIES, 344 BUTTRICK

2:30 ‐ 4:30 pm Games and Projects from the Classroom

Video game stations and presentations of historical 3D video games that students and faculty created as research or classroom work. The room will be set up like a poster session giving conference participants the ability to circulate and ask questions. There will be 5-­‐6 games or projects, giving participants 20 minutes at each station.

3:00 – 4:30 pm Reception

4:30 ‐ 4:45 Welcome

Todd Hughes and David Neville will welcome participants and outline the charge for the colloquium.

4:45 ‐ 6:10 Language and Culture in Games

Moderator: TBA
Rob Howland will present his successful Kickstarter-­‐funded language-­‐learning immersive game, Influent.
David Neville on Creating Language Learning Games for the Classroom
Rebecca Panter will present a methodology for creating 3D historical adventure games in the classroom using inexpensive or free software.
Felix Kronenberg on Imagined Community Simulations.

6:30 – 8:00 pm Speakers’ Dinner & Dialogue, Center for Second Language Studies

 

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 10

8:30 – 9:00 am Registration and Continental Breakfast

Center for Second Language Studies, Furman 001

9:00 – 9:20 am Welcome and Opening Remarks

Lynn Ramey, Todd Hughes and David Neville

9:20 – 11:30 am Session I: History and Representation/Language and Culture

Moderator: TBA
Topic: Participants will present their work and the problems surrounding making a historically and culturally accurate game for learning. Questions to be explored: What is the level of authenticity desired for historically-­‐situated games? What is feasible: is perfection the enemy of completion? With language-­‐learning games, what is the role of history and culture in language acquisition?

Confirmed Speakers (15-20 minutes each):
Lynn Ramey on the Possibilities and Problems of Learning Medieval Culture through Immersion
Mubbasir Kapadia on Computer-Assisted Authoring of Historical Animated Narratives
Virginia Scott on Cultural Identity, the Language Learner, and Assessment
Maxime Durand on History and the Historian in Game Production

Moderated Discussion (approx. 45 minutes).

11:30 -­‐ 12:30 pm Lunch Break

12:30 – 2:40 pm Session II: Language Learning in the 21st Century

Moderator: TBA
Topic: How do we learn languages (living and dead), with and without technology? This session will look at the current state of language learning and assessment. How can games help or hurt the learning process?

Speakers:
Barbara Vance on Teaching Medieval Linguistics
Julie Sykes on Language Learning, Video Games, and Digital Discourse
David Neville on Using a Self–designed Video Game to Improve Writing Outcomes
Jonathan deHaan on Possible Pitfalls in Video Game-based Language Teaching and Learning (And Possible Solutions).

2:40 – 3:00 pm Coffee Break

3:00 – 5:00 pm Session III: Medieval Studies in the 21st Century

Moderator: Elsa Filosa
Agenda: Medieval studies are evolving toward a more global view, focusing on interactions within and between societies. While pseudo-­‐medieval games and reenactments are popular, medieval studies must continually question how to remain relevant. How do 3D historical adventure games fit with questions of globality, diversity, and student retention, and how do we assess their effectiveness at these ventures?

Confirmed Speakers:
Sahar Amer on Teaching the Global Middle Ages through Technology via Skype
Brett Shelton on An Instructional Design Approach for Learning Humanities through Immersive Environments.
Ardis Butterfield on Linguistic and Cultural Contexts of Anglo-­‐Norman and Middle English
Brandon Essary on Teaching Dante with Video Games

5:00 -­‐ 6:00 pm Wrap-­‐up/Conclusions/Questions

Moderators: TBA
In preparation for the white paper, a discussion surrounding the themes from the three sessions: What pedagogical affordances do video games offer language instructors? What aspects of medieval language and culture are ideally addressed through video games? What are appropriate learning outcomes and how can we assess them?

6:30 – 8:30 pm Speakers’ Dinner & Discussion

Moderator: Todd Hughes
Location (tentative): Mason’s Restaurant Lowe’s Vanderbilt Plaza Hotel
Agenda: Next Steps: Website, Archive, White Paper, Essays, Panels