EMapps.com: GAMES AND MOBILE TECHNOLOGY IN LEARNING Robert Davies, MDR Partners, UK Romana Krizova, Cross Czech A.S., Czech Republic Daniel Weiss, Ciberespacio, Spain

eMapps.com EC IST FP6, Call 4, started October 2005 e-Learning, New Member States Age group 9-12 Games + mobile technologies New, enriching experiences for children Creativity in the classroom and outside Good practice for new teaching

Target audiences Policy makers Teachers Parents Children

Expected results Web-based game learning platform  played ‘live’ in the individual territory on new generation mobile devices + Internet A Children’s Living Map of Europe Qualified school teachers able to disseminate: summer schools Conferences, training courses, handbook Evaluation: public results Exploitation: open platform available

eMapps.com school survey - 1 Most common games platforms owned  PCs (boys 83%; girls 75%)  mobile phones (boys 60%; girls 77%) Proprietary platforms (consoles) owned  Sony Playstation, Game Boy owned by significant %: <20%  Xbox, PSP etc still at a low level of use 90% of children use one or more platforms for playing games  60% use PCs for playing games  Mobile phones used for gaming by 43% of children who own them

Games platforms used by boys

eMapps.com school survey -2 Over 150 game titles cited (avg 2.8 per boy; 2.0 per girl) Peer emulation and/or access to specific titles Fewer attractive games available for girls Action, military strategy and sports games dominant among boys Girls play them too  mobile phone games more popular and sports games less popular. 53% of boys play games every day: 27% girls 55% of children have Internet connection at home: 80%+ have broadband 50%+ children see games at school as part of the learning process: more girls than boys

Favourite games: boys and girls

Games and mobile technology in learning Supporting learner through a lifetime of learning Constructivist concepts (vs instructivist)  learners actively construct their own understanding of the world People learn best when they are motivated and entertained  games provide a ‘flow’ experience  playful experimentation to develop understanding of the physical world and our place within it. Use location to trigger events Draw on contextual content Personal mobile technology  equip learners with powerful tools for creation and use of content

Challenges Perceived mismatch  skills and knowledge from games versus those recognised by education systems Teachers need to be engaged  recognise and map relationships between games and associated learning Game design  narrative: creating a truly dynamic narrative: virtual worlds or Mixed Realities (outdoor and indoor)

Engineering digital learning games Motivation: challenge, fantasy, curiosity Player able to affect outcome of the game An overriding goal/challenge+ sub-goals Positive and negative outcomes based on player actions Require mental or physical skill Outcome uncertain at the outset Player required to develop strategies in order to succeed Offer multiple paths to success Players can ultimately overcome most obstacles

Alternate Reality Games (ARG) eMapps.com approach based on ARG. No defined playing field or game space Immersive, real world encounters beyond Internet Map scenarios, represent reality graphically Fragmented narratives: players reassemble Interactive authoring Creators observe+react to players in real time Simultaneous multi-channel communication Multi-player games involve communities of users Transfer information from existing to new contexts

eMapps.com platform Games played on an open platform through multiple networks and devices.  Game control mechanisms  Pre-set map-based local scenarios  GUI with route editor and zooming tools  Weblogs, podcasts and videocasts  Content uploaded through any mobile device with browser  Supports any language ‘Pins’ located in a pre-set map scenario  linked to ‘blog’ folders, using ‘drag and drop ’ Unlimited map layers: satellite, aerial images, ad hoc maps:  layers geo-referenced over original map.. Runs on mobile phones, PDA, Tablet PC etc Works with multiple operating systems

Conclusions Significant impact on validating new learning paradigms in both school and informal settings Contribute to strategic thinking about school and curriculum reform process in NMS and Europe.

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