announcements

For the past several weeks, the Institute of Play has focused its efforts on working with its new and existing teaching faculty. The first week was devoted to working through fundamental concepts related to game-based learning, design thinking and the ins and outs of founding and running a new school. The new 7th grade teachers, learning strategists, Director of Wellness and school secretary are a talented and diverse group, with a range of interests, backgrounds and skill sets. We look forward to working with them and we know they're eager to share!

“The best way to predict the future is to invent it.” - Alan Key

Expert practitioners, academics, activists, representatives from non-profits and game designers were gathered this week at the annual Games for Change festival in New York. Under discussion and debate was the games as a meaningful agent for social change, the impact of current games for social change and the future and transformative power of games and learning.

A lot of discussion evolved around mobile games and learning. As University of Madison assistant professor and researcher Kurt Squire pointed out, "With mobile devices, we can take kids out of the walls we’ve put up around them, that currently keep them from participating." Squired explained similarities between the process of playing and designing games to the process of designing and a community. In both activities stake holders must: identify resources, invent and change rule systems, achieve competencies and level up, plan strategies and ultimately organize their community. "This makes games a mechanism to participate in the world—as you become competent you want to do something about what you see happening around you."

Matthew Kam and Subhi Quraishi of ZMQ, also joined the conversation, presenting their work and research using mobile games to make education more accessible to children. Specifically in India, where child labor frequently prevents kids from going to school. As they pointed out in their presentation, mobile devices allow children to learn outside of the formal school setting. They also underlined the importance of a human-centered design process that focuses on the local culture and its needs.

This week marked the launch of Mobo Studio, the Institute of Play and Q2L's afterschool enrichment program. With a focus on digital citizenship, creativity and design for mobile platforms, Mobo Studio extends Q2L's focus on tinkering, problem-solving, creating, and inventing. In a studio-like environment, Mobo Studio brings together experts in their fields to empower Q2L students to take on the roles of designers, inventors and creativity specialists. This trimester, an amazing group of collaborators will come together to present our pod offerings— Pearson Foundation Mobile Learning Institute, Mark Ecko's Sweat Equity Enterprises and the Education Development Center. We're also cooking up something special with the art and technology center Eyebeam, called "Super Design Wednesdays."

The classes or "pods" include Comics, Character and Creativity, Generating Buzz, Mobile Fashion and Super Sleuths. Each pod is taught (or in some cases co-taught) by a hand-picked teacher-mentor who is eager to help kids learn new things. In the comics pod, work will be geared towards exploring drawing, designing characters and writing dialogue, with students using everything from paint brushes to digital pens as tools. Generating Buzz, a collaboration with Marc Ecko's Sweat Equity Enterprises, introduces students to the branding process, walking kids through the design cycle step-by-step, from brainstorming ideas to creating in-store displays. The fashion pod examines fashion as a communication system for the mobile generation. Students will make clothes that will not only carry mobile devices but also use them to communicate with one another using Bluetooth and encoded messages. The six-week pod, Super Sleuths, is presented in collaboration with the Education Development Center. Its focus—on playtesting science games—will help students think critically about games and what they teach them. Read more about Mobo's teacher-mentors on the Mobo team page. If you are in the NYC area and have sewing equipment or supplies to donate, please complete our online form or email William Moyet, Director of Afterschool: wmoyet@q2l.org.

Q2L has been open for three weeks and the energy and excitement of the students and teachers is simply contagious. We thought it fitting to highlight one member of the Q2L team responsible for the success of these first weeks of school. Please meet Elisa Aragon, Executive Director of School.

Elisa brings twenty-four years of experience with the New York City Department of Education to her role as Executive Director of School, having received her principal certification in 1997. Originally from Maryland, Elisa moved to “the big city” after her sophomore year at the University of Maryland (Go Terps!) and graduated from City College of New York with a Bachelor of Science degree, Magna cum laude. Elisa started teaching in the New York Public Schools in 1984 at Park West High School and then transitioned to the CMSP Model School, teaching 7th and 8th grade Humanities. She believes that all these teaching experiences prepared her for the extraordinarily challenging work of teaching in the alternative high schools. Teaching the five subjects of the GED she worked in the basement of homeless shelters, working tirelessly to effect the cycle of poverty for the young mothers who were her students, and their babies, who are our future. “I learned the life changing lesson of resilience through watching my students tenaciously grow far beyond societal expectations, and even surpassing their own expectations.”

After obtaining a Master of Science in Education from Hunter College with a 4.0 average, Elisa continued her post-graduate studies at Fordham University, achieving a Professional Diploma in Education and earning her SAS. Elisa continued her work in the alternative high school district in the role of Assistant Principal Administration. For eight year Elisa focused her passion and talents as an instructional leader, supporting and honing the skills of classroom teachers who were teaching the most at-risk population of students in NYC. In June 2008 Elisa was selected to participate in the elite New York City Leadership Academy, the centerpiece of Chancellor Klein’s mission of transformation for our public education system. Elisa provided administrative support during the September 2008 roll out of the innovative NYC iSchool in Soho, a selective 9 – 12 fully integrating 21st century technology in a progressive model of interdisciplinary, real-world, problem-based instruction. Elisa left her administrative position at the highly successful and respected High School of Telecommunication Arts to accept a leadership position as principal with Quest to Learn. Her dynamic leadership style, experience and deep knowledge of instruction make her a perfect fit with the goals and mission of our school.