Kurt Squire

Kurt Squire is an Assistant Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the Educational Communications and Technology division of Curriculum and Instruction. He is a former Montessori and primary school teacher and, before coming to Wisconsin, was Research Manager of the Games-to-Teach Project at MIT and Co-Director of the Education Arcade.

Squire earned his doctorate in Instructional Systems Technology from Indiana University; his dissertation research examined students’ learning through a game-based learning program he designed around Civilization III. Squire co-founded Joystick101.org with Jon Goodwin and currently writes a monthly column with Henry Jenkins for Computer Games Magazine.

In addition to writing over 30 scholarly articles and book chapters, he has given dozens of talks and invited addresses in North America, Europe, and Asia. Squire’s current research interests center on the impact of contemporary gaming practices on learning, schooling and society.

Christopher Blakesley

Christopher C. Blakesley is a doctoral candidate researching the integration of narrative into learning environments, under the tutelage of professors Michael Thomas and Kurt Squire at the Curriculum & Instruction department of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His current work focuses on developing narrative design tools for interactive learning media. His research interests span learning design, educational games, digital storytelling, and mobile media. Chris holds an instructional technology MS from Utah State University and a BA in media arts from Brigham Young University.

Sean Dikkers

Seann Dikkers is a doctoral student in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He holds BA degrees in philosophy, political science, and education and a MA degree in educational leadership from Bethel University in St. Paul, Minnesota. Dikkers taught middle school social studies in the Twin Cities area for 10 years using portfolio- and games-based instruction.

After completing graduate work to earn his administrative license at St. Mary’s University, he served as a 7–12 principal in northern Minnesota for 2 years. There he led his school in pioneering a new scaffolded-quest platform for special education services and worked with Rosetta Stone to build a language lab for students to take over 30 courses in a games-based setting.

Since joining the research team at UW–Madison, Dikkers has worked with Florida Virtual Academy’s curriculum team to develop games-based learning using Civilization III. He works with John Odom and Shree Durga to develop a leadership training course, with a games and design curriculum, at the Youth Empowerment Academy.

In addition to mentoring teachers in methodology, Dikkers’ focus of inquiry is the application of games-based learning to teaching social studies and using games to motivate students and build higher levels of rigor in academic pursuits.

David Gagnon (blog)

David Gagnon is a Master’s student of educational technology with Kurt Squire. He works as a faculty consultant for the Engage program within the Academic Technology department of the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

After spending time in Namibia at a school for training teachers, he became fascinated in the role of communication technology in history and the science of teaching and learning. Mixed in with GLS, this curiosity has grown into researching interactive media, place-based learning, narrative studies, and group cognition. The basic question is: How can we design stories and play to engage and immerse students in a transformative experience?

David has an undergraduate degree in computer science with electives in 3D visualizations of human language, computer graphics, and microprocessor design.

Kevin Harris

Kevin Harris is a Master’s student in Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He is broadly interested in how games can support and enhance second language learning, and his current research focuses on rogue-like games and Chinese character fluency for Japanese language learners. Other research interests include place-based learning and learning practices surrounding collectible card games.

Chris Holden

Chris Holden received his Ph.D. in Mathematics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2008. While there, he spent two years designing and playing augmented reality games with the Local Games Lab, and several more in the the basement of the teacher education building with the cool kids, studying videogames and learning. Now he’s an assistant professor in the University Honors Program at the University of New Mexico in his hometown of Albuquerque. There he designs augmented reality games using ARIS, and also uses ARIS as a design tool in some of the classes he teaches. His big project at the moment, a collaboration with Dr. Julie Sykes, is Mentira, an ARIS game for Spanish language learning that is played as part of the UNM 202 Spanish curriculum. While not taking over the world with augmented reality, he cares for his 3 cats and 5 chickens. His favorite games are still DDR and Katamari Damacy.

John Martin (blog)

John Martin earned his PhD from the department of Curriculum & Instruction at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and is a member of the Games, Learning, and Society research group. He currently works at UW-Madison in Academic Technology, developing and applying emerging learning technologies. With a background in technology, art, writing, and outdoor education, and with a commitment to environmental and social sustainability, John investigates tools of inquiry and expression that promote a greater understanding and appreciation of the social and physical space(s) we inhabit.

Since 1993, he has helped run a wilderness camp in Maine, and there noticed that when people actively engage their bodies in personally and culturally meaningful physical places, they can learn a lot. Consequently, he looks to mobile devices to physically and socially situate learners in culturally-meaningful (and geographically real) spaces. More about John at http://regardingjohn.com.

Nora Grey Gagnon

Nora can hold her head up and stand if supported by her waist. She likes to look at look at high-contrast B&W imagery and is in the process of first language acquisition. When not sleeping or eating, she is preparing to be an educational games researcher.