# 35 I'm Game, Moderately

Once upon a time, when library employees started the original iHCPL program, one of the first tasks assigned was to think about the ways we learn. By doing this, and by reading the blogs of other program participants, I became more conscious of the variety of ways people learn. It was through blogging that I realized how much of a kinesthetic learner I am. A tactile/kinesthetic learner learns best by doing and from hands on experiences, role plays, and other methods that physically involve them in the learning process.

Playing games is a kinesthetic learning experience, but of course games appeal to other kinds of learners as well. Not only do games have built-in motivators (fun!), but they seem to enhance learning and retention. Eli Neiburger spoke about the benefits of "gaming" at the Texas Library Association's 2008 annual conference. He pointed out that games are already a huge segment of the entertainment industry in the United States (second only to books in media sales), and that this popular media is helping, rather than hindering learning. In "Everything Bad is Good for You", writer Steven Johnson argues that because playing video games requires a variety of cognitive skills, the mental exercise is highly beneficial and actually improves IQ. There is undoubtably much evidence to support the value of video games as teaching and learning tools.

I tried the games FreeRice and WordSplay, and they were okay, but I prefer Pogo.com for recreational games. A Pogo subscription is not expensive. Members can choose from a tremendous variety of games with great graphics. Prizes and other goodies such as badges are offered as incentives. (Well, the prizes and incentives are kind of ... meh ....but the games are still great.) In your game room there is a chat feature, so if you have a question or comment about the game, you can post and get an immediate response from another player. You can invite your friends to come out and play with you, too. I have improved my Scrabble game tremendously by playing against some very competative opponents on Pogo. For what that's worth.

Computer games took a giant leap forward with Nintendo's Wii game console and its wireless controller that is able to detect movement in three dimensions. It's as if a room full of engineers, salesmen, and marketing people sat down and tried to come up with an idea to put that infuriating "video games are too sedentary" argument to rest. The new WiiFit goes on sale on May 19th for $90.00. According to studies though, the fact that Wii players use more energy than users of other game systems does not mean these games can substitute for regular exercise. (Enthusiastic Wii gamers can still develop tennis elbow, appropriately called "wiiitis", if they wish, by playing the video version of the sport.)

I like games. I also like Aristotle. Once upon a time, he advised moderation in all things.

#34 Geocoding and Geocaching

1. Washington D.C. is a great place to visit. The place abounds with history, great architecture, and has wonderful museums like the National Gallery and the Smithsonian. When I was there, there was so much to do that I missed touring the Washington Monument. Here it is, and it's coordinates are 38.888820, -77.033019.



View Larger Map

Note: I was in D.C. during the summer, and it was quite hot, so I ducked inside Union Station to get some relief from the heat. It was wonderfully cool, but I ended up staying inside a loooooong time because of the fantastic shops. It was even a browsers paradise! So ladies, and gents if you are so inclined, from the Washington Monument, follow The Mall west to the Capital, and then head north. On the map, Union Station has a blue "Metro" marker. I love those mixed maps with the satellite view and street names, and the click and drag feature.

2. There is actually a geocache or two near our library, too terribly convenient for this exercise to resist investigating. Here is the url:

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=009a3107-8e42-449c-800c-a1437a3f2afd

As you can see, I still have trouble posting an actual link. :(
The GPS coordinates are N 30° 00.267 W 095° 09.288 . The cache is located near the recycling center, and is described as the traditional small box; actually it's supposed to be a waterproof match container with a log book inside. This cache was hidden by a man who, according to his profile, is a Nuclear Medicine Technologist. I always wondered what a Nuclear Medicine Technologist would do for fun. Anyway, I never did find the cache. The area is littered with trash from the recycling bins, glass, and is rife with fire ants. I poked at some stuff on the ground with a big stick, which I carried in order to defend myself against hostile insects, potential snakes, and lethal germs. I did find a small waterproof container, but it was a chewing tobacco tin with actual chewing tobacco still in it. Ewwwww! I concluded that, while I like the idea of a treasure hunt, I don't think I'm cut out for the "surprises". Maybe I just haven't found the right cache to seek. One individual who posted on this particular page has already found 827 caches, so somebody is indeed having a good time playing the geocaching game. Hey, I have an idea. Maybe there are some caches hidden in Union Station!?

Postscript: I looked up caches for the 20002 zip code. No caches in Union Station.

#33 Relocating With Online Maps

The world wide web makes it so easy and convenient to look for homes, it's a wonder anyone stays put. Wait a minute. Lately, it seems no one does stay put! So I'm sure these web sites get alot of use: Apartments.com, ApartmentFinder, and ApartmentGuide. I was very impressed by the Houston Association of Realtors site, or HAR.com. I would certainly recommend this site to others. It not only contained gargantuan amounts of information, but it was enormously fun to use. There are many options to narrow a search by town, school district, and property type, as well as the more conventional criteria of list price, number of bedrooms, and square footage. If there are particular amenities you like, such as a pool or proximity to a golf course, you could search by those criteria, and others as well. I looked at foreclosures in my town and 88 records were found. Listings were detailed and included not only property descriptions but also various links. You can see a map of where the home is located in the community, for example, or send an email directly to the realtor. The photo gallery is a great feature. More expensive homes have links to fantastic virtual tours. There was only one other thing that could make it easier to relocate...gobs of $$$ at my fingertips. Then I could use my favorite HAR.com feature, "add to my cart". Unfortunately, I didn't get to actually exercise that option.

Once you have found your new home, you can easily learn about area weather, recreation, restaurants, shopping, and community events at www.discoverourtown.com. (This is a convenient resource for travelers as well.) Walkscore.com calculates the "walkability" of your neighborhood based on the proximity of businesses, services, and things to do. My address scored 31 (out of 100) and was rated "not walkable", having only a few destinations within easy walking distance. As the site says, "Buying a house in a walkable neighborhood is good for your health and good for the environment." With the current price of gas, it's good for your wallet, too. This site can provide information for people who want to cut down on fuel consumption without sacrificing quality of life. Its weakness is that it does not take into account crime, traffic, and other safety considerations when computing an accessment.

#32 Mapmaker, Mapmaker Make Me a Map

The sheer number of google map mashups out there is amazing, and I looked at a ton of them. Some are utterly depressing, such as GlobalIncidentMap.com, "a display of terrorist acts, suspicious activity, and general terrorism news". If you can stand visiting that enlightening source, you will see a newly added blinking red button in the right hand corner of the page called "School Incidents Maps". (Yes there are so many they merit a map.) This particular map helps one become informed about all the horrible things happening in American schools, like fires, gas leaks, lock downs, and bomb threats. You can discover other trivia too, such as, according to the Waco Superintendent of area middle and high schools, a single bomb threat costs about $125,000 in lost wages and time. I was glad a link to "find a world brewery" immediately preceded all of that.

Other mashups can be quite entertaining and share useful information that doesn't drive me to [virtually] drink, make me want to cry, build a bomb shelter, or even momentarily ponder homeschooling my children. One taught me that if I walk due east from Houston, for about say 7000 miles, I will find myself in beautiful Harare Zimbabwe, another that there are no free public "facilities" in my town (guess they don't count libraries). I've used a mashup to track flights from Philadelphia to Bush when relatives are coming to visit. It's fun to watch the progress of the virtual plane containing my virtual loved ones. The zip code and world time maps are quick and easy reference tools. Photoenforced.com has maps of where all the red light cameras in the United States are located, so you can comport yourself appropiately when you know Big Brother is watching.

Activity 1, #2: I used a mashup to send an email to someone close to me who is recovering from surgery. One day this week I was wondering, "What can I do to let this person know I am thinking of her, encourage her from so far away, and maybe make her smile?" Then I got an idea. MapMSG.com lets you send custom smoke signals to anyone in your address book. I found a satellite view of my neighborhood, and wrote a few lines of encouragement in the box provided. The finished product looks like the message is emanating directly from my humble chimney. Next time I use this site, I may send crop-circle mail to a friend who enjoys reading science fiction.

Activity 2: As mentioned above, while I thought the mashup was great, I did not have a very good time exploring the global incident map. Terra Server has some interesting images, but it looks like you have to purchase one before the little colored squares blocking your view of the shot are eliminated. I like the photos on Panoramio (#36 Explore photos of the world) better. Here's one taken near Ziguinchor, Senegal of a bathing beauty:





The National Atlas has "dynamic maps". I don't sit around worrying about invasive zebra mussels or avian cholera distribution very often, but the maps are really wonderful educational tools. I explored the dynamic volcanoes maps, which are just incredible...tons of data, excellent geographic imagery, and beautiful photographs. I also went back to the main page and did a general search for St. Louis encephalitus and West Nile virus, to see if there were any maps or statistics for Houston. I was directed to a page which contained links to the CDC, the entity which is responsible for collecting and disseminating public health information; so even though the National Atlas technically didn't have such a map, I was able to easily obtain the information I sought through their highly organized and user friendly site.

Perhaps I am now completely jaded by all of these map mashups, because the LandSat Image Viewer didn't do much for me. While I was watching it, my thoughts were wandering and I remember thinking, "I wonder if that cow on the beach ever found her way home?"

# 31 Maps Are Not My Forte

I have no sense of direction. Just ask my husband. This is a man who can fly to any place in the country, jump in a car, find his way to an obscure little business in the middle of nowhere, AND snag the best parking spot in the lot. It's very discouraging when he does stuff like this so effortlessly. I consistantly blunder along in my car, not knowing in what direction I am headed or where on earth I am, most of the time. I'm lucky if I don't get lost at least once a week. So it came as no great surprise to me that exploring google maps left me feeling somewhat frustrated. After watching the tutorial, I tried to create a custom map to post. No luck. I watched the tutorial again, but still could not find the necessary links, or when I did find them, they didn't work like they did in the tutorial.

Online training is great, until you have a question or a problem. I'm not afraid to ask for directions. Unfortunately, I'm having trouble finding the little google gas station where I can stop and get them.

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