As the Pokemon game craze illustrates, the combination of peer education and technology makes for powerful educational experiences. Educators need to accept technology-based peer education as a help rather than a hindrance to improve educational outcomes for students. (SLD)

Of late, digital game-based learning has attracted game designers, researchers and educators alike. Immersion in the virtual 3D environment of a game may have positive effects on K-12 students' cultivation of self (Dodge et al., 2006). Currently, two opposing views related to game-based identity formation are presented in the literature: the…

The main purpose of this qualitative study was to determine the influence of participation in educational games on cognition and attitudes of seventh-grade students. Student attitude towards learning scientific language and concepts during gameplay was examined. This study was conducted in a seventh-grade science classroom in a North Eastern (USA)…

This paper lists the commands for three programs in Logo: Peppy and the Maze, Caterpillars and Butterflies, and the Robot Arm. (EW)

The new social studies of childhood point to the need for studies which explore young people's uses of technology. Multiplayer computer games provide an important site for exploring the role of new technologies in young people's lives, in particular in relation to issues of representation, identity, and community, and to the changing nature of…

Defines virtual experience as machine-based experience, of which virtual reality is a subconcept. Topics include a history of virtual experience; criticism of the influence of machine-mediated experiences such as computer games; virtual reality environments; and Heidegger's views on technology. (LRW)

Describes the implementation of an intelligent tutoring system that employs a game environment and object-oriented user interface for teaching and learning, based on a computer game developed for industrial training. Discusses adventure games, game environments in education, simulation support, and user interface design. (Author/LRW)

Modern computing systems exploit graphical user interfaces for interaction with users; as a result, introductory computer science courses must begin to teach the principles underlying such interfaces. This paper presents an approach to graphical user interface (GUI) implementation that is simple enough for beginning students to understand, yet…

Artificial intelligence (AI) techniques and virtual reality (VR) make possible powerful interactive stories, and this paper focuses on examples of virtual characters in three dimensional (3-D) worlds. Waldern, a virtual reality game designer, has theorized about and implemented software design of virtual teammates and opponents that incorporate AI…

This report presents an analysis of an expert performing a highly interactive computer task. The analysis uses GOMS models, specifying the Goals, Operators, Methods, and Selection rules used by the expert; the GOMS models are implemented within a unified theory of cognition called Soar. Two models are presented, one with function-level operators,…

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…

Describes work to develop a computer game to teach scientific reasoning. A framework for intelligent tutoring games is presented that includes developing a model of scientific knowledge, developing a model of the phenomenon, developing hypotheses, collecting data, analyzing data, and drawing conclusions. Student attitudes are also discussed. (LRW)

This study surveyed undergraduates (27 men, 83 women) to investigate gender differences in mental rotation. It compared pretesting on the Vandenberg Test of Mental Rotation (VTMR) and posttesting after two sessions of computer games. Men typically scored higher on pretest VTMR. After playing a game requiring mental rotation of figures, women…

Documents current adolescent electronic game-playing habits, exploring associations among preference for violent games, frequency and location of play, and self-concept. Identifies marked gender differences in game-playing habits and in scores on a self-perception profile. Finds that for girls, more time playing video or computer games is…

Study examines the effects of using software with a game format (as a supplement to teacher instruction) to improve math performance of fourth- to sixth-grade students with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. The hypothesis that math software with a game format would improve the academic performance and increase attention of all participants…