Storyline-Based Videogames in the FL Classroom

The use of videogames in the foreign language (FL) classroom seems to be gradually increasing nowadays. TICs are making the lives of educators easier and their teaching methods more effective; these positive experiences make that researchers in this field are constantly introducing and developing new teaching methods and electronic applications. This paper suggests the use of storyline-based videogames in the FL classroom in order to enhance students’ learning process and their communication outcomes through interactive and engaging tasks that raise their motivation. This research has been based on a literature review about the use of supportive material in the field of foreign language learning and it suggests that these interactive materials may be applied in the same way that traditional workbooks and e-workbooks have been used for several years. This proposal is addressed to teaching professionals interested in the use of videogames and to editorials of language teaching materials

Learning in transformational computer games: Exploring design principles for a nanotechnology game

Transformational games are digital computer and video applications purposefully designed to create engaging and immersive learning environments for delivering specified learning goals, outcomes and experiences. The virtual world of a transformational game becomes the social environment within which learning occurs as an outcome of the complex interaction of persons and digital resources. Engaging individuals with learning in these societal situations means concepts and skills are connected to the context and remain a powerful tool for decision making and problem solving in the world. Yet, a range of barriers need to be overcome to make a game effective for its educational purpose. In this paper we discuss the learning and game design principles explored and used to develop a nanotechnology game. The game development experience is framed by a review of the educational theory informing our project and the questions that are driving our future research as we take the nanotechnology game into the classroom to investigate its impact on students’ engagement with science. We propose that transformational will be an important component of the re-crafting of teaching and learning in the digital age and that the transformational potential of computer games can extend well beyond science and even schooling

When the videogames wrote the Holocaust: Analysing "Wolfenstein: The New Order" (Machinegames, 2014)

El artículo pretende ser un análisis de Wolfenstein: The New Order (Machinegames, 2014), el primer videojuego en construir una narración que incorpora de manera explícita distintos contenidos relacionados con el Holocausto Se pretenden evaluar de manera crítica los distintos elementos que generan significación dentro del videojuego, utilizando para ello tanto un enfoque estético (construcción visual, narratividad) como ético (posibilidades y límites de la representación del Holocausto). Para ello, optaremos por una doble metodología de análisis formal y temático, heredera de los procesos de análisis fílmico holocáustico pero convenientemente adaptada al lenguaje del videojuego. El trabajo resultará pionero no sólo por la cercanía con el objeto de estudio, sino por la propia necesidad que éste exige a la hora de adaptar las herramientas analíticas ya establecidas en los procesos de significación de la representación holocáustica a un formato polémico y nunca antes utilizado con estos fines.Our paper tries to propose an analyse of Wolfenstein: The new order (Machinegames, 2004), the first videogame who shows explicitly several representations of the Holocaust. We will evaluate critically the different elements who create meaning in an aesthetical level (visual construction, narrative aspects) and an ethical level (possibilities and limits of the Holocaust´s representations). Methodology: We will use a mixed methodology based on the formal and narrative levels, adapting the classical theories about the representation of the Holocaust into the videogames ´code. Results: The work will be pioneering not only for the newness of the object of study, but for the adaptation to the classical analytical tools about the Holocaust in a polemic and new format, never used before with those intentions

Medieval Victoria-Gasteiz Interaction between virtual and augmented reality in the 16th century

[ES] Vitoria-Gasteiz Medieval es un juego que permite conocer la historia y la forma de vida de esta villa en el Siglo XVI, la cual ha sido reconstruida a través de un software procedural. Esta aplicación interactiva permite disfrutar de una experiencia que fusiona la parte virtual con una visita a las calles de la ciudad en la actualidad, lo cual  os permitirá viajar a través del tiempo. El juego se convierte en una competición en la que los usuarios tendrán que superar retos y podrán disfrutar de las ventajas que ofrece la realidad aumentada. El objetivo principal del proyecto es la transmisión del patrimonio cultural. Esto se realiza a través de una de las mejores vías para ello, de una forma divertida. Aprender “jugando”. Siendo la educación y el turismo los principales campos de aplicación.[EN] Medieval Vitoria-Gasteiz’s game provides information about the history and lifestyle of this town in the 16th century, which has been rebuilt through procedural software. This interactive application allows you to enjoy an experience that merges the virtual party with an ‘in situ’ visit to the city’s streets nowadays, enabling travel through time. The game becomes a competition in which users have to overcome challenges and could enjoy Augmented Reality’s benefits. The main goal of the project is the cultural heritage transmission. And this is done through one of the best ways to do this, in a funny way. Learn “playing”. Being education and tourism the main application fields.Este proyecto ha sido parcialmente financiado por el Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación de España.Pérez-Valle, A.; Sillaurren, S.; Aguirrezabal, P.; Gómez De Segura, JD.; Sagasti, D. (2013). Vitoria-Gasteiz Medieval Interacción entre realidad virtual y aumentada en el siglo XVI. Virtual Archaeology Review. 4(9):190-197. https://doi.org/10.4995/var.2013.4273OJS19019749ABT, C. (1970): Serious games. New York: Viking.AMES, C. (1992): Classrooms: Goals, structures and student motivation. Journal of Educational Psychology, 84(3), pp. 273-287. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.84.3.261BARAB, S. A., SCOTT, B., SIYAHHAN, S. GOLDSTONE, R., INGRAM-GOBLE, A., ZUIKER, S., & WARREN, S. (2009): "Transformational play as a curricular scaffold: Using videogames to support science education", in Journal of Science Education and Technology, 18, pp. 305-320. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10956-009-9171-5BAZLEY M., LEFTWICH M. Pedagogy and design: understanding teacher use of on-line museum resources. Museums and the web, 2009.BUHALIS, D. & LAW, R. (2008): "Progress in information technology and tourism management: 20 years on and 10 years after the Internetdthe state of eTour- ism research", in Tourism Management, 29(4), pp. 609-623. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2008.01.005CHEONG, R. (1995): "The virtual threat to travel and tourism", Tourism Management, 16(6), pp. 417- 422. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0261-5177(95)00049-TFRITZ, F.; SUSPERREGUI, A. & LINAZA, M. (2005): "Enhancing cultural tourism experiences with augmented reality technologies", in M. Mudge, N. Ryan, & R. Scopigno (Eds.), The 6th International Symposium on Virtual Reality Archaeology and Cultural Heritage VAST (pp. 20-21). The Eurographics Association. Retrieved from http://public-repository.epochnet. org/publications/VAST2005/shortpapers/short2005.pdfGONZÁLEZ-GONZÁLEZ, C. & BLANCO-IZQUIERDO, F. (2011): "Designing social videogames for educational uses"Computers & Education, 58(1), 250-262. Elsevier Ltd http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2011.08.014JONES, B.; VALDEZ, G.; NOWAKOWSKI, J. & RASMUSSEN, C. (1994): Designing learning and technology for educational reform. IL: North Central Regional Educational Laboratory.KEBRITCHI, M. & HIRUMI, A. (2008): "Examining the pedagogical foundations of modern educational computer games", in Computers & Education, 51, pp. 1729-1743.KETELHUT, D.J. (2007): "The impact of student self-efficacy on scientific inquiry skills: An exploratory investigation in River City, a multi-user virtual environment", in The Journal of Science Education and Technology, 16 (1), pp. 99-111. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10956-006-9038-yKRETSCHMER, U. (2002): Using Mobile Systems to transmit location based information. Proc. of the Photogrammetric Computer Vision, (Graz, Austria, Septembre 9-13). B-129.PANZOLI, D. et al. (2010): "A Level of Interaction Framework for Exploratory Learning with Characters in Virtual Environments", Studies in Computational Intelligence. 321 (2010), Springer, pp. 123- 144.PAPAGIANNAKIS, G., SCHERTENLEIB, S., et al.: Mixing virtual and real scenes in the site of ancient Pompeii. Computer Animation and Virtual Worlds 16, 1 (February 2005), pp. 11-24. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/cav.53ROBLES-ORTEGA, M.D.; FEITO, F.R.; JIMÉNEZ, J.J. & SEGURA, R.J. (2011): Web technologies applied to virtual heritage: An example of an Iberian Art Museum. Journal of Cultural Heritage, 1-6 Elsevier Masson SAS. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.culher.2011.10.001THOMAS, W. & CAREY, S. (2005): "Actual/virtual visits: what are the links?", in J. Trant, & D. Bearman (Eds.), Museums and the web 2005: Proceedings, toronto: Archives & museum informatics. http://www.archimuse.com/mw2005/papers/thomas/ thomas.html. Accessed 22 .04.09.WALCZAK, K. & WIZA, W.R. (2007): Designing Behaviour-rich Interactive Virtual Museum Exhibitions. Technology, 2007.WELLS, S.; FRISCHER, B.; ROSS, D. & KELLER, C. (2009): Rome Reborn in Google Earth. Proceedings of the 37th CAA Conference (Williamsburg, USA, March 22-26), pp. 373-379.WRZESIEN, M. & ALCAÑIZ RAYA, M. (2010): "Learning in serious virtual worlds: Evaluation of learning effectiveness and appeal to students in the E-Junior project", in Computers & Education, 55(1), pp. 178-187. Elsevier Ltd. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2010.01.00

Improving cognition in school children and adolescents through exergames. A systematic review and practical guide

Recent studies and reviews have shown the positive effects of exergames (EXs) on physical activity (PA) and fitness in children and adolescents. Nevertheless, their effects on cognition have been scarcely explored, and no previous review has focussed on this relationship. The purpose of the research reported on here was to analyse the acute and chronic effects of the use of different EXs on the cognition of young people aged 6 to 18 years, to review potential confounders, and to elaborate a practical guide to using EXs in schools or extracurricular contexts. Studies were identified from 4 databases (Pubmed, SportDiscus, ProQuest and Web of Science) from January 2008 through January 2018. Thirteen studies met the inclusion criteria. All the studies showed a positive effect of EXs on cognition. The review showed an acute improvement effect on executive functions (EFs) (visual attention, mental processing, working memory, response inhibition, and motor planning) and chronic benefits on mathematical calculation, self-concept, classroom behaviour, and on parental and interpersonal relationships. Only 5 studies used confounders. EXs are an effective and motivating tool to improve cognition in young people aged 6 to 18 years. Didactic recommendations to use EXs in school or extracurricular contexts are provided in this article. Keywords: academic performance; active video games; acute and chronic effects; cognitive performance; executive functions;  exergames; learning; motivation; physical activity; physical educatio

Authoring tool for the creation of educational massive multiplayer online game

El aprendizaje basado en juegos digitales se vislumbra como una de las tecnologías con mayor potencial en el ámbito educativo en el corto plazo, lo cual se debe en gran medida a que los videojuegos hacen parte de la cultura de los estudiantes y es de hecho una de las actividades en la que emplean gran parte de su tiempo libre. Sin embargo, ¿qué sucede con los docentes?, ¿cómo pueden hacer uso de esta tecnología, máxime que muchos de ellos no están familiarizados con ella? Para hacer frente a estos interrogantes en este artículo se describe una herramienta de autor que permite no solo la creación, sino también el monitoreo de videojuegos educativos de tipo multijugador masivo en línea. Adicionalmente, se presenta una validación preliminar de dicha herramienta con dos docentes de matemáticas de diferentes grados de formación, la cual se llevó a cabo en tres fases: diseño, implementación y ejecución. Por último, se complementó tal validación con una encuesta para analizar la experiencia de estos docentes respecto al esfuerzo requerido durante las dos primeras fases, así como su percepción sobre las ventajas y desventajas de la aproximación utilizada.Digital game-based learning is foreseen as one of the technologies with higher potential in the educational field in the short term. This is because videogames are part of the students’ culture and one of the activities in which they occupy most of their free time. However, what happen with teachers? How can they make an effective use of this technology, especially if most of them are unfamiliar with it? In order to answer these questions, this paper describes an authoring tool for the creation but also for the monitoring of educational massive multi-player on-line games. Additionally, a preliminary validation of such a tool with two math teachers from different grades is presented, which was made in three phases: design, implementation and development. Finally, such a validation was complemented with a survey to analyze the experience of those teachers with regard to the required effort during the two first phases as well as their perception about the advantages and disadvantages of the approach used

Herramienta de autor para la creación de juegos multijugador masivo en línea educativos

El aprendizaje basado en juegos digitales se vislumbra como una de las tecnologías con mayor potencial en el ámbito educativo en el corto plazo, lo cual se debe en gran medida a que los videojuegos hacen parte de la cultura de los estudiantes y es de hecho una de las actividades en la que emplean gran parte de su tiempo libre. Sin embargo, ¿qué sucede con los docentes?, ¿cómo pueden hacer uso de esta tecnología, máxime que muchos de ellos no están familiarizados con ella? Para hacer frente a estos interrogantes en este artículo se describe una herramienta de autor que permite no solo la creación, sino también el monitoreo de videojuegos educativos de tipo multijugador masivo en línea. Adicionalmente, se presenta una validación preliminar de dicha herramienta con dos docentes de matemáticas de diferentes grados de formación, la cual se llevó a cabo en tres fases: diseño, implementación y ejecución. Por último, se complementó tal validación con una encuesta para analizar la experiencia de estos docentes respecto al esfuerzo requerido durante las dos primeras fases, así como su percepción sobre las ventajas y desventajas de la aproximación utilizada

Opiskelijoiden kokemuksia opetuspelin käytöstä projektinhallinnan opetuksessa

Tiivistelmä. Työn tavoitteena on tutkia projektinhallinnan opetukseen tehdyn tietokonepelin vaikutusta oppimiseen projektinhallinnan opetuksessa. Oppimista mitataan opiskelijoiden subjektiivisilla arvioilla ja tutkimusmenetelmänä käytetään laadullista sisällönanalyysiä. Aineisto kerättiin 47:ltä Stevens Institute of Technology:n opiskelijalta pelin jälkeen. Pelillä on tarkoitus opettaa ymmärrystä projektinhallinnan päätöksenteon monimutkaisuuteen, riskien vaikutusta projektin kustannuksiin, aikatauluun ja laatuun, sekä tuloksenarvo menetelmän soveltamista projektin arviointiin ja suunnitteluun. Laadullisen sisällönanalyysin mukaan suurin osa opiskelijoista kokee, että projektinhallintapeli auttaa ymmärtämään asioita, joita pelillä on tarkoituksena opettaa. Osa opiskelijoista kertoi oppineensa myös yleisiä taitoja pelatessa. Peli tuki oppimista, koska se on motivoiva ja interaktiivinen. Opiskelijat myös kilpailivat toisiaan vastaan, mikä sai heidät pelaamaan peliä enemmän. Lisäksi tunnistettiin asioita, jotka vaikuttavat kielteisesti oppimiseen ja oppimiskokemukseen. Näitä ovat muun muassa pelissä olevat virheet ja käyttöliittymä sekä ohjeiden ja kokousominaisuuden puute. Työn tuloksia voi hyödyntää pelin soveltamisessa opetuksessa ja pelin kehittämisessä.Student’s experiences of using an educational game in project management teaching. Abstract. The aim of this bachelor’s thesis is to study the effect a computer game made to teach project management has in project management teaching. Learning is measured by students’ subjective assessments and qualitative content analysis is used as a research method. The material was collected from 47 students studying in the Stevens Institute of Technology after they played the game. The game’s learning objectives are to understand the complexity of decision-making in project management, the impact of risks on project costs, schedule and quality, and the application of earned value method for project evaluation and project planning. According to the qualitative content analysis, most students feel that the project management game helps them better understand the things that the game teaches. Some students said they also learned soft skills while playing. The game supported learning because it was motivating and interactive. Students also competed against each other which made them play the game more. In addition, things that negatively affect learning and the learning experience were identified. These include the game’s bugs and interface as well as lack of instructions and meeting features. The results of the bachelor’s thesis can be used in the application of the game in teaching and development of the game

Líneas de investigación en videojuegos educativos y aplicaciones en la enseñanza secundaria

En este artículo se analizan las principales líneas de investigación en videojuegos educativos y en la evolución de las tecnologías y metodologías de diseño que hacen que cada vez estos sistemas interactivos sean más naturales, inmersivos y sociales. Se presenta el diseño y desarrollo de un prototipo de videojuego educativo colaborativo basado en un motor MMORPG y su utilización en la enseñanza secundaria