INTERVIEW: RAY MAGUIRE, SCEE
Some schools already use PSPs to record video footage and capture media for class projects
Students have used Second Sight to explore visitor sites for the National Trust and learn the spatial relationship of the solar system. “It has enhanced the way that students learn Shakespeare,” adds Maguire. “It’s really up to the imagination of the students working with the teacher as to what they can do with this. It’s really engaging.”
BREAKING INTO THE SYSTEM Arguably the greatest challenge of getting games into schools is convincing the Government, schools, governors and teachers. Funding is tight, teachers work and plan constantly – and that’s not to mention the army of parents who will no doubt question why their children are ‘playing games’ at school in the first place. “Right now it’s a big problem because games are not endorsed by the Department for Education and there is no clear commercial return on investment for game publishers,” says Maguire. “At the moment, we rely on inspirational teachers and schools who recognise that games or other rich media can provide stimulation, engagement and relevance. “Clearly, we are not educationists, so we have to work collaboratively
40 March 11th 2011
with teachers, students, parents, communities and government to make sure that we provide a workable framework and that
“
I think there is a great case for a National Digital Curriculum.
Ray Maguire, SCEE
content is driven by learning outcomes that are endorsed by teachers and examination boards.”
A NEW HOPE
All of this work is already having an impact. Last year the UK’s minister for the creative industries Ed Vaizey asked industry veterans Ian Livingston and Alex Hope to produce a report into the skills needed for the UK to thrive as a world-class centre for the games industry. The Livingstone-Hope review was published in February and called for an academic rethink. It says that the UK could generate an extra £1bn in sales by 2014 if it overcomes the existing barriers in academia and
keeps up with global competitors. The review found that schools should give students the key stem skills required for game development to encourage them to take up positions within the industry later on. In Birmingham, Sony has initiatives underway with the Local Authority, where teachers can practice using games-based technology that they can take into the classroom. The format holder is also in discussions with Ed Vaizey to access the viability of rolling out ‘Games Clubs’ in secondary schools. There are already plenty of bespoke game development courses in universities across the UK. But how likely is it for games to be seen as learning tools by the Government and the education system? When will it happen? “It’s happening already, although on a small scale,” says Maguire. “There are many examples of brilliant teachers who have introduced games into the classroom under their own steam and are now reaping the rewards. “And it is not just games, it is richer content – video, Flash, audio and games. I think there is a great case for a National Digital Curriculum to complement the existing Curriculum.”
TEACHING THE TEACHERS
One challenge for Sony to get right is how they inform teachers about their games-based education plans. Fortunately the platform holder has already launched a specialist educational channel, ConnectED, full of examples of how teachers and students are working with PlayStation Move, LittleBigPlanet 2 and the PSP. A LittleBigPlanet 2 Teacher Pack is on the cards, courtesy of developer Media Molecule. It will have instructions and offer teachers access to demonstrable Curriculum-based in-game levels that other teachers have created. Students will be able to play these levels and teachers will be able to create their own levels themselves. “The pack will be a really useful way of starting to track and develop interest and involvement in games based learning,” says SCEE senior VP Ray Maguire. “We hope that Media Molecule will have this created by the start of the summer term in May.” Sony is also running courses for teachers about how the PSP and PlayStation Move can be used as learning tools.
More information for teachers and industry members can be found at
www.connectededucation.com.
www.mcvuk.com
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