Game Based Learning 2009

Adrian Hall is an independent consultant with a respected profile in the use of mobile, game and social media technologies for learning. Prior to this Adrian held the position with Steljes Limited, one of the UK’s leading technology integration companies, is to develop thought leadership around the use of technology in education. He has worked on the Project Inkwell Group, an American based international think tank/lobby group for one to one access to technology for children.

Prior to this, Adrian worked for the UK’s Department of Education and Skills as a senior policy advisor on educational software. His responsibilities included developing the government’s policy in relation to the educational software industry, commissioning new and innovative curriculum software, including software to work on mobile devices, and developing thinking on the use of games in education.

Prior to this Adrian worked as an Archaeologist.

Chris has led multicultural motion picture video and computer game publishing for nearly 3 decades, starting with his role as international marketing head at the original Atari in 1982, and as VP -International for Spinnaker educational software He was COO of Columbia Tristar International Video for 7 years and headed Sony Computer Entertainment in PAL countries from 1995-2005. Now in "retirement", he chairs the Edinburgh Interactive Festival. Codemasters Games, and serves on several boards, including Handheld Learning Ltd as non exec Chairman.

The Handheld Learning and Game Based Learning conferences are unique in their breadth of coverage on the use of personalised technology in education. The conference welcomes diverse viewpoints and dispenses a wealth of knowledge in a friendly, unassuming, engaging and compelling manner. Really gets the passion for positive change flowing. The big winners, of course, are the kids, which is why we all attend.

Derek began his teaching career in Dundee in 1994. During his time in class he witnessed two boys, who were in his lower ability maths group, engaging with a complex problem-solving environment on the Super Nintendo console. He was astonished at how they engaged with the problems, how they were challenged by them and how they used their own suite of strategies to solve the problems in order to be successful at the game. Derek noted that this behaviour did not happen in the traditional maths setting and it made him reflect on the context of the game and why it facilitated such impressive abilities in children who had not shown it in the world of learning that they were expected to engage with in class. This chance observation gave birth to Derek’s interest and passion for games based learning. Two years as an ICT staff tutor in Dundee City Council was followed by a position as a lecturer on the B.Ed(P) and PGDE(P) courses at the University of Dundee. This position allowed him to establish games based learning as a topic of study for his teaching students and then to his successful application to lead games based learning initiatives for Learning and Teaching Scotland via the Consolarium. Derek is now partnering local authorities and teachers throughout Scotland to explore the impact of computer games in the classroom and is contributing to the growing body of work that is helping to change the discourse about the position and practical application of games based learning in classrooms.

Graham Brown-Martin is the conference director and founder of Learning Without Frontiers (LWF) whose mission is to provide continuous dialogue concerning new learning and teaching practice leading to improvements of a transformational nature. To achieve this mission LWF hosts online communities, conferences and publishes content for international thought leaders, innovators and practitioners in the education, technology and entertainment sectors. Example communities including Handheld Learning and Game Based Learning. New communities with a focus on digital safety and recognition of innovation amongst young education professionals will be launched during 2009.

Prior to this Graham has enjoyed a career spanning the education and entertainment software industries, having built a number of creatively and technologically innovative enterprises that were sold to larger corporations including Philips Electronics and Virgin Interactive. Before starting his own companies Graham worked with the Open University and Research Machines. Graham has also worked in several developing nations.

Aside from his work and entrepreneurship in technology, Graham has also directed music videos for The Fall, Malcolm McLaren, Salt Tank and Future Sound of London amongst others and with artist, Buggy G Riphead, he designed the ship’s computer for the feature film, “Lost in Space”.

Graham has also appeared in a variety of media including The TES, The Assignment, Trace, Transculturalism, the BBC Money Programme, The Guardian, Management Today and The Times.

Graham has 4 children and lives in a leafy enclave between Peckham and Deptford in South-East London, UK.

Tim Chaney describes himself as an interactive geriatric having joined the industry in 1981 at the UK outbreak of Vic 20 fever. From hardware sales at Commodore, Tim joined start-up publisher U.S. Gold in 1985 as Managing Director, which by 1989 was the biggest software 'house' in Europe (as they were referred to then). Approached by tiny Virgin Games in 1991, he built Virgin Interactive Entertainment to a joint No. 1 position with EA by 1995. The company was sold to Blockbuster, which was subsequently swallowed by Viacom and Tim bought the company back from Viacom in 1998. Sold to Titus Interactive in 1999, Tim moved to Spain and later purchased Virgin Interactive Entertainment España from Titus in 2002. Virgin Play S.A. (as it was renamed) is Spain's only independent publisher and distributor with titles based on Real Madrid™, Pocoyo™ and others. Its own new 2008 IP 'Mind Your Language™' on Nintendo DS will be launched at HHL'08.