Single-tasking and the iPad

Recently I came across an online resource describing Brain Rules, a book by John Medina which describes how the brain functions to the layperson. It filled me with delight to review how the brain functions in such a succinct manner. Not only was his website a great example of instructional design but it provided some great food for thought regarding how our mind pays attention to the environment.

Here is a snippet of a video related to Brain Rules where Dr. Medina describes how the brain is incapable of multi-tasking.



A friend of mine mentioned that the principle of single tasking has been applied to iPhone and iPad devices. Because of the limited real estate you can only pay attention to one application at a time and do one thing at a time. It would be interesting to research if iPhone and Laptop use of similar programs require similar cognitive processing levels. My guess is there would be no significant difference, but because the design often is limited by the hardware and software that are being used, iPad applications will most likely be more single-task oriented than other instructional materials that are delivered on hardware that support multi-tasking designs.

By chance or by design, the iPad and iPhone has more closely matched the way our brains are wired than laptops. As a result we experience less cognitive load in the process.

I am interested to see if the simplicity of single-tasking design will also progress into the instructional designs of materials in the future. Currently iPads are being tested as replacements for textbooks in schools as well as being used for activities in the classroom. The have also been used with children with special needs. It will be interesting to see if student performance improves in these areas after the "cool" factor wears off.

Games and Learning Design

In my opinion all games have a purpose. Most games are designed to meet affective outcomes and mold your behavior to match the behavioral outcomes necessary to game play. It is rare to find a game which is designed to meet cognitive outcomes. Learning games which meet educational and training outcomes are growing in popularity in the instructional design blog sphere. They are becoming more than interactions without purpose into immersive environments that mimic reality. In the SALT Conference I recently attended, immersive games was a hot topic for training in the military. Unfortunately most of the games they were describing were beyond the scope of most training organizations.

Applying the principles of games to learning does not require fan dangled technology or even multiple players. Rather, good games for learning require careful design. At their core, games have rules that define the space in which you can play. They immerse you in a world of fantasy filled with story, conflict, and character. You receive feedback and are shepherded in your growth in the game. This scaffolding is often provided early in games to help you get up to speed and faded as you get to more difficult levels. Great games establish a culture that continues with you outside of the game (I'm wondering if some people ever leave the game board!).

Recently I came across a game created by Gaming2Learn which I found very interesting. The game does a pretty good job of applying the principles of game design.




Those of you in the academic sector will enjoy watching this video where James Gee an expert from Arizona State University in the field of educational technology and game design shares the relationship between games and learning and where he feels this relationship will go in the future.




If you are really interested in learning about creating games, I recommend reading Rules of Play : Game Design Fundamentals by Salen and Zimmerman.