Interview with Scot Osterweil: A pioneer in learning and game play

Scot Osterweil is the creative director of The Education Arcade and currently directs a number of games about math, literacy, science, history, and language learning, including Labyrinth and iCue. Before coming to MIT, Scot was the Senior Designer at TERC, where he designed Zoombinis Island Odyssey, winner of the 2003 Bologna New Media Prize, and the latest game in the Zoombinis line of products (Riverdeep/TLC). Scot is the creator of the Zoombinis, and with Chris Hancock he co-designed the multi-award winning Logical Journey of the Zoombinis, and its first sequel, Zoombinis Mountain Rescue. Scot is the also the designer of the TERCworks games Switchback, and Yoiks!, the latter also with Chris Hancock. Other software design work includes InspireData (Inspriration Software), its predecessors Tabletop and Tabletop Jr., and The Nature of Science. At TERC he participated in research projects on the role of computer games in learning, and the use of video in data collection. Previously, Scot worked in television production and theater. He is a graduate of Yale College.
Dr. Osterweil is designing educational games for 16 years. He is now working on two game project, one is a multi-user game to help middle school students to understand ideas about data collectiona dn data representation. The other is about open language learning initiative, English as a second language learning.
According to Dr. Osterweil the main limitations of mobile media are limited interface for input and output, smaller screens, and less computing power. However, he stressed that these limitations will be overcome by the time.
Mobile media provides situated learning opportunities which Dr. Osterwel sees that this is a huge advantage of mobile media. Furthermore, he stressed that mobile media helps user to engage to world and to the other people. Sense of connection characteristic of mobile media also motivates students.
Mobile media offers flexibility for teachers anywhere anytime. Sense of ownership and lower cost features are the characteristics of mobile media.According to Dr. Osterweil, instability of mobile media platform is the biggest challenge to mobile media computing.
Dr. Osterweil recommends to the next generation of developers get to know educational theory and living environments in the school setting.