Robin Munkvold has his education from the field of information technology and has, for the last 12 years, been working within projects related to ICT and pedagogy. During these years, he has published a book titled “Online learning” and has been coauthor of many papers within the themes of ICT and pedagogy. Robin was central in the building of the curriculum Games and entertainment technology at the Nord‑Trondelag University College and has the latest years been Program Director as well as Dean within the University College. 

Abstract: This article explores how student behaviour and interactions change when teachers use producing as a primary pedagogical strategy (Papert, 1980; Ejsing‑Duun and Karoff, 2014). Based on observed student and teacher actions and responses, as w ell as students production, this paper emphasizes the importance of understanding how students explore creativity and playfulness while producing in learning situations. This paper is based on a large research project called Children as Learning Designe rs in a Digital School (2013…2015), funded by Denmarks Ministry of Education, which included fieldwork in five Danish public schools, involved about 500 students, and comprised six interventions in the first, second, fifth, sixth, and tenth grades. Th e projects empirical data consist of observations, participatory observation, and productions students created during the interventions. This paper presents an analysis of how students were creative and playful while producing learning material as games during three of the projects interventions. The study is based on a specific understanding of the creativity with a point of departure (Boden, 2004; Tanggaard and Wegener, 2015) and playfulness (Karoff, 2013) that occur in learning situations. We app roach creativity and playfulness as new methods of learning, through six areas of change that inform [ƒ]how todays kids play and learn, and, more generally, how they see themselves, relate to others, dwell in place, and treat things (Ackermann, 2013: 119). This paper investigates how educators handle childrens productive processes in a school setting and how teachers can conceptualize and nurture play and creativity as drivers for learning. In this context, the importance of skills and acknowledgeme nt of reproducing and re‑mixing existing materials is discussed. We further argue that playfulness is necessary for creativity to occur. From this point of view, it is possible to understand how learning activities can support creativity„an essential twen ty‑first century skill (Levinsen and Sørensen, 2015). 

Abstract: Conventional taught learning practices often experience difficulties in keeping students motivated and engaged. Video games, however, are very successful at sustaining high levels of motivation and engagement through a set of tasks for hours wit hout apparent loss of focus. In addition, gamers solve complex problems within a gaming environment without feeling fatigue or frustration, as they would typically do with a comparable learning task. Based on this notion, the academic community is keen on exploring methods that can deliver deep learner engagement and has shown increased interest in adopting gamification ⠍ the integration of gaming elements, mechanics, and frameworks into non‑game situations and scenarios ⠍ as a means to increase stude nt engagement and improve information retention. Its effectiveness when applied to education has been debatable though, as attempts have generally been restricted to one‑dimensional approaches such as transposing a trivial reward system onto existing teac hing materials and/or assessments. Nevertheless, a gamified, multi‑dimensional, problem‑based learning approach can yield improved results even when applied to a very complex and traditionally dry task like the teaching of computer programming, as shown i n this paper. The presented quasi‑experimental study used a combination of instructor feedback, real time sequence of scored quizzes, and live coding to deliver a fully interactive learning experience. More specifically, the ⠜Kahoot!⠀ Classroom Respon se System (CRS), the classroom version of the TV game show ⠜Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?⠀, and Codecademy⠒s interactive platform formed the basis for a learning model which was applied to an entry‑level Python programming course. Students were t hus allowed to experience multiple interlocking methods similar to those commonly found in a top quality game experience. To assess gamification⠒s impact on learning, empirical data from the gamified group were compared to those from a control group who was taught through a traditional learning app 

Abstract: While advances in game‑based learning are already transforming educative practices globally, with tech giants like Microsoft, Apple and Google taking notice and investing in educational game initiatives, there is a concurrent and critically impo rtant development that focuses on â game construction⠒ pedagogy as a vehicle for enhancing computational literacy in middle and high school students. Essentially, game construction‑based curriculum takes the central question ⠜do children learn from p laying games⠀ to the next stage by asking ⠜(what) can children learn from constructing games?⠀ Founded on Seymour Papert⠒s constructionist learning model, and developed over nearly two decades, there is compelling evidence that game construction can increase student confidence and build their capacity towards ongoing computing science involvement and other STEM subjects. Our study adds to the growing body of literature on school‑based game construction through comprehensive empirical methodology and evidence‑based guidelines for curriculum design. There is still debate as to the utility of different software tools for game construction, models of scaffolding knowledge, and evaluation of learning outcomes and knowledge transfer. In this paper, we present a study we conducted in a classroom environment with three groups of grade 6 students (60+ students) using Game Maker to construct their own games. Based on a quantitative analysis and a qualitative discussion we organize results around several core themes that speak to the field of inquiry: levels of computational literacy based on pre‑ and post‑tests; gender‑based attitutdes to computing science and programming based on a pre‑ and post‑survey; and the relationship between existing media liter acy and performance in programming as part of the game construction curriculum. Significant results include some gender differences in attitudes towards computers and programming with boys demonstrating slightly higher confidence and performance. We discu ss the complex reasons potentially contributing 

Abstract: 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. Historicall y, research on digital game‑based learning has focused heavily on the coupling between game designs, previously established learning principles, student engagement, and learning outcomes much to the expense of understanding how games function in their int ended educational contexts and how they impact the working processes of teachers. Given the significant investments of time and resources teachers need to make in order to conduct game‑based learning activities, the foci of past research is problematic as it obfuscates some of the pressing realities that highly affect games viability as tools for teaching and learning. This paper aims to highlight the demands that the implementation and use of an educational game in formal educational settings puts on te achers working processes and skillsets. The paper is based on two case studies in which a researcher collaborated with K‑12 teachers to use MinecraftEdu (TeacherGaming LLC, 2012) as a classroom activity over a five‑month long period. By documenting bot h the working processes involved in implementing the game into the classroom environment, as well as the execution of the actual game‑based classroom activities, the studies identified a wide variety roles that a teacher needs to take on if they are to ma ke games a central part of a school curriculum. Ultimately, the paper highlights the importance of understanding the constraints under which teachers work, and argues that a better understanding of the contexts in which games are to be used, and the roles teachers play during game‑based learning scenarios, is a necessary foundation for improving games viability as educational tools. 

Abstract: E‑Learning Sudan (ELS) is a custom‑built computer/tablet game that provides alternative learning opportunities to Sudanese children who are excluded from education. Unique in ELS is that children can learn mathematics, in their own remote vill age, without a teacher. This research study assessed the effectiveness of ELS in two pilots through a pretest…posttest control group quasi‑experimental design. In Pilot I, 67 children in three remote villages, aged used the game for a period of six weeks, five days a week, 45 minutes a day; the control group did not receive any education.. In Pilot II, 591 children in 19 remote villages, played the game for six months, for a maximum of five times a week, 45 minutes a day; the control group received inform al education in out‑of‑school centers. The results of the analysis on the pretest…posttest data revealed that ELS increased mathematics knowledge acquisition in numeracy and adding significantly and maintained student motivation to learn. Analyses of cont rol group data and EGMA (internationally validates Early Grade Mathematics Assessment) showed that the children in the experimental group learned more than children who received no education at all, informal or formal education. These findings suggest t hat the implementation of ELS can greatly benefit learning for out‑of‑school children like in Sudan.