| This qualitative study examined edutainment and convergence from the perspective of entertainment professionals, who were interested in revealing their background and opinions as they would relate to academia. The professionals told their own stories explaining how edutainment and convergence should be used in the modern classroom, according to their own experiences. The study was conducted utilizing convergence technology such as the Internet, electronic mail, weblogs, video sharing sites, social bookmarking sites, photo sites, social networking sites, iPods, smart phones and video cameras to collect data from the participants. Designed to be open-sourced and collaborative in nature, a case study design became a phenomenological inquiry. The participants found that edutainment and convergence can be utilized in higher education to create a learner-centered environment. They also found that several interactive entertainment techniques and convergence technologies were transferable to higher education. The participants were aware of government organizations like the Pentagon who have spent billions of dollars to develop and employ edutainment and convergence techniques and technologies such as video games, the Internet, and handhelds for more than forty years for educational, training, simulation, and preparedness. An additional result of this collaborative research between the participants and the researcher was the creation of several interactive online sites that applied and reported the findings of the research on the Internet with the approval and guidance of the participants. |
