Chapter 2; Principle 10; Principle 28

Principle 10
Amplification of input Principle
-A little bit of input, a lot of output (IE. Driving a car: push the pedal lightly, car accelerates forward)
-This is a motivated form of learning especially when greater output leads to greater success/rewards.
-Video games that track achievements use this principle. The more effort or time you spend playing the game the greater your achievements are.

Principle 28
Discovery Principle
-Overt telling is kept to a minimum so that there is room for the user to explore, make discoveries and learn on their own.
-Search, develop a thesis, test thesis, re-evaluate thesis.
-This is a key principle of adventure video games where a character is left on its own to explore the environment and tell its own story.

Chapter 2:
New Way to Communicate:
Language is not the only way to communicate. There are different ways to use signs, themes, and symbols to portray meaning. These visual symbols are extremely significant. Images and text can be used together to give more meaning or different meanings to a certain message. Being able to "read images" helps one better understand. There are different genres of print literacy IE Newspaper, comic book, rap etc. Symbols can mean different things as well to different people.

Semiotic Domains:
An area where people think, act or value in certain ways. These semiotic domains have certain affinity groups, or insiders who know what is going on, and one must come to understand the symbols, themes and cultures of these affinity groups to understand the domain.

Problem of Content:
Important information is generally thought to be obtained in the intellectual sense and "meaningless play" is not viewed as a way to learn. Video games fall under the "meaningless play" category and are therefore not seen as a beneficial avenue to learn.

New Form of Learning:
One must decide which domain is being used. Is the domain valuable? Is the domain being used to understand (read)? Or is the domain being used to produce (write)?

Learning a new Semiotic Domain:
When one learns a new domain they experience (see, feel, operate) it. The provide themselves an opportunity to join this new affinity group and become a part of a group. Information learned will help in the future with the domain as well as in related domains.

Situated Meanings:
Meanings (symbols, sings, themes) can be specific to certain domains and not in general. Domains can also be views internally and externally. Internally would actually be what is going on in the game. If it is a first-person shooter than how the character operates and uses weapons to fight enemies can be seen as the internal view. The external view would be the actual people or affinity groups that use the domain.

1. Active Critical Learning Principle
2. Design Principle
3. Semiotic Domain Principle
4. Semiotic Design Principle
5. Metaleval Thinking