Handheld Learning 2009

Tuesday 6th Oct, 14:30 - 17:30

From serious games, games designed for learning or commercial off the shelf (COTS) games; the buzz around game based learning is nothing short of a phenomenon.

This session presents a round up of the best and leading edge practice in this area and how practitioners are embedding gaming within their teaching practice.

Confirmed speakers:

- Jennifer Groff, Fulbright Scholar, Futurelab, United States - “Handheld pSims & UbiqGames for Increased Learning”

At the heart of teaching and learning lie three fundamental questions: what is of critical importance to be learned? how are those skills/content learned best? what does demonstration of mastery of those skills/content look like? These questions get at the core of education—curriculum, instruction, and assessment, and are intertwined to produce fundamental learning and development in students. Mobile devices offer tremendous advantages for the classroom. However, the platforms designed for them is where the answers to the aforementioned questions lie. The MIT Education Arcade has been developing and researching the design and effect of two platforms that will be discussed here: Participatory Simulations (pSims) – Using PDAs, pSims engage participants in simulations that enable inquiry and experimentation. Unlike computer simulations where phenomena are observed on a computer screen, pSims allow people to act out the simulation themselves by moving about the physical environment collecting data, sharing information and collectively hypothesizing. Ubiquitous Games (UbiqGames) – A networked, mobile, multi-player simulation platform designed for Pocket PCs, where students play these learning games in short bursts outside of class instead of in class, thus removing a need for computer labs. Critical class time can thus focus on more pedagogically rich activities including data analysis and discussion of students’ experiences drawn directly from game play.

- Henk Van Zeijts, Director Creative Learning Lab, Waag Society, The Netherlands - “Games Atelier - Location Based Gaming”

Games Atelier The Games Atelier is a new location based mobile game platform for secondary education. It\'s pilot predecessor, Frequency 1550, already showed strongly enhanced learning results for a location based history game in the centre of Amsterdam. The Games Atelier gives students the opportunity to learn by using mobile telephones, GPS, and the internet to make, play, share, and review their own games. To make the game, students have to think of an initial concept and game narrative, before developing rules and filling in the format of the game. In this first creative phase of making the game, in order to come up with a relevant game narrative, students must fully familiarize themselves with the learning content of the subject. At the same time, to develop rules and fill in the game format, they also have to learn about the principles of game design. The next stage is for the students to play the game in their own living environment. Playing the game involves using mobile phones with GPS to navigate their way around their surroundings to carry out assignments and search for clues. Sharing the game means getting other students to play the game they have made, and then to exchange their experiences. The final and crucial stage of the Games Atelier learning process is reviewing the games played. The Games Atelier is supported by a mobile and web-based tool-set, and a technology platform tailored to location-based projects, called 7Scenes.

- Andrew Rhodes, ICT Consultant, Central Enfield CLC, United Kingdom - “How games are transforming our primary classrooms”

After last years’ conference (HHL08), Andrew Rhodes, ICT Consultant from Central Enfield City Learning Centre (CLC) returned totally inspired. Fast forward 12 months, and we have 11 primary schools involved in projects developing activities around games based learning. Schools have been using games consoles with a diverse range of games. Despite the range of titles, the aim of the projects is the same - to engage, be creative and tie together areas of the curriculum by using games as a contextual hub. During this session, you will find out about the underlying pedagogy, and teachers will explain how they mould the curriculum to the games. There will be a chance to hear from students, sharing their experiences of using games and games consoles as tools to help them learn. We will also share our experiences of using handheld learning consoles (Nintendo DSi) for assessing pupil progress and demonstrate how sound and digital image can be used as a powerful medium for students to show progress in their own work. There will opportunities to see how social networks have helped students and teachers working on the project, and teachers will share experiences of using ning to share practice. The project has been so well received that the CLC has been approached by the school improvement team to develop further projects. We will give you a brief insight into work we are developing around using Myst and Handheld devices to develop students writing, a key priority for the authority.

- David Peth, Producer, WGBH, United States - “How a Dog Trains You to Speak”

While much research has focused on classroom-based and interactive interventions in reading and phonics, comparatively little has explored the application of oral vocabulary teaching strategies in the design of mobile games. WGBH, in partnership with PBS, is currently developing a game for the iPhone & iPod Touch based on the \"Martha Speaks\" television series, which features a talking dog with a voluminous vocabulary. The goal of this game, like the series, is to increase oral vocabulary in primary school aged children. In our breakout session, we will make connections between research and practice as we share lessons learned during the development of this game. Discussion topics will include: the translation of pedagogy into a compelling game framework, comparing successful web-game development strategies to those for mobile games, formative user-testing results and strategies for summative evaluation.

- Catherine Geeroms, Games and Education project manager, Interactive Software Federation of Europe, Belgium - “Video games literacy:classrooms and (video) games?”

Video games are hybrid things that should be located between art, technology and culture. They also should be wonderful pedagogical tools. This abstract will propose how to analyze results from the “Games in Schools” survey, which has been leaded during 2008-2009. This survey aimed to observe uses of video games inside classrooms in Europe. After having presenting main results, this proposition will focused on some of them and put them in relationship with founder guidelines of media literacy. That will show us how it is important to literate people by and to video games now, as we would like to keep future generations more responsible regarding opportunities and risks of new technologies.

- Stuart Swann, CLC Scheme Manager, London Borough of Greenwich - “How Harnessing Handheld and Gaming Technologies can Help Raise Standards and Assist in Assessment For Learning”

The Greenwich Children and Young Peoples Plan (CYPP) has one overarching objective – ‘to raise standards at all key stages’. Over the past two years, the Greenwich CLC Scheme has implemented and supported a number of initiatives to help achieve this goal through the use of handheld technologies. Initiatives that have included: the use of PDAs in the secondary English and MFL Curriculum, using Nintendo DS across the early years, primary and secondary curriculums, and harnessing a range of handheld and gaming technologies to support Assessment for Learning – a key objective for Greenwich schools.
In his presentation, Stuart will draw on the experiences of Greenwich practitioners and pupils, as well as looking to the future and detailing how a new and exciting partnership with Nintendo UK will be rolled out across the borough to encourage more schools to embrace this 21st Century model of learning.

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