INPlay: Where gaming, playing and learning meet

Does anyone want to join me in Canada May 17 & 18 for INPlay, Toronto? You can register now for one of Interactive Ontario's showpiece events, on whose advisory board I sit (well, mostly I Skype, actually). It's unique in bringing together such a blend of transmedia, video game producers, financiers, marketers on the one hand, and researchers, educators and policy people on the other.

The programme is superb, with keynotes from Amy Friedman on Play, Warren Buckleitner on why some highly marketed games failed so miserably, Russ McLeod on How to Build a Movement for connected youth, Alan Gershenfeld's Leveling up from Player to Designer: Empowering Youth through Media Creation and a sneak behind the scenes of Gever "Tinkering School" Tulley's journey to turn his one week summer school of student-led learning into a full school, the journey to Brightworks.

But the workshops are also thrilling. These, for me, are the main things getting me really excited about my week away:

First, a personal plug to the "Brains on, hands on workshop" that Gever Tulley and I are leading:

When Newton discovered gravity it wasn't because he was told by a teacher or even because he had the skill to look it up in Wikipedia. It was because he was provoked, deeply, and had the design skills to create a beautiful equation. Gever Tulley and Ewan McIntosh help delegates experience first hand, the durable learning that comes from deep provocation. Explore how curriculum can be turned on its head, how new skills can be learned best, how content can be explored through the same models of discovery that genuine scientists, creatives and leaders harness every day.

The Story of Siftables from their founder, David Merrill:

What some of us are planning faced with the unplannable future of technologies

An exploration of how kids really use transmedia

An insight to the school run as a game, Quest to Learn

Why so serious? Valuable play and learning with Dean Shareski and Alec Couros

Like/Unlike/Leave a Comment: Social Networks and the Online Lives of Kids

I think I'll be blogging like crazy for two days, and catching up with some great friends, old and new. If you want to join the fun and mental stimulation, with the social stimulation to back it up, register before April 14th to get the early bird rate.

Comments

[Andrew Thompson]

I'd love to catch up on your blog then Ewan. I'd love to go. The interface of learning playing and gaming fits with me easily. I'll be checking it out online!

Thanks,

Andrew; Nelson; New Zealand.