In his discussion of e-learning 2.0, Stephen Downes (2005) speaks of e-learning theorists exploring how learning content can be used as the basis for learning activities particularly through blogging and gaming, but I would suggest that this concept of using activities to discover and learn content is relevant for learning both online and in the conventional classroom. Computing technology began as a way to store and process masses of information and it is the development of the internet and social networking aspects of the technology that have fueled this evolution in e-learning, and is bringing awareness of the potential to use computing as a medium for transitioning distance learning into a more learner controlled experience.

While I have long recognized the the value in using simulation and gaming as education tools, albeit not online, I am intrigued by the scope and distance that computer gaming can bring to education. Many years ago I enjoyed the creativity, deep understanding, and comradery that my students displayed when they were creating games to study human anatomy and physiology, playing simulation games to learn about ecological implications, and participating in “Theater of the Oppressed” (see Augusto Boal and Paulo Freire) to experience becoming active spectators.  While I’m concerned that online gaming lacks some of the benefits of hands-on and face-to-face experiences, ever since the first introduction of online simulation games like Sim City in 1989, I see the incredible opportunities it can provide in terms of visual presentation and creative ways of processing and learning course content/information, which is why I’m hoping to transform my courses with blended learning.

Downes posits, “The challenge will not be in how to learn, but in how to use learning to create something more, to communicate.” and I ask, “Why learn if you can’t share it and use it to make the world a better place for yourself and others, in even the smallest way?”