This study explored the dynamic interplay of social constructivism, game-based learning, and communities of practice in the context of teachers using Minecraft as an educational tool. This study used a teacher survey to collect insights from teachers who use Minecraft and are members of the Minecraft Teachers' Lounge. The research investigated how…

In this study, we developed a digital game-based learning (DGBL) system, called the ToES, to foster students' creativity. Fifty-one fifth-grade students from two classes in a public school in Taipei, Taiwan, were recruited and consented to participate. Both classes consisted of students with mixed abilities studying a foundation unit entitled…

In this paper we demonstrate how video game mechanics can be used to help improve student engagement with online mathematics homework. Specifically, we integrate two common video game systems, levels and achievements, with the online homework program "WeBWorK." We describe the key features of the implementation of these systems and…

Computer games have long been used for teaching. Current reviews lack categorization and analysis using learning models which would help instructors assess the usefulness of computer games. We divide the use of games into two classes: game playing and game development. We discuss the Input-Process-Outcome (IPO) model for the learning process when…

This article deals with the issue of creativity and the way this can be supported within technology-enhanced learning experiments. Drawing on a long-term research project in the field of games-based learning, the article describes the methodology adopted during the in-field experiments carried out with the aim of developing young children's…

Video games have become a popular medium in our society, and recent scholarship suggests that games can support substantial learning. This study stems from a project in which we created a video game enabling students to use biotechnology to solve a societal problem. As students engaged in the game, they necessarily interacted with the underlying…

The use of computer-based gaming in education is not a new phenomenon. Many educators nostalgically remember green Apple II monitors displaying the games Lemonade Stand and Oregon Trail in the early 1980s. Technology in schools has evolved considerably since then, and gaming has become pervasive within all demographic subgroups. Gaming within…

The use of data is critical to the teaching of probability and statistics. At the very least, data should be provided within a meaningful context rather than presented as a generic, meaningless collection of numbers. Students often respond better, however, when working with data that they have gathered themselves. Having students collect data is a…

Using games as a learning tool is not new--research abounds to demonstrate the use of video games enhancing problem-solving skills and creativity. Pioneer educational games, like Carmen Sandiego and Oregon Trail, have given birth to online, multiuser, digital simulations that would make their forebears blush. Now, in what seems to be a natural…

Previous generations of students learned about history from reading the textbooks, listening to teachers, and analyzing primary source documents. Today, these forms of instruction take a backseat to learning about the past from such media as Hollywood commercial film, YouTube, Netflix, and video games. Teachers must find ways to teach students to…

The Wii is a very popular gaming console. An important component of its appeal is the ease of use of its remote controller, popularly known as a Wiimote. This simple-looking but powerful device has a three-axis accelerometer and communicates with the console via Bluetooth protocol. We present two experiments that demonstrate the feasibility of…

Over the past 18 years, a number of large scale reviews of the literature have documented that gender differences in computer attitudes, ability, and use tend to favor males. Since the use of laptops in higher education classrooms is increasing, it is important to examine whether this use is disproportionally advantageous to males and…

Video games are one of the fastest growing elements of informal, virtual learning. While their popularity in informal learning situations continues to grow, adoption in the K-12 classrooms remains stagnant. We attribute this to two separate but inter-related phenomena. Game designers and developers fail to incorporate important pedagogic…

Despite the growing number of books designed to radically reconsider the educational value of video games as powerful learning tools, there are very few practical guidelines conveniently available for prospective history and social studies teachers who actually want to use these teaching and learning tools in their classes. As the games and…

The "Theory of Special Relativity" is widely regarded as a difficult topic for learners in physics to grasp, as it reformulates fundamental conceptions of space, time and motion, and predominantly deals with situations outside of everyday experience. In this paper, we describe embedding the physics of relativity into a computer game, and…