Washington, DC - Part 2

While here in Washington, D.C., I attended the Atlantic Technology in Education Forum.  This was a conference that discussed using tech in education.  Several of the presentations focused on how gaming was going to impact future learning.

I found the event to be really interesting.  It kicked-off with the CEO of PBS.  Really fascinating to hear about the efforts to take their TV content into other mediums.

Teachers and parents want so badly to use technology to help their kids excel.  Using games or adding game-like features to curriculum should help make the subjects a little more interesting.  With up to 90% of kids playing games, the likelihood is that this will appeal to them.  However, we must make sure that we're not just addressing the boys here - it's critical to make this material adaptable and flexible, so that there's no gender preference (that already exists in videogames).

If you'd like to know more about what I heard - just let me know.

While in DC, I also wanted to catch a very special exhibit at the Smithsonian American Art Museum.  The exhibit is called "The Art of Video Games":

This is a really great exhibit that was curated by a friend of mine.  He did a fantastic job of capturing the essence of creating games as an art form - not just a hobby or business.  I really loved some of the displays:

In one room, they had a "history" of videogame systems.  Each major game system, from the Atari 2600, all the way to the Xbox 360, were on display.  It was nice to see that at least one of the systems that I worked on was there - the Sega Dreamcast:

It was really fun to see people that I knew in some of the videos that were also on display.  They talked about the different components that go into making a truly unique interactive experience.  If you get a chance to see this exhibit - it's free...and not terribly long.  Worth your time, if you like games ; )

The Smithsonian American Art Museum itself is gorgeous.  The interior courtyard is mind-blowingly beautiful.  Here's a decent picture (not mine):

I shot a quick video to give you an idea of the size of this atrium...

After the conclusion of the event, I drove out to Vienna, Virginia.  I was on a mission to visit my nieces and nephews.  My wife's brother lives just outside D.C., as he practices law in Washington.  I really miss this family, as my wife has been able to visit them a couple of times without me.  I was thrilled to be able to see these kids...we had a BLAST:

Little Baby J

Love, love, love these kids ; )

I returned to D.C. to participate in a couple of conference calls.  Once they were finished, I had one more little trip that I wanted to make.  There was still a little light left in the sky, so I set out on a little 3 mile walk for a memorial that I've never seen - it was created since my last visit to D.C.  It's the MLK Memorial:

It's a great addition to the collection of memorials in D.C.  I have a huge amount of respect for Rev. King, and the memorial was a fitting tribute to the man.  Unfortunately, I was there with about 200 high school students.  They had...shall we say...a little less focus on the memorial, and more focus on their social lives.  It wasn't as peaceful as I would have liked, but I really enjoyed seeing it at sunset.  The memorial is located near the FDR Memorial, right across the Tidal Basin from the Jefferson Memorial:

Walking back to my hotel, I passed by another of my favorite sites in D.C. - the World War II Memorial.  I won't post a ton of pictures, but I just wanted to share a couple of images.  Within the memorial, there is a display of gold stars.  These stars symbolize the star flags that people could hang in their windows, if they had lost a family member in the war.  It's a stirring reminder of the sacrifices made in that war:

I think that should do it for now....thanks for reading!