Jesse Schell is the CEO of Schell Games, a team of more than one hundred thirty people who strive to make truly great games, both for the purposes of entertainment and education, including award-winning VR games such as I Expect You To Die, HoloLAB Champions, and Until You Fall. Schell serves as Distinguished Professor of the Practice of Entertainment Technology at Carnegie Mellon University and is the author of the award-winning book The Art of Game Design: A Book of Lenses
Cassidy Puckett is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at Emory University. Using a mixed-methods approach, she examines the relationship between technological change and inequality in education and healthcare. Her research has been funded by the U.S. Department of Education, the NSF, the MacArthur Foundation, the American Council of Learned Societies, and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Her work has appeared in Harvard Educational Review, Social Science Computer Review, Social Science & Medicine, Teachers College Record, and Qualitative Sociology. Cassidy received her Ph.D. in sociology from Northwestern University and her master’s in Learning, Design, and Technology from Stanford’s Graduate School of Education. Prior to academia, she taught technology classes at Urban Promise Academy in Oakland, California.
Redefining Geek takes a close empirical look at what it means to be good with technology. Using mixed methods, Puckett finds five learning habits at the core of technological competence. These include three general habits: being willing to try and fail, managing frustration and boredom, and using models, and two technology-specific habits: thinking about the logic of technology’s design and seeking out efficiencies like keyboard commands. Ultimately, Puckett argues for a redefinition of geekiness as someone with strong learning habits–and equitably building, recognizing, and rewarding technology learning habits to help create a more inclusive and equitable technological future.
The Play Make Learn (PML) Conference promotes high-quality learning opportunities for educators, researchers, developers, designers, foundation leaders, policy makers, museum and library professionals, and school leaders who are dedicated to promoting making, gaming, and playful learning. We aim to engage our audience in cutting-edge learning science ideas and experiences; communicate state-of-the-art design, education, and research; demonstrate new and upcoming games and technology; and network to spark new projects in multiple strands.
“Because of the diversity of participants, there are lots of interesting connections that can get made that might not happen without the conference,” said Peter Wardrip, Play Make Learn committee member and UW–Madison Assistant Professor of STEAM Education. “To me, it’s filled with great talks, workshops, demos, etc., but especially it’s filled with really creative, fun and smart people.”
When: August 8–9, 2022
Where: Madison, WI
Thanks to our generous sponsors, we are able to provide scholarships for a limited number of people in need of financial support. Complete the scholarship application here.
Details will be added to the website as they are confirmed. Visit our website to learn more about the 2022 Play Make Learn Conference.
Submissions are due June 1 for the GEE! Learning Game Award!
Enter to win the coolest new award in learning games! Finalists get free registration to Play Make Learn, a GEE! Award badge for your website, and the chance to showcase your game. In the spirit of James Paul Gee, we’re looking for video games and tabletop games that are fun, educational, and novel. Send us your best!
For the latest updates about PML before and during the conference, follow us on Twitter!