Begoña Gros

Digital Games in Education: The Design of Games-Based Learning Environments.

Abstract In recent years, electronic games have assumed an important place in the lives of children and adolescents. Children acquire digital literacy informally, through play, and neither schools nor other educational institutions take sufficient account of this important aspect. We consider that multimedia design for training and education should combine the most powerful features of interactive multimedia design with the most effective principles of technologically-mediated learning. An examination of the evolution of the design of videogames is a good way to analyze the main contributions and characteristics of games-based learning environments. At the same time, we will discuss the main obstacles and challenges to the use of games for learning.

Instructional design for Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning in primary and secondary school

The study of Computer Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) has a relatively brief history, yet despite this there have already been substantial changes in the nature of the research being undertaken in this field. Initially, the primary aim was to determine whether collaborative learning was more effective than learning alone and if so in what circumstances. In fact, many studies highlight the positive effects of social interaction on learning (Dillenbourg, 1999; Koschmann, 1996) and indicate that collaborative learning would seem to be more in keeping with the needs of the ‘‘information society’’, in which cooperative relationships, shared decisions, diversity and communication are becoming the dominant values. Computers have typically been used for individual learning but, given the positive findings reported for collaborative learning and the need to educate individuals to work together, it has become apparent that the use of computers can constitute a particularly valuable context for social interaction. As a result, the need to design learning environments that facilitate social interaction, cooperation and collaboration in the classroom has gained growing recognition. Recently, research interest has shifted away from considering simply the outcomes and products of collaborative work, towards analysing interactions as a means of gaining insight into the processes of collaborative learning. The aim of such analyses is to identify what constitutes productive collaborative activity. Most of the research in collaborative learning has been focused in four different areas: (1) The study of cognitive differences: a comparison between learning alone and learning in groups adopting a variety of psychological approaches (developmental, sociocognitive, etc), (2) The design of systems to facilitate collaborative learning, (3) The analysis of the implications for curriculum design (role of teachers, students, etc.), and (4) The consideration of the nature of interactions. In reviewing these areas the paper focuses attention on the way in which current instructional design theories can be used to design collaborative learning environments in primary Computers in Human Behavior 17 (2001) 439–451 www.elsevier.com/locate/comphumbeh

Gaming and multimedia applications for environmental crisis management training

Environmental crisis management training has been mainly focused on the individual task and responsibilities of the team members, rather than on the team aspects. This paper will discuss the possibilities of using computer support and collaborative training to improve the staff training in crisis situations. The paper is based on the description and the results of GAMMA-EC Project (GAMMA-EC was developed within the Fourth Framework Programmes sector Educational Multimedia of the Telematics Applications Programme. The project started in July 1998 and was finished in December 2000. www.tno.nl/instit/fel/gamma_ec.) that was developed with the aim of improving the training of the environmental emergency staff in decision-making and in communication.

The design of smart educational environments

This paper discusses the key characteristics of smart learning and the main challenges to be overcome when designing smart educational environments to support personalisation. In order to integrate smart learning environments into the learning ecosystem and educational contexts, innovative uses and new pedagogical approaches need to be implemented to orchestrate formal and informal learning.This contribution describes the main characteristics of smart learning and smart learning environments and sustains the relevance of taking the participation of future users into account during the design process to increase knowledge of the design and the implementation of new pedagogical approaches in smart learning environments.

Partnerships for Knowledge Building: An Emerging Model

Knowledge Building is approached in this study from an organizational perspective, with a focus on the nature of school-university-government partnerships to support research-based educational innovation. The paper starts with an overview of what is known about effective partnerships and elaborates a conceptual framework for Knowledge Building partnerships based on a review of literature and two case studies of school-university-government partnerships. In one case, a Ministry of Education wanted to bring more vitality into schools of small remote villages, and in the other case another Ministry of Education wanted to renew its school-based international cooperation profile. Emerging from this work is a three-component model for going to scale with Knowledge Building partnerships: Knowledge Building as a shared vision; symmetric knowledge advancement; and multi-level, research-based innovation. Characteristics of, and conditions for, effective partnerships for Knowledge Building are elaborated, and an emerging model is developed to help communities establish effective partnerships and contribute to this evolving model.

The Design of Learning Environments Using Videogames in Formal Education

The fundamental aim of this contribution is to analyze the design of learning environments using videogames in schools. This analysis is the result of work done by our research team in primary and secondary education in Spain. Our interest is to analyze how content and strategies in education should be learnt via the use of digital games. During the last decade, the amount of research on this field has increased considerably. The problem of integrating videogames into education will lessen over time and, in particular, as a consequence of pedagogical proposals that allow the integration of the experience of play with the learning experience. In this contribution, we describe the pedagogical model for the integration of the videogames used. We analyze the results obtained in relation to those obtained in similar studies. Finally, we consider the most important advantages and disadvantages of the use of videogames in schools.

Students as co-creators of technology-rich learning activities in higher education

This article describes an ongoing study that, ultimately, aims to help students become co-creators of their courses. It discusses methodologies to support student empowerment and engagement.It uses the Learner Centric Ecology of Resources perspective (Luckin 2006) to explore the experiences of teachers and students from two different universities as they participated in co-design processes for selecting digital resources during the design of the courses.The data presented in the study was collected during the design workshops with the participation of teachers and students. The Ecology of Resources Design Framework was identified by the participants as a good facilitator during the co-design process. However, time seems to be a critical factor. A sustained dialogue over time is required to generate the context of trust needed between students and teachers and to explore the different levels of expertise.

The Dialogue Between Emerging Pedagogies and Emerging Technologies

This chapter discusses the mutual influence of emerging technologies and emergent pedagogies. The potential of one specific technology or application has to be analysed in a particular scenario. We maintain that the dialogue between technology and pedagogy is absolutely necessary because there is a constant influence between them. The difference is that as technology becomes more invisible, pedagogy needs to make its practices visible offering practices that take into account the fundamental needs of modern society. This chapter is divided into three sections. Firstly, we will describe the main educational challenges of the networked knowledge society. Secondly, we will centre on the main directions and theories that support emergent pedagogies. Finally, we will conclude this chapter with an analysis of the implications and relationship between emerging pedagogies and emergent technologies.

Integration of Digital Games in Learning and E-learning Environments: Connecting Experiences and Context

Researchers and educational practitioners are increasingly turning their attention towards the effects of the use of digital games for learning. Many games satisfy the basic requirements of learning environments and can support the teaching and learning process. However, an in-depth understanding is needed of the different possibilities that digital games can provide in order to successfully integrate educational methods and game design. The main goal of this chapter is to analyse how the use of digital games could be integrated into learning with special emphasis on the importance of games for connecting experiences, context and learning. The chapter starts with a description of the different terminology used in the field of game-based learning. Then, we provide a summary of the main results obtained by researchers regarding the potential of digital games to support learning and we analyse the main directions for using game-based learning.

Organisational computer supported collaborative learning: the affect of context

Abstract The purpose of this introduction is to provide a brief overview of the articles in this special issue and also a framework for understanding, designing and evaluating strategies for co-operative learning in the workplace and in educational environments. The special edition is divided into two parts—Issue 1: Computer Supported Collaborative Learning in Formal Education, and Issue 2: Computer Supported Team and Organisational Learning in Workplaces. In general, Issue 1 focuses on collaborative learning in primary and secondary schools and in the University setting. Issue 2 is meant to focus on learning in complex and often highly stressful work situations which mostly require intensive communication in groups or teams and in each case allow for learning in the wider organisation. This introduction outlines a set of themes that can be found in the following papers and traces briefly how each paper fits within each discussion.