The rest worked alright for me, but as Jenny noted in a random on-campus conversation with me today, I too was bothered with the postage-stamp sized display.

I think that the link between pedagogy and interactivity is sort of self-evident. Students learn a more valuable lesson when they are forced to participate in the creation of knowledge than by any sort of rote learning, or acceptance of textbooks as unbiased accounts of fact. I think the problem is that the level that gaming’s approached in the last few years is only recently starting to approach the levels of complexity that we need to make them into valuable teaching tools. (This is the theme of my post in my blog, which should be up in the next hour– please feel free to stop by and check it out.)

Anyway, the main comment I had is about Nielsen’s Participation Inequality article. I would put myself in that middle group (the 9%-er) because I leave posts and messages several places but only from time to time. I rarely leave book reviews, although there are a few I intend to write this summer for some books I have read over the past year that I really want to get the word out about, some good, some bad.

Sorry, off topic…I agree with you that the tone is a bit off-putting, people can do whatever they want and if they want to lurk, they can lurk. I guess he was trying to help out those businesses that can’t seem to figure out ways to get meaningful participation and good data. The point he makes at the end, though, I really liked: making it easier to contribute (Netflix) and making contributing a side-show (Amazon). These have been gold mines and they are soooo easy. I mean, with Amazon, you just buy things and BOOM, you have gone into the database as having bought that book! Then, folks like me who are trying to delve into a new subject area can see what folks who bought this one book I know about also bought in that same arena!! Does that make any sense? I hope so, cuz it’s late…

I did not mind sliding the mouse around for the Lost Museum because it was not a long visit. I am spending way more time in Myst with the endless sliding of mouse and waiting for the click. So, your comment on Myst’s similar problem was very welcome as I feel as if I am wasting so much time waiting that could be spent finding whatever it is I am looking for.

I agree with you on many fronts. I think that Participation Inequality raised some interesting questions, but I think most people are fine with not being entirely interactive with a website. I, too, am a lurker, and THAT’S OK. That said, I do think the web provides an incredible interactive forum and there are many ways to participate in that interaction. But it should be according to individual need and desire. I want to be in charge of where I spend my time and energy, no matter how intriguing or interactive a website is.

Also, I, too, love the concept of a virtual museum. I think the Lost Museum was a cool idea, but it was quite difficult to maneuver in the small screen and I never could quite figure out the clues.