Today, we are proud to present a panel from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation's initiative on Digital Learning.

The panel, entitled, "Do Videogames Help Kids Learn," is part of a five-year, $50 million dollar examination on how digital technologies are changing the way young people learn, play, socialize and participate in civic life. The initiative is both marshaling what is already known about the field and seeding innovation for continued growth.

The panelists include Sasha Barab of Indiana University, who demos his latest project, Quest Atlantis, which uses an immersive online world to teach environmental impact and science to junior high school students. Nichole Pinkard, Director of Technology at the University of Chicago also shares her experience creating an innovative digital media after school program for Chicago's Center for Urban School improvement. And David Williamson Shaffer, a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and author of How Computer Games Help Children Learn, discusses his latest research on games and learning.

The panel is introduced by Jonathan Fanton, the President of the John D and Catherine T MacArthur Foundation, and is moderated by Connie Yowell, MacArthur's Director of Education grantmaking.

We'd like to thank the MacArthur Foundation for the opportunity to air this discussion through GDC Radio and Gamasutra. You can find out more about the Digital Media and Learning initiative at www.digitallearning.macfound.org. And you can direct any inquiries about this or other Gamasutra podcasts to podcast@gamasutra.com.

In addition, you can subscribe to the Gamasutra podcasts by clicking this link for iTunes. You can manually subscribe to our feed in your favorite RSS reader that supports enclosures by using this URL: http://feeds.feedburner.com/GDCRadio.

For today's edition of the Gamasutra Podcast we feature an interview with DB Weiss, the author of the noted video game-related novel Lucky Wander Boy, as well as one of the screenwriters behind the upcoming, but currently on hiatus Halo feature film.

In the course of our conversation, the podcast discusses such issues as his experiences working on the Halo screenplay for producers Mary Parent, Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh, some of the difficulties in capturing the essence of such a popular franchise while dealing with the criticisms of Halo's already rabid fan base, and even some of his classic gaming experiences growing up.

You can now download the Gamasutra Podcast Interview with DB Weiss (.MP3, 36 minutes, 16 MB).

In addition, you can subscribe to the Gamasutra podcasts by clicking this link for iTunes. You can manually subscribe to our feed in your favorite RSS reader that supports enclosures by using this URL: http://feeds.feedburner.com/GDCRadio.