Savannah: mobile gaming and learning? Richard Joiner Kerri Facer, Danae Stanton, Jo Reid, Richard Hull, David Kirk & Mary Uliscak

Nesta FutureLab BBC Hewlett-Packard University of Nottingham MRL Laboratory University of Bristol, Mobile Bristol

EARLI 2005: Hot and cold collaboration 3 Introduction The aim to try and bring mobile and game technologies together to learning. Could it encourage the development of childrens conceptual understanding of, animal behaviour. The influence of games on the Interaction between children

EARLI 2005: Hot and cold collaboration 4 Savannah Game The children play at being a pride of lions outside in a playing field Interacting with a virtual Savannah and exploring the opportunities and risks to lions in that space Through playing the game they should understand the rules that shape lion behaviour in the wild.

EARLI 2005: Hot and cold collaboration 5 Savannah Game Outside the children are given global positioning systems (GPS) linked personal digital assistants (PDAs) The PDAs enable them to see, hear and smell the world of the Savannah They navigate the real space outdoors. as lions in the virtual Savannah.

EARLI 2005: Hot and cold collaboration 6 Study The children involved in the project were all from year 7 and were aged between 11 and 12. There were two groups: one group of five boys (day 1) and one group of five girls (day 2).

EARLI 2005: Hot and cold collaboration 7 Study Play Savannah Video –Two areas The Den The playing field –Two levels Marking territory Survival

EARLI 2005: Hot and cold collaboration 8 Video The following is a videotape about Savannah

EARLI 2005: Hot and cold collaboration 9 Findings They identifiedas lions and it felt like being a lion. The students often talked in the game as if they were directly experiencing the simulation. During play, they exclaim were all need to attack it, Im nearly dead, were hot Im dead.

EARLI 2005: Hot and cold collaboration 10 Findings Students were beginning to understand the rules that shape lion behaviour in the wild. For example, a key feature of lion behaviour is quantification of risk That certain animals required the whole pride to attack and other animals were to be avoided

EARLI 2005: Hot and cold collaboration 11 Findings Another example was the realisation that survival was dependent on working in groups. The children began to coordinate their attacks. In the video there were a number of examples of co-ordinated attacks

EARLI 2005: Hot and cold collaboration 12 Findings However the rules of the game environment did not always correspond to the rules that govern lion behaviour. Hunting strategies were very simple in the Savannah game. Basically 1, 2 3 attack Overemphasis on killing prey.

EARLI 2005: Hot and cold collaboration 13 Discussion The Savannah project raises a number of interesting questions –Children were highly engaged in the activity. –They did appear to begin to understand what governs lion behaviour –Developed collaborative strategies Engagement and Collaboration?