A Synthesis on Digital Games in Education: What the Research Literature Says from 2000 to 2010

this research reports the results of a literature synthesis conducted on digital gaming in education research literature. seventy-three digital gaming research articles in education were identified through a systematic literature search and were coded across several relevant criteria. our research indicates trends and patterns from empirical studies on digital gaming in education from 2000 to 2010. Most research literature appears in the context of K-12 and higher education, and most literature appears to rely on experimental methods of research. the results show a steady increase in the number of publications related to digital gaming in education being published since 2004. the results also demonstrate that literature in digital gaming in education lacks completeness in reporting vital information, such as treatment intensity and duration, gaming platforms, or the number of players in a game. the missing information is vital in understanding the scope and direction of digital gaming research in education. recommendations for future research are provided. 26

Qualitative Analysis of Student Perceptions of E-Portfolios in a Teacher Education Program

In the last decade, e-portfolios have moved to the forefront of teacher preparation programs across the United States. With its widespread use, faculty and administrators need to understand teacher candidates’ perspectives to meet their needs. In the present study, the researchers gathered in-depth information from 244 students who were required to create e-portfolios for their academic program. The researchers asked students, using open-ended survey items, about the advantages, disadvantages, and obstacles they faced when creating and disseminating their e-portfolios. Additionally, each student described his or her most significant e-portfolio learning experience and how to make the process more meaningful. Overall, there were seven themes: increased scope, guidance, timing, alignment with standards, reflection and growth, organization of work, and the inaccessibility of the e-portfolio system to persons outside of the university. This article discusses findings as well as practical recommendations for e-portfolio integration and ideas for future research. (Keywords: eportfolios, student perspective, digital portfolios, teacher education, teacher preparation

ePortfolio Integration in Teacher Education Programs: Does Context Matter from a Student Perspective?

Though ePortfolios have grown in acceptance by teacher education programs across the United States, there still remain many questions regarding whether the tools are meeting student and teacher education program needs. This chapter will address this concern by first describing ePortfolios within teacher education. Next, the chapter will present a stakeholder interaction model and identify the individuals involved in an ePortfolio system. Then, a series of integration questions will be highlighted from a teacher education perspective. Two teacher education programs’ ePortfolio initiatives are evaluated using the Electronic Portfolio Student Perspective Instrument (EPSPI) (Ritzhaupt, Singh, Seyferth, & Dedrick, 2008) in relation to several integration characteristics. Finally, recommendations to teacher education programs are made