Using gaming paratexts in the literacy classroom

This paper illustrates how digital game paratexts may effectively be used in the high school English to meet a variety of traditional and multimodal literacy outcomes. Paratexts are texts that refer to digital gaming and game cultures, and using them in the classroom enables practitioners to focus on and valorise the considerable literacies and skills that young people develop and deploy in their engagement with digital gaming and game cultures. The effectiveness of valorizing paratexts in this manner is demonstrated through two examples of assessment by students in classes where teachers had designed curriculum and assessment activities using paratexts

Social, Casual and Mobile Games

This book is available as open access through the Bloomsbury Open Access programme and is available on www.bloomsburycollections.com. Social, casual and mobile games, played on devices such as smartphones, tablets, or PCs and accessed through online social networks, have become extremely popular, and are changing the ways in which games are designed, understood, and played. These games have sparked a revolution as more people from a broader demographic than ever play games, shifting the stereotype of gaming away from that of hardcore, dedicated play to that of activities that fit into everyday life. Social, Casual and Mobile Games explores the rapidly changing gaming landscape and discusses the ludic, methodological, theoretical, economic, social and cultural challenges that these changes invoke. With chapters discussing locative games, the new freemium economic model, and gamer demographics, as well as close studies of specific games (including Candy Crush Saga, Angry Birds, and Ingress), this collection offers an insight into the changing nature of games and the impact that mobile media is having upon individuals and societies around the world

Gamification Strategies as Socialization Tools in the Context of Paediatric Hospitalization

[ES] En la presente tesis doctoral se aborda el problema de la socialización de los pacientes pediátricos en el contexto de su ingreso hospitalario, estudiando las posibilidades de mejorar este ámbito de la salud del paciente mediante diversas estrategias y herramientas tecnológicas teniendo en cuenta la problemática planteada y las dificultades propias del contexto. En primer lugar, se realizará una evaluación del estado del arte, así como una justificación de la problemática existente, planteando claramente los objetivos e hipótesis del presente trabajo, así como la metodología seguida. A continuación, se presentarán las diferentes herramientas implementadas y evaluadas, analizando los resultados obtenidos y situándolos en su contexto y marco tecnológico. Estas herramientas, que combinan actividades y aplicaciones presenciales, remotas o híbridas, implementan diferentes estrategias para poder valorar cuáles son las más adecuadas o que presentan un mayor impacto en el paciente. Tras esto, se propone un modelo de diseño basado en los resultados obtenidos en estudios anteriores, así como su posible aplicación en diferentes ámbitos, discutiendo el mismo y justificando las decisiones de diseño adoptadas. Finalmente, se establecerán las conclusiones obtenidas tras el análisis de los resultados y se plantearán cuáles son las posibles aplicaciones y trabajos futuros relacionados con el trabajo realizado en el marco de la tesis doctoral.[CA] Aquesta tesi doctoral aborda el problema de la socialització dels pacients pediàtrics durant la seua estada hospitalària, i s'estudien les possibilitats de millorar aquest àmbit de la salut del pacient mitjançant diverses estratègies i eines tecnològiques, considerant la problemàtica plantejada i les dificultats pròpies de l'entorn. En primer lloc, es realitzarà una avaluació de l'estat de l'art, així com una justificació de la problemàtica existent, i es plantejaran clarament els objectius i la hipòtesi del treball, així com la metodologia emprada. Seguidament, es presentaran les diferents eines implementades i avaluades, analitzant els resultats obtinguts i situant-los al seu context i marc tecnològic. Aquestes eines, que combinen activitats i aplicacions presencials, remotes o híbrides, implementen diferents estratègies per a poder valorar quines són les més adients, o les que presenten un major impacte en el pacient. A continuació, es proposa un model de disseny basat en els resultats obtinguts als estudis previs, així com la seua possible aplicació en diferents àmbits, discutint el model i justificant les decisions de disseny adoptades. Finalment, s'establiran les conclusions obtingudes després d'analitzar els resultats i es plantejaran les possibles aplicacions i treballs futurs relacionats amb els continguts desenvolupats durant la tesi doctoral.[EN] In this document, the problems for socialization for pediatric patients in the context of their hospital internment are considered, analyzing the possibilities of improving this aspect of the patient's health through the use of different strategies and technological tools considering the difficulties posed by the environment and the context. In the first place, an evaluation of the state of the literature and a justification of the existing problematic will be presented, clearly stating the objectives and hypothesis of this work, and also the methodology that has been followed. Afterwards, the different tools that have been implemented and evaluated will be described, analyzing the obtained results and placing them in their context and technological frame. These tools, that combine physically placed activities and applications with remote or hybrid ones, implement different strategies in order to be able to analyze which are the most convenient or the ones that show a higher benefit for the patient. In the following section, a design model, which is based on the results obtained in the previous studies, is proposed, with the justification of the design decisions made and a description of different applications and contexts in which the proposed model could be useful. Finally, the conclusions obtained after the analysis of the results will be presented, and a short discussion about possible applications and future related works will be done.Thanks to the Ministry for Education, that have funded my research through grant FPU17/03333Montaner Marco, J. (2023). Gamification Strategies as Socialization Tools in the Context of Paediatric Hospitalization [Tesis doctoral]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/20155

Advocate, September 2013, Vol. [25], No. [1]

TABLE OF CONTENTS: From the Editor\u27s Desk: CUNY in the Kelly Era (p. 3) CUNY News in Brief (p. 5) Political Analysis: ‘It’s Exactly The Opposite!’: Modern Money Theory versus ‘Reality,’ J. A. Myerson (p. 7) Guest Columnist: Obama and Putin: Time for Diplomacy, Amy Goodman (p. 12) Rank and File: What’s at Stake in Graduate Organizing?, Karen Gregory (p. 14) Notes on My Summer of Uprising, Uğur Güney (p. 18) Book Review: The Strange Career of Samuel Delany, Lavelle Porter (p. 25) Art Review: Modernism Unmoored, Michael Busch (p. 31) Art Review: Explosions in the Sky, Clay Matlin (p. 33) Theater Review: Summer Theater Festivals in New York (p. 36) Dance Review: The Next Generation in Summer Dance, Meredith Benjamin (p. 43) News from the Doctoral Students\u27 Council: What You Need to Know about the DSC (p. 46) Ph.D. Comics, Jorge Cham (p. 48

Creativity support in games for motivated learning

A natural extension of play for creative thinking can innovatively drive technology-led changes to the facilitation of creative problem solving, and generate a new genre in serious gaming. Whilst the use of serious games has grown considerably in recent years, support for players to think creatively is often implicit in the game, and does not exploit the wide range of creativity techniques and software tools available. The work reported in this thesis is the first to explicitly integrate creativity support into serious games. The results show that creative serious games can systematically support acquisition of creativity skills, generation of creative learning outcomes, and induction of motivational and learning benefits amongst the players. Therefore, this thesis introduces the concept of explicit creativity support in serious games, with a focus on games for motivated learning in adult professional setting, and reports formative and summative evaluations of new prototype games for this setting, in order to instantiate, refine and validate the concept. The creative learning objective of the prototype games was to train carers in creativity techniques to deliver more person-centred care to people with dementia. The findings are delivered in the form of a new framework, which proposes recommendations for the design and understanding of creative serious games. Four formative evaluations of three prototypes of creative serious games with carers provided results that led to refinements of the framework and the design of more usable and effective games. A subsequent summative evaluation partially validated the framework, delivering both a framework and prototype creative serious game that demonstrated the potential to improve person-centred dementia care training. The thesis provides a proof-of-concept of the value of creative serious games, and shows the potential for the framework to be applied and have impact on other application domains

Gender in 21st century animated children's cinema

This e-book is the product of the activities carried out in the elective MA course 'Gender Studies: New Sexualities/New Textualities', taught in the Autumn/Winter semester of the academic year 2020-21, within the MA in Advanced English Studies of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. This collective volume authored by the students is focused on how gender is represented in current 21st century Anglophone animated children's cinema. The 57 films dealt with cover the period 2001-2020, from 'Monsters Inc' to 'Onward', and include analyses of film by Disney, Pixar, DreamWorks, Illumination Studios, Laika Studios, Blue Sky Studios and others

The portrayal of the Protestant minister in American motion pictures, 1951-1960, and its implications for the church today

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Boston UniversityProblem: To assess by the use of content analysis the Hollywood portrayal of the Protestant minister in feature films produced between 1951 and 1960, and state implications of this portrayal for the church in terms of recruitment for the ministry and expectations of the clerical role. Procedure: Categories of analysis were developed from a survey of the literature on the Protestant ministry and from existing content schedules used in motion picture research. A content schedule was devised to assess (1) the setting of the ministerial portrayal, (2) the minister as a person, (3) the minister and his family, (4) the minister's inter-personal relationships, (5) the minister's task, and (6) the minister's theology [TRUNCATED

Narrative motion on the two-dimensional plane: the “video-ization” of photography and characterization of reality

"Art is not truth. Art is a lie that enables us to recognize truth" Pablo Picasso Time, as known to many, is an indispensable component of photography. Period(s) included in “single” photographs are usually and naturally much shorter than periods documented in video works. Yet, when it comes to combining photos taken at different times on one photographical surface, it becomes possible to see remnants of longer periods of time. Whatever method you use, the many traces left by different moments, lead to the positive notion of timelessness (lack of time dependence) due to the plural presences of time at once. This concept of timelessness sometimes carries the content of the photo to anonymity, the substance becomes multi-layered and hierarchy disappears. This paper focuses on creating photographical narratives within the two-dimensional world. The possibility of working in layers with transparency within the computer environment enables us to overlay succession of moments seized from time on top of each other, in order to create a storyline spread in time that is otherwise not possible to express in a single photograph, unless properly staged. Truth with the capital T is not taken as the departure point in this article; on the contrary, personal delineations of temporary yet experienced smaller realities is suggested