This article both describes and explains the nature of system simulations--the generation of (non-)numeric models representing characteristics, behaviors, or functions of physical or abstract systems/processes under study. For ease of presentation, I first present some of the most pressing theoretical-practical considerations concerning…

Hadoop is a well-known big data system and a subject covered in many big data courses. This article describes two role play games for teaching the two fundamental components in the Hadoop framework, MapReduce and Hadoop Distributed File System (HDFS). In the games, students form teams and play different roles as a part of a Hadoop cluster. The…

This study explored the gaming principles that fitted well in the theory of learning in good computer games and attempted to incorporate those principles into mathematics education. A qualitative dominant mixed methods approach was employed, in which qualitative interviews [eight students, six teachers and eight parents] and quantitative surveys…

Gamification is increasingly being implemented in higher education to engage students. This article presents a gamified pedagogical exercise intended to motivate students to consider how their in-person and digital behaviors affect their personal brands. Students receive and lose points for various behaviors and reflect on whether these behaviors…

A marketing simulation represents a comprehensive and integrative business environment in which students actively manage firms that compete against each other. This article describes how marketing simulations harness digital disruption to enhance learning processes and outcomes and (ultimately) prepare students for their future careers. The…

This article presents a case study in the use of the computer simulation game "People Power," developed by the International Center on Nonviolent Conflict. The principal objective of the activity was to offer students an opportunity to understand the dynamics of social conflicts, in a format not possible in a traditional classroom…

The task of integrating games into an educational setting is a demanding one, and integrating games as a harmonious part of a bigger ecosystem of learning requires teachers to orchestrate a myriad of complex organizational resources. Historically, research on digital game-based learning has focused heavily on the coupling between game designs,…

This paper provides guidelines and programming commands for using LogoWriter activity cards in game-writing as a way to develop student programming skills. Suggestions are made for the specific activity cards to use, and solutions are provided for some of the problems that were most frequently encountered by the author's students as they worked on…

Presents a collection of computer software programs designed to spark learning enthusiasm at every grade level and across the curriculum. They include Reader Rabbit's Learn to Read, Spelling Power, Mind Twister Math, Community Construction Kit, Breaking the Code, Encarta Africana 2000, Virtual Serengeti, Operation: Frog (Deluxe), and My First…