Tabletop role-playing games (TTRPGs) – Dungeons & Dragons being the most popular example - can positively impact the multiple facets of students’ lives: academics, durable skills, social-emotional learning. In Part One of our two part series, let's quest together as we encounter how research supports using TTRPGs in education, explore stories of teachers using TTRPGs in their classrooms, and discover ideas and ways that librarians and the library can play a critical role in making such transformative game-based learning a success.

Before the webinar begins, please complete Slides 3-5 of the “Character Sheet Reflection Tool” (i.e. “Before the Quest”). We will complete the second half (“At the End of the Quest”) of the Reflection Tool at the end of the webinar.

Webinar Date & Time:
Wednesday May 8, 2024 at 3:30 PM EDT

Presenter:
Adam Watson
email: awatson@ovec.org
Kentucky Educators for Role Playing Games website: kyedrpg.com
social media: @watsonedtech and @kyedrpg (#kyedrpg)

Adam Watson has been a Kentucky educator since 2005, starting out as a high school English teacher and became National Board Certified in 2013. In 2014, he was hired at Shelby County Public Schools to be its district Digital Learning Coordinator, where he was a leader in several initiatives, including a 1:1 Chromebook implementation and the launch of Shelby's Profile of a Graduate. In his role at Shelby, Adam also was the lead liaison for the district’s librarians. In 2022, he joined the Ohio Valley Educational Cooperative (OVEC) as a Deeper Learning Design Specialist. Adam is a frequent presenter, PD facilitator, and published writer on innovative education, particularly on the topics of edtech and game-based learning. In 2019, KySTE (the state chapter of the International Society for Technology in Education) named him the Outstanding Leader of the Year. For more on Adam’s educational journey, please visit adamwatson.org.

A series of excellent webinars and presentations about Games & Gaming in Libraries (covering a number of different subtopics -- like D&D integration in library programs, game collection development, LARPing / ARGs, playful learning science, and more) facilitated and hosted by the Indiana State Library.

Presenters:
Chris Baker (Public Library Consultant / Games & Learning Consultant, Library Services Team of the Wisconsin Dept. of Public Instruction), Jenna Gilles (Youth Services Associate, Chippewa Falls Public Library), & Jamie Hein (Library Director, Clintonville Public Library)

Description:
For years now, media usage data has shown that video games have led the entertainment industry by a massive margin, handily securing the crown as the most popular recreational medium on the planet. In the United States, 61% of Americans report playing video games for at least one hour every week; 29% of game players are 50 or older, and the average age of video gamers in the U.S. is 36, with a near-even split of 53% identifying as male, and 46% identifying as female.

The point? These impressive statistics represent an enormous opportunity for libraries in the U.S. to capitalize on – and illustrate that librarians ought to prioritize intentionally developing robust video game collections for their users to access; game collections can meaningfully help libraries reach a broader base of patrons, create exceptional new pathways for materials circulation, resonate with additional user identities, and help foster a 'community of practice' surrounding games in the library space. On top of this, video game collections help libraries showcase an earnest desire to remain relevant, accessible, and cutting-edge to their public.

In this first presentation in our series about video game collection development, you’ll hear from multiple librarians about the “why”, “what”, and “how” of video game selection and acquisition; we will highlight both philosophical and pragmatic best practices for developing video game collections – from advocacy data, to funding tips, to selection resources, to acquisition schedules, and more. A follow-up webinar in the series will focus on things like processing, borrowing rules, policy, and collection maintenance. You won’t want to miss these presentations!

Webinar date and time: October 30, 2024 11:00 AM EDT

This event was co-sponsored ALA's Games & Gaming Round Table: http://www.ala.org/rt/gamert