ICT in Practice Issue 2

ISSN 2053-5104

ICT in Practice Transforming education through sharing knowledge and practice Created by educators from around the world ISSUE 2

P4 / VIDEO GAMES IN THE CLASSROOM What are the advantages of video games in the classroom?

P6 / GLOBAL PARTNERS JUNIOR Learning through online collaboration across the Globe

P14 / MACHINEERS What makes a good learning game?

WINTER EDITION JAN 2013

P16 / GAME MAKING The Educational Value of Children designing their own games

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In this issue Welcome to the 2nd issue of ICT in Practice. This time we are sharing our ideas and experiences of learning with digital games!

Since the first game ‘Space War’, developed by Steve Russell and other text-based adventure games, the dynamics of play has changed dramatically. As a result, today video and computer games have become a part of the daily lives of children and their potential to become instruments of education increased. Many educators believes that electronic tools such as games consoles, electronic toys and PCs offer play opportunities that are very important for promoting children’s development in numerous areas including,

mathematics, literacy and critical thinking. There is also some research showing that digital games may have a negative impact on the child’s writing and communication skills, furthermore some even have influence on their behavior. I don’t think that this argument will be resolved quickly, however the proven point is that children like computer games.

For children who play commercial games for fun outside of the school, educational games may not be that interesting at school, so the question is; how can people's passion for commercial games be captured and transferred to educational games? Thomas Malone suggests that the main reason that people play games, is

because they offer challenges, fantasy and curiosity, which can be seen as major ingredients for motivation, which is seen as the key for learning. So do game play and design have any educational value? Before answering this question we need to look at the different approaches. In this issue we have shared the view of educators, game designers and children. I hope that this will clarify some of the questions around game based learning.

Yasemin Allsop Editor yallsop@msn.com

Contents ‘Realizing the Advantages of Video Games in the Classroom’

by John Ferara

‘Global Partners Junior’

by Anissa Bazari page 6-8

‘Using technology in PE’

by Stephanie Zenonos page 9

‘New Educational Video Game, Word Raider: Escape, Engages Students in Innovative Ways’

by Naureen Ibrahim page 10-11

‘Enhancing Students’ ICT Skills through eTwinning’

by Marina Screpanti page 12-13

‘Machineers – What makes a good learning game?’

by Henrike Lode page 14-15

‘Educational Value of Children designing their own games’

by Yasemin Allsop page 16-17

‘Learning using E-books!’

by Des Hegarty page 18-20

‘Neighborhood E-mail Pen Pals: Finding Friends in Your Own Backyard’

by Danielle GoldfarbBedrick

page 4-5

page 21 ‘Building bridges between cultures through online collaboration’

by Yasemin Allsop page 22-23

‘Game design programs for Kids’ page 24 3

‘Teaching E-safety in Schools’

by Yasemin Allsop page 25

Realizing the Advantages of Video Games in the Classroom

by John Ferrara John Ferrara is a game design practitioner based in the greater Philadelphia area. He is the author of the book “Playful Design: Creating Game Experiences in Everyday Interfaces”, which explores how gameplay can be extended to conventional applications to effect deep social experiences, participatory learning systems, and meaningful cultural change. He is the lead designer of Fitter Critters, a game designed to transform 4th to 8th grade students’ attitudes toward nutrition. Please visit www.playfuldesignbook.com to find out more about John’s book.

Games of all kinds have long played a welcome role in education, from classroom exercises like

Among them:

spelling bees and geography-themed bingo to

They can serve as a laboratory for new concepts,

academic competitions like debating clubs and

allowing players to “learn by doing” and as a

Model UN. And for as long as computers have

complement to theory learned in parallel. Virtual labs are much more cost-effective than real ones,

Games place learning in an applied context

appeared in classrooms, video games like The Oregon Trail and Math Blaster have been

and enable applied learning for lessons and

embraced by teachers exploring new ways to

subjects where it otherwise wouldn’t be

engage and challenge their students.

available.

The rationale for incorporating these games into classroom instruction has often been that kids

Games can simulate conditions of the real world

devote huge amounts of time to playing

The rules of the natural world can be represented in computer games with tremendous fidelity and

recreational games, and so may take a greater interest in schoolwork if it came wrapped in

precision. Physics, geometry, math, and

pixelated packaging. Unfortunately it’s not that easy. Children are discerning consumers of

chemistry can all follow the same laws and manifest the same attributes in the game world

games, and may take faint interest in games that

that they do in real life.

don’t provide the same level of engagement to which the commercial market has acclimated

Games offer a safe environment

them.

for experimentation In recent years, there’s been an explosion of

While teachers couldn’t give students

interest in video games’ potential to effect

unsupervised control over a real chemistry lab,

significant change in the way people learn.

there’s no downside to letting them fiddle freely

Educators and researchers are also discovering that games offer benefits that reach far beyond

in a virtual one. Since there are no real-world consequences, students are empowered to ask “What if...?” and explore the boundaries of the

their cultural legitimacy and popularity.

game space to discover what happens under different conditions.

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One of the great strengths of video games

assessment of student performance.

Game-based tests can provide a different

is their ability to model complex systems

model for evaluating success, where

with many interacting parts, and to drop

students can try as many times as they

players right in the middle of those spinning gears. This gives players the

must to complete the game’s objectives.

Games promote systems thinking

opportunity to understand and manipulate

Grades can instead vary with the total number of objectives completed, the

the dynamic relationships between a whole

difficulty of each, and the quality with

and its parts.

which they were done.

Games invite players to adopt

Working with these attributes, designers can create educational games that make

unfamiliar roles Many video games encourage players to try on different roles, allowing students who may have never before imagined themselves as scientists, doctors, or titans of industry the opportunity to picture new prospective identities.

Games facilitate teamwork Online gaming has enabled collaborative

things possible that would otherwise be difficult to achieve in the classroom.

However, none of these advantages can be fully realized unless students are sufficiently invested in playing.

The success of any game ultimately hinges on whether players feel the experience of interacting with it to be intrinsically rewarding. It is the particular designs of

experiences that were previously impossible. While massively multiplayer

the commercial games that drive players’

games mediate teamwork in real time,

elements such as the conflict at the heart of

social games like Farmville and Words

the game, the core mechanic of play, the difficulty of the challenges, the system of

with Friends have pioneered asynchronous participation among people separated by both space and time.

interest in them. This includes fundamental

rewards, and the arc of the narrative. These are the things that make games worth playing. Educational games that focus on

Games build assessment into the experience The game itself can serve as the

getting these design elements right will achieve the greatest success in tomorrow’s classrooms.

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by Anissa Bazari, Program Manager I am Program Manager of Global Partners Junior, a technology driven education program that connects urban middle schoolers around the world. In this role, I have the privilege of working with educators from Accra to Vancouver to bring technology integration, global awareness, and project based learning to their classrooms. An incredibly diverse group of 2,500 students in 30 cities participate. Our many educators are equally diverse, creating the opportunity for an ongoing exchange of best practices from classrooms around the world. On any given day, I may speak with educators in Mumbai, Rio de Janiero, Hong Kong, Sydney, Bogota, London and New York, all of

whom share the same goals for their students but have different pedagogical perspectives. As a former New York City public school teacher, I am constantly amazed and invigorated by this exchange of ideas.

So how does Global Partners Junior work? Each week, students meet for 2-4 hours in classrooms around the world and communicate online about topics relevant to all cultures using a shared curriculum. They research facts about their communities and international cities, exchange messages on our password-protected website at gpjunior.tiged.org, and create multimedia projects and video greetings. Now in its ninth year, this program was developed by

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New York City Global Partners, the nonprofit organization that connects the Mayor’s Office of the City of New York to cities around the world.

The curriculum topic that guides students’ interactions changes every year to keep the conversation exciting. Past topics have included local and global business, environmental sustainability, and city parks.

Each curriculum is focused on issues relevant to urban youth and is developed by our staff in partnership with content area experts. The topic itself, while important, is less a central focus than a lens through which students can examine their own cities and draw comparisons with others.

by Anissa Bazari, Program Manager

For example, this year

dynamic representations of

own personality and priorities

students are collaborating on

their research. For the

to the shared curriculum;

the Urban Stages curriculum,

culminating project, students

some classes focus more on

which focuses on international

will transform an

introducing students to new

theater production. Students

underutilized space in their

technology tools, while others

explore elements of theater

community into a theater and

emphasize literacy skills and

such as playwriting and set,

create an original

knowledge of global cultures.

costume and sound design,

performance.

and share their learning with

Global Partners supports each

their international peers

One of the strengths of all

educator in adapting and

through blog posts, discussion

Global Partners Junior

implementing the curriculum

forums, and video chats. They

curricula is that they are

by providing student

will create hundreds of

adaptable to an immense

workbooks, lesson plans,

multimedia projects

variety of classroom contexts

enrichment activities and

throughout the year.

and focuses. The program was

assessment tools. Our staff

Highlights so far include a

developed in cooperation with

conducts professional

student-designed website and

the NYC Department of Parks

development sessions for

podcast about local theaters in

and Recreation, and was

participating educators,

Toronto; a promotional video

originally offered by Parks

focusing on topics such as

about current productions

afterschool programs. Global

technology integration, global

from Warsaw; and digitally

Partners has since expanded

awareness activities, and

designed storyboards of

the program within New York

evaluation and assessment.

international folktales from

City to include public schools

These sessions typically take

New York City. Students

and afterschool programs

place by conference call or

constantly explore new

operated by the NYC Housing

Skype, and are a fantastic

technology resources,

Authority, the New York

opportunity for educators to

employing both video editing

Public Library, and the Sports

ask questions, troubleshoot

and digital design software

and Arts in Schools

project ideas, and share the

and free online tools such as

Foundation. Each of these

great resources and lesson

Prezi, SketchUp and

groups, along with our 75

plans that have been

VoiceThread to create

international classes, brings its

successful in their classrooms.

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by Anissa Bazari, Program Manager

I have also had the pleasure of visiting Global Partners Junior educators in Mumbai, Delhi, London, and Toronto.

Many international educators have also visited New York City to participate in professional developments and get to know the Big Apple. These visits are a great opportunity to observe the varied ways educators implement the program in their classrooms and adapt it to their local curricula and standards.

Next year’s program will focus on digital storytelling in cities around the world.

Students will explore local and global fiction, nonfiction, and poetry, and create multimedia projects to bring their own stories to life. We plan to add even more great international schools to the program and welcome applications. Already we have schools participating in Accra, Berlin, Bogotá, Buenos Aires, Copenhagen, Cuernavaca, Delhi, Dublin,

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Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Kong, Jerusalem, Johannesburg, Karachi, Lima, London, Melbourne, Mexico City, Mumbai, Paris, Prague, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Shanghai, Singapore, Sydney, Tokyo, Toronto, Vancouver, and Warsaw.

Enrollment for the 2013-14 Global Partners Junior program is open. For more information or to request an application, please contact: gpjunior@cityhall.nyc.gov.

Using technology in PE

by Stephanie Zenonos PE Coordinator Wilbury Primary School, London, UK

For many teachers ICT is not a

somewhat embarrassing to ask

children are participating and

subject that they welcome. As P.E.

colleagues who all seem to know

behaving, as well as practicing their

coordinator I’ve come to realize P.E.

the ins and outs of a sporting

weekend dance moves! Win Win!

is also a subject that some people

encyclopedia! How can you teach

ICT can also be used not just in the

“shy” away from (to put it nicely!)

something that you’re not even sure

teaching aspect, but assessing

Like ICT, it’s a subject where

about yourself? YOUTUBE! The

children’s routines and skills. A

control can be very easily lost, as

creators of Youtube must be pure

quick recording using the ever

with so much exciting equipment

saints for allowing us the world of

trustful flip cameras and not only

the lesson, if

have you and your class instantly

not handled

created a tool to help you improve

correctly,

and critique sporting performances

can descend

but you have also created your own

into

youtube style video to teach others

mayhem!

across the school. The children love

Also with

to see themselves on the big screen

P.E. there is

(Interactive whiteboard to me and

the added

you) and it’s a terrific source of

fear that a child could do a serious

sport at our finger tips! Literally!

evidence for their achievements! So

injury, despite trying to wrap them

The only hassle now is which video

even the more anxious teacher

up in cotton wool! So when faced

to choose and making sure you have

should not feel nervous when it

with incorporating the two subjects,

censored it beforehand! Dance

comes to the dreaded duo. In fact, if

even the more experienced teacher

workout programs are becoming

used wisely, P.E. and ICT can be

may shiver in trepidation. However

part of many people’s usual exercise

combined to create a fun,

ICT in P.E is in fact a gift from the

regime, so making them a part of

memorable lesson enjoyed by all

heavens as it can be used to enhance

school life is just the obvious step!

(especially the teacher!) .

and improve lessons and even leave

Dance is a strand of P.E that many

the teacher free to concentrate on

people struggle with so a program

Visit http://gettechnofit.weebly.com/

behaviour management whilst

that breaks down those tricky dance

index.html to find out about ideas of

modern technology takes over some

steps not only does the hard work

Wilbury Children on keeping fit

of the teaching! How to throw a

for you, but also allows the teacher

using technology.

javelin? How to correctly hold a

to stand inconspicuously at the back

hockey stick? Questions that can be

of the room, ensuring all of the

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New Educational Video Game, Word Raider: Escape, Engages Students in Innovative Ways

by Naureen Ibrahim Modern-day video games immerse players in a virtual world where they assume a starring role in an adventure of some kind.

Players choose an avatar and proceed to run, jump, shoot, capture, explore, and carry out different kinds of missions to win rewards. Such games create high engagement in the players and keep them playing for hours on end.

What is it about video games that cause players to be so engaged? Whether it is the heroic cast of characters, compelling story lines, or the motivation to achieve big goals and gain rewards, video games certainly have a way of capturing your undivided attention.

Players feel a sense of urgency and challenge that keeps them focused and

motivated to continue playing.

Very similarly to the gaming world, actively engaging students is an important goal in education. “Teachers want to reach and engage their students in innovative ways,� said Mark Espinola, CEO of Ballard & Tighe, Publishers. This is why education developers have turned their attention to games in recent years.

Combining the intriguing aspects of games with good instruction encourages students to get excited about learning.

Providing rigorous content through a game-based format produces a state of focused motivation and promotes deep learning.

Players are in charge of

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their progress and are encouraged to take risks to achieve their goals.

Specifically designed for the rigors of the Common Core State Standards, Word Raider: Escape is an online academic vocabulary game where students master academic vocabulary typically found on state standards, standardized exams, and academic word lists. The game was created with the best features of modern, immersive video games in mind. It focuses on general academic vocabulary because that has been identified as a major factor influencing the achievement gap between English language learners (ELLs) and English proficient students.

A recent report by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) shows that “students

➡An animated word tile that comes to life to

who performed well on the vocabulary questions

inflections

also performed well in reading comprehension” while students who do poorly in vocabulary also

➡A student-friendly definition ➡A student-friendly sample sentence using the

gain low scores in reading comprehension (NAEP, 2012).

word in context ➡Word family (derivations of the word) and

illustrate the word meaning Part of speech and

sample sentences The report highlights what research has shown to be Through the dictionary, players can also earn more points when they power up their words by completing writing and speaking tasks. ✦Write the word ✦Write a sentence using the word ✦Record a sample sentence using the word ✦Record an answer to a prompt to demonstrate word understanding The benefits of delivering Word

a direct relationship between vocabulary knowledge and the ability for students to comprehend a text.

Raider in a video game format include: increased student engagement, instant feedback, repeated exposure to increase retention of meaning,

Word Raider was developed using the best vocabulary teaching practices. Players explore and

differentiated instruction, access at home or after

collect an “inventory” of words that they use to

school, and a teacher portal to monitor student

complete various games and puzzles. Every word is encountered more than 10 times in in reading,

progress and mastery.

writing, speaking, and listening tasks. By the time players complete their last quest in the game, they

To find more about Word Raider, visit

will have taken at least 1,100 assessment items

www.word-raider.com

without ever realizing it.

National Center for Education Statistics (2012). The

Players document and track their words in a virtual

Nations Report Card: Vocabulary Results From the 2009 and 2011 NAEP Reading Assessments, NCES

dictionary. The dictionary includes:

2013 452.

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Enhancing Studentsʼ ICT Skills through eTwinning

by Marina Screpanti “working“ and learning .

This is in fact the extra value of eTwinning: pupils work and learn without even realizing they are “studying”.

Students in fact have the opportunity to improve their ICT skills using the eTwinning tools such as the “pupils’ corner”,a corner especially designed for them in the project’s Twinspace, where students from different countries can easily stay in touch writing messages and letters, sharing materials and proposing personal ideas or stating their opinions.

Moreover working on the eTwinning projects gives students the opportunity to know and familiarize with a lot of useful tools and softwares that can enrich their projects.

The platform offers a series of tools that can be used in the development of the project, however, plenty of tools can be also found in the net or suggested by the NSS or the CSS or by the project’s partners. This creates an innovation in the work which increases the quality not only of the products and the results, but additionally of the educational processes. This then leads to acquiring a real technological competence.

So we can say that eTwinning is training to practice all of the expressive possibilities offered by digital communication: images, videos, audio resources, texts, digital presentations, videoconferences and combinations of these. geometry or maths http://www.etwinning.net/it/ pub/profile.cfm?f=2&l=en&n=38463 or science http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysEvwDphxNo made using technology. So these subjects become interactive, creative, original , in a word innovative and they motivate students to study them.

eTwinning is part of the LLP programme (Longlife Learning Programme). It was born in 2005 and in seven years it has been joined by lots of teachers from all over Europe. It can be considered one of the widest communities of teachers in the world. They can meet there, discuss, share and work together in a really collaborative way, giving life to creative and original projects able to motivate students but, I’d also say teachers too.

Lately eTwinning is thought of as a sort of social network both by teachers and especially by students who normallly use the Twinspace to communicate with their partners peers or to upload and have a look at project materials, without realizing that at the same time they are

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Usually an etwinning project gives the opportunity to use a lot of tools, such as emails, chat rooms, slide shows, images’ galleries, audio files, blogs, videoconferences, wiki, power-point presentations, e-books,…

Comparing eTwinning and traditional teaching methods, the first uses a methodology based on investigation, creativity, interdisciplinarity and abundance I think that the first benefits from this experience are for teachers. Personally, I have learnt a lot from the co-founder of my project “The new adventures of the Twinnies around the world” http://newtwinspace.etwinning.net/web/p33902 , winner of the European Prize 2012, in terms of ICT skills. As all materials have to be shared with the partners uploading them in the platform, it leads to learning how to manage it with the help of either their partners or of the National agencies that are always present with their assistance or using demo’s able to explain how to use the tools.

In this way all of the teachers’ new knowledge can be transferred to their students.

Another extra value is that it offers a new enthusiastic way to study school subjects.

of images, sounds, sources in general.

It provides students with the opportunity to “see” what they are learning, to investigate using different sources and tools, to “create” using a great variety of instruments and especially to communicate, studying.

All of the activities supported by the use of ICT lead to an increase of the students’ motivation. They diversify the quality of the project and increase its achievement.

Starting working on eTwinning is easy !

Clicking on www.etwinning.net and follow the instructions to register, all teachers could have a look at a great variety of projects that will lead them and their students to open their minds improving at the same time their ICT skills .

There are in fact plenty of eTwinning projects about their learning. They didn't act because they received feedback from a teacher to do better, they decided for themselves, which score was enough for their expectations and which actions to take when they achieved a low score; re-try or move onto a new task. This study shows the importance of understanding children’s idea of learning.

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problem solving and procedural literacy to children from 10 to 14 years. The term

Machineers: What makes a good learning game?

‘procedural literacy’ describes the ability to read and write processes, a skill that serves as a basis for understanding

by Henrike Lode

programming and other higher cognitive skills, like creativity and innovation.

Despite the fact that more and more

During their research they found that good

parents, teachers and game developers acknowledge the educational potential of

educational games should move away

computer games, good learning games are

from the behavioristic learning approach, where learning exercise and reward are

still rare. This is partly due to a lacking

not connected, which leads at best to

collaboration between educators and game

extrinsic motivation and rote

designers/developers and partly due to poor research.

memorization. To use the full potential of

In their Master thesis project at ITU

and learning content should not be not

Copenhagen, Denmark, the Games

viewed separately but merged together.

students Henrike Lode, Niels Frederiksen and Giuseppe Franchi explored options of

In Machineers this was achieved by

learning games, the learning activity itself must be intrinsically motivating: game

how to improve the design of learning

representing each learning aspect with a visual metaphor, which behaved exactly

games to achieve a better reception from

like the concept, but looked like an

players and provide a better learning

everyday object that the player was

experience.

already familiar with. Those single pieces

They developed the learning game

of information were then used as puzzle pieces that could be combined in a

Machineers, a 2D puzzle adventure that

number of different ways, creating

stealthily teaches logical thinking,

different meanings.

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Intrinsic motivation was established by combining the puzzle elements to a bigger machine

With the help of your feedback they might be able to improve the game in a way so it will fit your

that would deliver strong audiovisual and also

needs.

performative feedback.

About the author

Many children have developed some form of an aversion or a bias towards learning itself and learning games, which can be a problem for the learning experience. There is a good chance that keeping the serious purpose of the game secret and making the game look and feel like any other commercially available title helps establishing a positive mindset towards the game and increases the students motivation to engage with the material. This is why in Machineers there is a strong focus on high quality visuals, character, dialogue and story design.

This means also that the children can’t necessarily make the connection between the

Henrike Lode is a game developer from

experience in the game and the underlying context

Copenhagen, Denmark, born 1985 in East

of abstract programming theory by themselves.

Learning games are not meant to replace teachers

Germany. She studied ‘Media and Computing’ in

and classrooms but instead should be used by teachers to enrich the lesson and encourage

tutor/teaching assistant. As a scientific assistant at the research centre for computer games and

students to engage in the topic outside of the

interaction in Berlin she established and supervised

classroom.

a motion capture studio and held workshops

Berlin, and helped students learn programming as a

teaching students how to use it. She then proceeded So far Machineers has been tested quite a lot with children from 9 – 14 as well as older

to take a Master’s degree in Game Design at ITU Copenhagen in order to get closer to realizing her

players to confirm its optimal usability, intuitive

dream: “make learning fun” and is currently

controls, use of help options, etc., but what we haven’t tested yet is how the game could be

founding a company with her team to further develop Machineers.

integrated into a classroom setting. This is where you come in. If you are teaching any IT or technology related subject or would like to use our

Email:

henrike@machineers.com

game for any other reason in your class, please get in touch. The game is being constantly developed

Website:

www.machineers.com

Twitter:

www.twitter.com/Machineers

further, with the next part of it to be released in

Facebook:

www.facebook.com/Machineers

September 2013 and the developers are always looking for play-testers and focus testers, preferably amongst children from 8 years upwards.

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The Educational Value of Children designing their own games

by Yasemin Allsop ICT Coordinator, Wilbury Primary School

I remember the dissatisfaction of some people, when a colleague shared the video clip that was created by her Year 5 class (9/10 years old) during my studies. ‘Is that it?’ asked one of them to my surprise. I thought maybe that because he is a secondary class teacher, he

shouted out ‘What about other skills that they learned and developed?’ His reply was ‘What other skills?’ My reply was ‘Like team working, communication, problem solving, critical thinking’. Not much of a response.

was not sure what to expect from primary school children.

Maybe he had higher expectations than we did. But then, what are the criteria for evaluating children’s work when they learn with technology?

How advanced is the technology that’s used, or how good the finished work looked. If we can define ‘good’. Impatiently as usual, I quickly jumped in and

Maybe we need to rethink what learning is, especially when learning with technology. Is learning limited to grasping the knowledge of how to use a video camera, or to edit a clip using a software, or the skill of being able talk about it? If we say ‘All of them’, then how can we evaluate children’s learning for each single activity, as learning is a continual and

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overlapping process. We will be writing pages of learning objectives and success criteria.

So, What do children learn by game making? Lets think about the word ‘learning’. I am not going to try to define learning as I think it is more complex than just gaining knowledge, however, I will try to look at what constitutes learning?

According to Jessel (2012) learning is about developing our ability to think critically and to be analytical, to use information effectively, to make decisions, to think imaginatively, creatively and critically and to be sensitive to situations when these qualities are applicable. So learning, beyond the physical activity is very much related to the mental activities in a child’s mind. We can see this as learning behind the scenes. I’d also like to direct your attention to phrases ‘use information effectively, to make decisions’.

For one to use information appropriately and decide upon it involves reflective thinking, in other words metacognition. So we need to stop focusing on the impacts of game making on specific curriculum objectives, and start seeing the bigger picture of learning in mind.

With this inspiration I looked into the transferrable skills that children developed when they design their own games such as; communication, critical thinking, creativity and problem solving that are fundamental to learning both in school and the outside world.

Back in 2011, I ran a game design club for children where I had 11 pupils from a Year 5 class; 9 male and 2 female. The children used the Missionmakers software developed by Immersive Education to design their own games. The reason for selecting this program is it enables children to design 3D games very much like the ones that they play using their game console, in their words ‘real games’. This may give us a clue about the issues with educational games, where the ‘fun’ element is not always being captured to motivate learners to play. But this is a different discussion for another time. Lets have a look at the research summary.

study shows that the children had opportunities to develop some invaluable skills which are transferable to any area of learning such as; communication, critical thinking, advanced technology skills and working collaboratively. The game design process itself represented the aspects of creativity where children used their ideas and imagination to make games.

However this study did not aim to reflect on the impact of transferable skills on actual learning. Furthermore, there were elements of a child’s world, morals and culture reflected in their design process.

This is very important where understanding and meeting the needs of the learner is seen as the key to education in schools.

The children were engaged with the activity throughout the project and were surprised that they were allowed in their words to make 'real games, normal games'. Nevertheless it is hard to say if this had any impact on their attitude to learning and schools.

Reseach Summary:

So why should schools

In this study the educational

implement digital game

value of children authoring games was explored and the skills students developed during the game design process investigated. The result of this

making activities into their curricula. what are the benefits?

As discussed before, firstly by providing a learning environment, where children can develop and apply transferable skills that will have an impact on other areas of learning.

Critical thinking, problem solving communication skills are not just required for learning in any curriculum subjects, but, also dealing with real life situations outside of school.

Secondly, in order to communicate and understand today's digitally immersed learners, game design practices, can be used as a channel, to build a relationship between schools and learners, which may change the student's view towards school and learning itself. When children design games they reflect their culture, moral and values through narratives, characters and even the rules they make. Basically this can be seen as a window to the children's understanding of the world around them.

Thirdly, teaching children about games will enable them to understand and be critical of the media that they interact with in their daily lives. This is very valuable when the form of media changes constantly and impacts on children’s culture, how they communicate and how they understand the world.

This study was presented at 6th Eurepean Game Based Conference in 2012. To read the full research please visit www.academic-bookshop.com The 7th Eurepan Game Based learning Conference will take place on 3-4 October 2013 in Porto, Portugal.

Please visit http://academic-conferences.org/ecgbl/ecgbl2013/ecgbl13-home.htm to find out more about the conference.

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Teaching and Learning with E-books!

by Des Hegarty try and inventive ways to torture your Kindle! In fact my advice would be to buy a protective case to minimise the risk of damage.) Once an e-book is purchased they take an enormous amount of effort to delete. Children’s books can become quite dog-eared and battered in relatively no time at all. But thanks to back-ups of course the book will always appear pristine on your screen!

Most devices have an onboard dictionary!

This is a great discovery option for children.

They can instantly look up the definition to words they have just accessed and it encourages them to be independent to do this.

E-readers are portable! Wherever you go you can travel with your own personal library providing instant entertainment! One device can hold hundreds of books (think of the storage you’re saving!)

An e-book can be easily shared! There’s no need for children to fight over one book when it can be shared among multiple devices. So one copy of an e-book can be accessible simultaneously to lots of children on their own e-reader.

You can scribble down notes and ideas as you read! Most e-readers have the facility to write on the page which can be handy for referencing while doing schoolwork.

Put away your sandwich boards of doom foretelling the end of books as we know it. Ebooks and apps are just another way of celebrating words in a newer format. The learning is still there and the opportunities within a story can grow and provide a child with an in depth appreciation of the narrative. So don’t be so glum. Read on...

The way we read is changing. Technology is revolutionising how we access books. This has seen a shift in publishing too with the printed word making the transition to the touch screen.

Parents and teachers will be thinking about how this affects their children.

But don’t panic! As adults it may take us a little longer to adapt to new technology but children just get stuck in – and they are particularly adept with gadgets. I am often given tips from my Year 1 class (age 5 and 6) which I graciously accept!

Technology is assisting the culture of reading to blossom and is giving stories a whole new dimension. It is enhancing the narrative experience. In this article I’ll look at the merits of e-readers and apps to try and give a bit of peace of mind.

Let’s face it. E-readers are a much better investment than video games too! (I can tell that not all of you are convinced!) A lot of children have grown up with a handheld game console.

Wouldn’t it be better to exchange them for a something that has its intention in learning instead?

My Top 5 Reason to invest in E-readers If you, as a parent or teacher are still unsure whether to invest in an e-reader then here are my top 5 reasons to buy: E-books are virtually indestructible! (The devices are of course less indestructible so don’t

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Everybody’s App-y!

Let me talk about apps. Are you sitting comfortably? Then I’ll begin...

E-books and apps give us another alternative to teach our children in inventive ways. The tactile discovery is temptingly addictive and provides a great

book, matching pairs, spot the difference and jigsaw. One of the most fun is a ‘make a face’ option which includes camera feed to mimic expressions such as angry, happy, worried and surprised. All of these things help to embed the story in more

children it is a well worth investment.

‘hook’ for young minds to extend their imaginations.

However, some apps can suffer from having too much interaction which distract children from the story. So the balance must be - as Baby Bear famously says - just right.

Take ‘Pip and Posy’ for example. It’s beautifully illustrated by a master of storytelling Axel Scheffler (illustrator of ‘The Gruffalo’ of course) and takes full advantage of the touch screen to tell its story. It has some engaging features too such as a colouring

inventive ways.

Schools have a huge opportunity to explore these apps in the classroom. More and more schools are equipping themselves with touchscreen devices and should also invest time in researching the best apps to accompany the learning.

One I would personally recommend is ‘The Three Little Pigs’ app (http://nosycrow.com/ apps/the-three-little-pigs ). I won’t spoil it by giving you a review, only to say that it is marvellous and for primary age

providing another alternative to how to access texts. And though the industry is growing it’s not set to take over quite yet.

As long as we can provide children with great characters and brilliant stories and can generate some excitement in the way we promote them, then children will continue to learn and enjoy and enthuse into adulthood.

(Check out some apps over at The Oxford Reading Tree http://www.oxfordowl.co.uk/ teacher )

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Books vs E-books In my most humble opinion, children’s apps can coexist with printed books rather than replace them outright. It’s

All about me!

Since becoming a primary school teacher all sorts of weird and wonderful opportunities have come my way and they have manifested themselves through my writing. Teaching has given me a creative licence to invent my own stories and share them with an effervescent fan base. I contribute resources regularly to the Guardian Teacher Network and some have even highlighted in the paper itself.

Zoo’.This book is bound to get your children to sketch – it’s phenomenal (and our story’s not bad either). Order your copy and discover Chris here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/My-Daily-Zoo-DrawingActivity/dp/1933492635/ref=sr_1_1? ie=UTF8&qid=1354489317&sr=8-1

STORYSPLAT This year saw the launch of STORYSPLAT – an online primary blog for stories, authors, books, media...and SPLATS! Join me and subscribe as each week I post something silly to share. My exploits recently took me to the Children’s BAFTAs where the celebrity contingent all gave me story ideas to share in schools.

I invite you to take a look and share some of the things I’ve been involved in and let me know what you think!

Films In order to allow my stories to reach as many as possible I adapted a couple into short films (- with the mega-talented Danny Searle). You can view them and have a good chuckle by clicking the links.

I’ll keep you updated with news as it happens and you can follow me on Twitter @TheGrizzlegrog.

But I’ll sign off with a Didi the Dodo comic strip from Mauritius Now. Enjoy!

Des Heggaty

‘Gus Gus You are a Superstar’ http:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePrPdDYaOQw tells the tale of a gorilla unlike any other who has a hidden singing talent and has a dream to become a West End star.(Gus is a supporter of the charity ‘Children with Cancer Uk’ and you can check them out here www.childrenwithcancer.org.uk/ )

Didi’s First Flight!

‘The Grizzlegrog’ http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=CDkd6HG1chQ&feature=player_detailpage stars a rather sneaky fox who decides to trick his other nocturnal friends with ghastly tales of the mysterious ‘Grizzlegrog’.

(You can also buy the e-book by clicking here: http://www.lulu.com/shop/search.ep? type=eBooks&keyWords=The +Grizzlegrog&sitesearch=lulu.com&q=&x=0&y=0 )

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Books and Inspiration And if you fancy being inspired then let me direct to my friend Chris Ayers www.chrisayersdesign.com . He is a graphic artist in Los Angeles and he has created some of the most amazing animals I’ve ever seen. He is incredibly gifted and his talent goes beyond the limits of normal. He was very generous to Kerry (my wife) and I by allowing us to write some prose about him which he published in his book ‘My Daily

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Neighborhood E-mail Pen Pals: Finding Friends in Your Own Backyard

by Danielle Goldfarb-Bedrick NYC Parks Computer Resource Centers (CRC’s), New York City, USA

For the past 13½ years I have been a technology educator at a recreation center that is located in a part of New York City that is considered “isolated” due to the fact that it’s on a peninsula and transportation outside of the peninsula is very limited, so much to the fact that there is only one train system and two bus systems that run in and out of the area. Even with this knowledge, I would always find it odd that when we were able to have field trips for our afterschool youth to other parts of New York City, the children would be in complete awe of their surroundings. It was as though they were visiting a foreign country for the very first time, taking in the sights, people, making notes mentally of what they saw and did whilst there. It was after such field trips that I developed an Email Pal Project within the Parks & Recreation Computer Resource Centers.

The concept was for our children to pair off with other peers and have a general email exchange. The first year there was no set curriculum and the goal was only to work on the technology, literacy, and reading comprehension. It was a huge success. We had a total of 20

children participating from each center and had paired them off with counterparts in the borough of Manhattan. Each child (with parental permission) was given their own free email address (we had used the Yahoo! email at the time). The program had run for a total of 6 months meeting once per week for an hour and a half.

Our recreation center is located

in an area of New York City that is known for its low literacy rates, this program had helped immensely by reinforcing vocabulary, reading skills, reading confidence (reading better out loud to a group of peers), and reading comprehension. To personally see firsthand a positive increase in literacy skills in a child is as though we’ve given them a gift that they can use to get ahead in life. It made me feel secure as an educator that these children will be prepared not only to move

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onto the next level of learning but also to have more potential and to have a secure future of success.

Of course this program developed technology skills.

Each school year that we ran this program, I saw that the children who had poor or limited technology skills and through this program they are able to improve upon them, whether it be learning how to type, do basic internet searches for information, composing and sending an email, putting together a video or slide show as part of a project and then attaching it to an email were all necessary skills for a child to know how to do. The look on a child’s face when they learn something technology related that they didn’t know before is priceless to see and it makes them not only want to learn more but it enriches their overall life as well.

This type of program would not only work well for children but also with older individuals as well. We all realize as educators that technology leads the future and why not open every opportunity to individuals of every age.

British Council Connecting Classrooms Project Wilbury Primary School, London, UK & Ronggui Primary School, Shunde, China

by Yasemin Allsop

Wilbury Primary School and Ronggui Primary School have been working on a joint project for 4

sending one-to-one messages made the project more exciting.

years. This year the project focused on empowering children with skills and knowledge, so that they can

By taking part in this project, the children

contribute positively to our global society. It also

developed their understanding of other cultures, to

aimed to build trust and understanding between the children from different societies and cultures.

be sensitive about others beliefs and to work as a team with other children, not only from the UK but also from China. They learned about art, poetry,

During my visit to China in November I had an

literature and the education of each country, this

opportunity to work with children and their teachers

helped them to build the foundations for a long-term

on how to use wiki’s for learning collaboratively.

The training sessions were well received and the

relationship.

impact was visible through their use of the wiki

The project not only helped the children to

shortly afterwards.

develop their writing, speaking and listening skills but also provided

The children learned about each

opportunities to practice and apply

countries culture

higher level skills

through dance,

such as; problem

literature, art and

solving, decision

technology. The children in the UK

making, communication,

looked at Chinese

collaboration and

myths and legends

creativity through

as part of their

learning with

literacy curriculum, then turned it into

technology. Their interest in Chinese

an animation in

culture through this

ICT lessons. They shared their work on a shared

project has increased so much and we will continue

wiki. They edited the wiki pages collaboratively and

to work with our partner school in the future. For

participated in forums. The way the wiki was used, changed the dynamics of the project, as the children

more information please visit: http://connectingclassroomswithchina.wikispaces.com/

became more aware that they were working with real people from China, not just names. Sharing images,

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Building bridges between cultures through online collaboration

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Game Design Programs For Kids http://www.adventuremaker.com/ It is a free game design tool which allows you to create point-and-click games without any programming. Just insert your pictures, add some hotspots to link the pictures and it is done. http://gamefroot.com/ You can make instant games that can be played online and on iPhone. You can share your games with the world if you like.

http://www.stencyl.com/ Stencyl allows you to create 2D flash games without knowing any coding.

It is easy to use it and you are in full control of your game design.

http://www.yoyogames.com/gamemaker/studio GameMaker allows users to create video games without any prior knowledge of programming languages.

http://www.sandboxgamemaker.com/ Sandbox Free 3D Game Maker is a free open source 3D Game Maker, world creator and 3D Game Design program. It allows kids and adults to create their own video games, worlds, levels, adventures and quests.

http://www.alice.org/ Alice and Alice Storytelling were created at Carnegie Mellon University as a way to introduce complex programming concepts to students. Users can create interactive 3-D environments using 3D objects. http://www.kodugamelab.com/ Kodu is an easy to use free game design and programming software. You can use it to create elaborate 3D landscapes and build complicated, immersive games.Kodu is available for the PC and for the Xbox.

http://www.sploder.com/ It allows you to create games online and share with your friends by publishing on the Internet or via email.

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Teaching E-safety in Schools

by Yasemin Allsop As we use the Internet and other digital technologies more and more in our classrooms, it is our duty of care to educate the children on the responsible use of technology and teach them how to stay safe when using the Internet and other technologies. As a main stepping stone, developing a framework of e-safety policies can help schools to implement and monitor that technology is used appropriatley. When developing an esafety policy it is very important to involve the whole school community; staff, children, governors and parents. Athough the headteacher and governors have the main responsibilty for internet safety, it is advisable to have another designated staff member as an e-safety coordinator, not necessarily the ICT coordinator and the whole school needs to be informed who this person is. An acceptable use policy for staff, children and visitors should also be developed and updated regularly in line with the recent policy changes.

Raising awareness of E-safety Issues should be a continual process!!!

Safer Internet Day which is celebrated in February every year can be used as a tool for promoting safer and more responsible use of online technology and mobile phones. Although this is a good way of raising awarenes, we need to make sure that all year around activities and a more intense planning of e-safety embedded into the school curricula. This year in our school we embedded e-safety into our ICT Curriculum and decided to use a whole 6 weeks of Spring to teach children from Foundation Stage to Year 6 about how to keep safe when using digital technology.

Organising E-safety assemblies, placing posters around the school, sticking leaflets of acceptable use and e-safety issues, where computers/laptops/handheld devices are used can also be useful. Having e-sfaety as an agenda item at governors meeting, organising regular training sessions for staff and workshops for parents are other ways of raising awareness of e-safety issues.

There are also abundent online resources avilable to support you with embedding e-safety into your school life: http://www.swgfl.org.uk/Staying-Safe: South West Schools Learning Grid have brilliant e-safety policy samples to support you with writing your own policy document. www.kidsmart.org.uk : Kidsmart is an award winning practical internet safety programme website for schools, young people, parents, and agencies, produced by the children's internet charity Childnet International. http://www.net-detectives.org/index.html : Net Detectives is a project produced by Childnet International aimed at 9-12 year olds. The online role-plays take place on a specific day for up to two hours. Students work in teams from their classroom and receive message clues that gradually explain a scenario that is unfolding. http://www.childnet-int.org/kia/ : Know it all is Childnet’s multi award-winning suite of education resources designed to help educate parents, teachers and young people about safe and positive use of the internet.

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EDITOR Yasemin Allsop

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