More Academic Context on Game Making

Now we have completed our projects and had tutorials to help us to link our experiences to underlying theory, here are some of the themes which evolved out of our work and discussions. Please read around two or more of these and be sure to make observations on how these theories relate to your own experiences. Then see the blogging task at the foot of this post.

The context of our project

Our project could be said to have three main themes of contextual features;

• Games as an under-used way to explore systems concepts
• Teaching in accessible and stress reducing ways through making games
• Project based approaches to learning

There is a wide variety of background reading on these elements. As such, I’ve tried to point you to reading which is quite focused but links to wider concepts as a starting point.

• Teaching coding – a recent review
• Learning and digital making cultures – a review
• Promoting Intergenerational Participation Through Game Creation Activities
• Learning in Families Report (digital focus)
• Classic review of Project Based Learning
• More recent review of PBL in context of science and technology

Facilitation Styles

The ability to help with out technical knowledge is key in this process, especially if we are not subject experts. Drawing out the value of open questioning and other techniques to help without knowing the answer is a rich seam to explore.

•  FCL project guide here.
• Paper on roles that student facilitators adopted as part of the project

Intergenerational roles around technology. Roque draws on the work on Barron when describing the roles that parents use when supporting technology play and making.

• Parents as Learning Partners in the Development of Technological Fluency

Collaboration, Communication and C21 Skills

There is a lot of reading on the value of project work and making games together to build 21st Century Skills. Here’s a review.

• 21st Century Skills and Game Making

Task: Integrating Reading

Produce an informal piece of writing like a blog post which responds to something from the texts shared above. Refer to the previous blog post for guidance on the way you should approach your reading – and remember; we’re not interested in what the paper says, we’re interested in the way you put it to work (how does it help you think about the things you’re doing in your project)