scholarly journals Minecraft in Education Benefits Learning and Social Engagement

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 19-56
Author(s):  
Omar Alawajee ◽  
Jonathan Delafield-Butt
Keyword(s):  
Technology Use ◽  
Social Engagement ◽  
Computer Game ◽  
Academic Learning ◽  
Game Based Learning ◽  
Education Benefits ◽  
Open World ◽  
Safety Technology ◽  
Opportunities For Learning

Empirical evidence suggests game-based learning (GBL) as a potentially engaging form of contemporary learning. With the increase in the use of Minecraft, a sandbox computer game in open-world format, there has been a concurrent rise in the level of interest in investigating the role of Minecraft in social and academic learning. Minecraft is socially interactive, and its cooperative, rather than competitive, open-world gameplay suggests that it could be used for educational purposes. This paper presents a systematic review of all published peer-reviewed research and synthesises the evidence for and against Minecraft's use in education to better understand the applicability of Minecraft in educational and psychological interventions. Forty-two papers were identified. These revealed Minecraft to be beneficial in terms of increased motivation, language development, and academic learning in subjects such as science and history. Minecraft play also supported the development of social skills, including communication, sharing, collaboration, and leadership. Concerns about age-appropriateness, safety, technology use, and learning generalisation were raised, but on balance, the evidence favours an informed and guided employment of Minecraft for improved opportunities for learning and engagement in education.

Teachers and Teaching in Game-Based Learning Theory and Practice

2013 ◽  
pp. 147-163 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mario M. Martinez-Garza ◽  
Douglas Clark
Keyword(s):  
Learning Theory ◽  
Technology Use ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Theoretical Research ◽  
Game Based Learning ◽  
Learning Context ◽  
Learning Practices ◽  
Learning Research ◽  
Role Of Teachers

Interest in game-based learning has grown dramatically over the past decade. Thus far, most of the focus has not included the role of teachers. This chapter first summarizes the theoretical research on game-based learning and the implications of that research for the role of teachers. The authors next review the game-based learning literature that has specifically articulated a role for teachers or achieved an empirical description of teacher action within a game-based learning context. They then connect these accounts with more general research on teachers and technology use, elaborating on points of contact and identifying differences that may signal special challenges. Finally, the authors articulate an expanded role for teachers in game-based learning practices in terms of game-based learning research and new scholarship on the psychology of games.

Ecology, Dharma and Direct Action: A Brief Survey of Contemporary Eco-Buddhist Activism in Korea

2015 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 293-311
Author(s):  
Young-Hae Yoon ◽  
Sherwin Jones
Keyword(s):  
Social Engagement ◽  
Direct Action ◽  
Social Activism ◽  
Turn Of The Millennium ◽  
Hunger Strike ◽  
Korean Society ◽  
High Profile ◽  
Reclamation Project ◽  
Self Immolation

Over the last few decades there has emerged a small, yet influential eco-Buddhism movement in South Korea which, since the turn of the millennium, has seen several S?n (J. Zen) Buddhist clerics engage in high-profile protests and activism campaigns opposing massive development projects which threatened widespread ecological destruction. This article will survey the issues and events surrounding three such protests; the 2003 samboilbae, or ‘threesteps- one-bow’, march led by Venerable Suky?ng against the Saemangeum Reclamation Project, Venerable Jiyul’s Anti-Mt. Ch?ns?ng tunnel hunger-strike campaign between 2002 and 2006, and lastly Venerable Munsu’s self-immolation protesting the Four Rivers Project in 2010. This article will additionally analyze the attempts by these clerics to deploy innovative and distinctively Buddhist forms of protest, the effects of these protests, and how these protests have altered public perceptions of the role of Buddhist clergy in Korean society. This study will additionally highlight issues relevant to the broader discourse regarding the intersection of Buddhism and social activism, such as the appropriation of traditional Buddhist practices as protest tactics and the potential for conflict between social engagement and the pursuit of Buddhist soteriological goals.

scholarly journals Home schooling through online teaching in the era of COVID-19: Exploring the role of home-related factors that deepen educational inequalities across European societies

2021 ◽  
pp. 147490412110233
Author(s):  
Kostas Dimopoulos ◽  
Christos Koutsampelas ◽  
Anna Tsatsaroni
Keyword(s):  
Technology Use ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Home Schooling ◽  
Information And Communications Technology ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
School Conditions ◽  
Educational Environments ◽  
Teachers And Students

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced governments worldwide to produce solutions to the abruptly interrupted work in education. School systems appear to have responded rapidly, creating home schooling and online educational environments, where teachers and students would interact with safety. In this paper, we attempt a synthesis of Sen’s capability approach, Bourdieu’s theory of capital and Bernstein’s framework in order to theorize the relationships between home and school conditions and practices, and to analyse the data of the 2nd Survey of Schools: ICT in Education (a survey conducted in 2019 on behalf of the European Commission collecting data regarding digitalization in education and digital technologies in learning in the European Union). The survey is complemented by a second set of indicators provided by Eurostat to further investigate the availability and functionality of household space per family in selected European countries. We find significant differences in important social and environmental conversion factors, likely limiting children’s capability to benefit from digital schooling. The most important differences are found in regard to parents’ familiarity with information and communications technology use, while inequalities in environmental factors, such as overcrowded housing, are also existent. Overall, there are large inequalities within and between countries in Europe, which need to be addressed by policymakers.

Closing Achievement Gaps: Examining the Roles of School Background and Process

2021 ◽  
pp. 001312452198944
Author(s):  
Huang Wu ◽  
Jianping Shen ◽  
Jessaca Spybrook ◽  
Xingyuan Gao
Keyword(s):  
Achievement Gap ◽  
Teacher Collaboration ◽  
White Students ◽  
Science Achievement ◽  
Linear Models ◽  
Achievement Gaps ◽  
School Level ◽  
Academic Learning ◽  
Closing Achievement Gaps

The purpose of this study was to examine the role of school background and school process in closing achievement gaps between White and non-White students in science. To answer the research questions, a series of two-level hierarchical linear models (HLM) was performed on the fourth-grade U.S. portion of the 2015 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) data. Results indicate that (a) the science achievement gap between White and non-White students is 0.21 standard deviation, holding student and school background constant; (b) the science achievement gap varies across schools; (c) none of the school background variables are associated with the achievement gap in a school; and (d) school emphasis on student academic learning is not only associated with higher school-level science achievement, but also with a narrower science achievement gap between White and non-White students. However, teacher collaboration is not associated with school-level science achievement but is associated with a larger achievement gap. Implications, limitations, and recommendations for further research are discussed.

scholarly journals The role of sport-based social networks in the management of long-term health conditions: Insights from the World Transplant Games

2020 ◽  
pp. 101269022097920
Author(s):  
Gareth Wiltshire ◽  
Nicola J Clarke ◽  
Cassandra Phoenix ◽  
Carl Bescoby
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Social Engagement ◽  
Sport Participation ◽  
Organ Transplant ◽  
Unintended Consequences ◽  
Health Conditions ◽  
Transplant Recipients ◽  
Organ Transplant Recipients

In the context of an increasing clinical need to better support self-managemt for people living with long-term health conditions an interest in the role of social networks has emerged. Given that sport participation often provides opportunities for social engagement, a space to explore Self-managemt at the intersection of medical sociology and the sociology of sport has opened up. This article presents findings from an exploratory qualitative study with organ transplant recipients who have participated in Transplant Games events – national and international multi-sport competitions for organ transplant recipients. Our findings illustrate how sport-based Social networks serve as resources for health-related knowledge, provide participants with additional affective support and help shape health expectations for the future. Although sport-based Social networks were seen as an overwhelmingly positive resource for our participants, it is plausible that harmful unintended consequences could arise for patients with existing Self-managemt issues. As such, it is recommended that people seeking to use sport as a tool to enhance illness Self-managemt should consider the various and powerful ways that Social networks can be impactful and anticipate the potential consequences accordingly.

scholarly journals Being Peer Gynt: How students collaboratively make meaning of a digital game about a literature classic

2021 ◽  
pp. 204275302110229
Author(s):  
Magnus H Sandberg ◽  
Kenneth Silseth
Keyword(s):  
Real World ◽  
Meaning Making ◽  
Computer Game ◽  
Digital Game ◽  
Virtual Self ◽  
Dialogic Approach

Henrik Ibsen’s play Peer Gynt digs deep into the question of what it means to be oneself. An upcoming computer game version invites players to take on the role of Peer and thereby raises new questions about identity and identification. By recording dyads of students who play an early version of the game and analysing their interaction during gameplay, we examine how students collaboratively make meaning of the computer game. This study employs a sociocultural and dialogic approach to meaning making. In the analysis, we draw on Gee’s theory on multiple player identities and see the dyads playing together as two real-world selves negotiating on creating one virtual self through a co-authorship of situated meaning in what Gee calls the projective stance. To better understand their cooperation in this undertaking, we also apply Goffman’s term activity frames. The analysis shows how the dyads approach the game in different ways by establishing frames in which they interpret, impersonate or recreate Peer, in order to make meaning of their gameplay.

Intermedia – (Not Only) The Visual in the Hypertext of Contemporary Art

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mladen Mladenov ◽  
Keyword(s):  
New Media ◽  
Contemporary Art ◽  
Social Engagement ◽  
Artistic Expression ◽  
Social Phenomenon ◽  
Distinctive Features ◽  
Aesthetic Practice ◽  
The Common ◽  
The 1950S

The article presents some historical and theoretical aspects defining intermedia as an aesthetic, cultural and social phenomenon. Its appearance in the 1950s and 1960s was triggered by the changed attitude towards art in the conditions of growing technology in society and the blurring of boundaries between different arts. The concept of intermedia is created by a group of artists who unite under the common name Fluxus, meaning „ flow of life“. Group Manifesto – Dick Higgins, composer, poet, publisher - formulates intermedia as a merger into a „ flow“ of different ways of artistic expression and means of communication. The most important distinctive features of intermedia – accessibility, non-commerciality, freedom, social engagement, compliance of modern lifestyle and the new media in it are traced. It explains the role of this aesthetic practice as an instrument in creating the hypertext of contemporary art.

Teachers' learning in extraordinary times: shifting to a digitally facilitated approach to lesson study

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
James Calleja ◽  
Patrick Camilleri
Keyword(s):  
Technology Use ◽  
Lesson Study ◽  
Group Discussion ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Self Reflection ◽  
Opportunities For Learning ◽  
Study Process ◽  
The University ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeThe research reported in this paper brings forth the experiences of three teachers working in different schools. These teachers learned about lesson study through a course offered at the University of Malta while, at the same time, leading a lesson study with colleagues at their school. With the COVID-19 outbreak, these teachers had, out of necessity, to adopt and accommodate for their lesson study to an exclusive online approach. This paper, hence, focuses on teachers' learning as they shifted their lesson study online.Design/methodology/approachThis paper presents a case study that delves into the experiences and perceptual insights that these teachers manifested in shifting to an exclusive online lesson study situation. Data collection is derived from a focus group discussion, teacher reflective entries and detailed reports documenting the lesson study process and experiences. Employing technological frames as the theoretical lens, a description-analysis-interpretation approach was employed to analyse and interpret reflections and grounded experiential perceptions that the respondents disclosed during their lesson study journey.FindingsNotwithstanding their initial discerned sense of loss and unpreparedness of being constrained to migrate lesson study to exclusive online means, teachers eventually recognised that digitally mediated collaborative practices enhanced self-reflection about the lesson study process. Therefore, the extraordinary situation that the teachers in this study experienced not only disrupted their modus operandi but also allowed them to discern new opportunities for learning about digital technology use in lesson study.Practical implicationsDisruption, brought about by unforeseen circumstances, takes teachers and professional development facilitators out of their comfort zones, invariably helping them grow out of their limitations and rethink lesson study practices.Originality/valueIntentionally driven disruptions prompt teachers to resolve their dissatisfactory situations by thinking out of the box, eventually helping them to improve their professional practices.

The role of public libraries in the development of social capital in local communities – a theoretical study

2021 ◽  
Vol 42 (3) ◽  
pp. 184-196
Author(s):  
Maja Dorota Wojciechowska
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Social Engagement ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Local Communities ◽  
Social Needs ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Impact

PurposeSocial capital, understood as intangible community values available through a network of connections, is a factor in the development of societies and improving quality of life. It helps to remove economic inequalities and prevent poverty and social exclusion, stimulate social and regional development, civic attitudes and social engagement and build a civic society as well as local and regional identity. Many of these tasks may be implemented by libraries, which, apart from providing access to information, may also offer a number of services associated with social needs. The purpose of this paper is to present the roles and functions that libraries may serve in local communities in terms of assistance, integration and development based on classical social capital theories.Design/methodology/approachThe paper reviews the classical concepts of social capital in the context of libraries. It analyses the findings of Pierre-Félix Bourdieu, James Coleman, Francis Fukuyama, Robert Putnam, Nan Lin, Ronald Stuart Burt, Wayne Baker and Alejandro Portes. Based on their respective concepts, the paper analyses the role of the contemporary library in the social life of local communities. In particular, it focuses on the possible new functions that public libraries may serve.FindingsA critical review of the concept of social capital revealed certain dependencies between libraries and their neighbourhoods. With new services that respond to the actual social needs, libraries may serve as a keystone, namely they may integrate, animate and engage local communities. This, however, requires a certain approach to be adopted by the personnel and governing authorities as well as infrastructure and tangible resources.Originality/valueThe social engagement of libraries is usually described from the practical perspective (reports on the services provided) or in the context of research on the impact of respective projects on specific groups of users (research reports). A broader approach, based on original social theories, is rarely encountered. The paper draws on classical concepts of social capital and is a contribution to the discussion on possible uses of those concepts based on an analysis of the role of libraries in social life and in strengthening the social capital of local communities.

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