Author:
Thomas M. Connolly
Affiliation:
School of Computing, University of Paisley, United Kingdom
Keyword(s):
ARGs, motivation, collaboration, social networking, modern foreign languages.
Related
Ontology
Subjects/Areas/Topics:
Computer-Supported Education
;
e-Learning
;
Game-Based and Simulation-Based Learning
;
Learning/Teaching Methodologies and Assessment
;
Software Tools for e-Learning
;
Web-Based Education
;
Web-Based Teaching and Learning Technologies
Abstract:
It is recognised that games play an important role in child development. Nowadays with children growing up in a highly technologically-rich society, many of these games are computer/console based. These types of games, which we will refer to generically as computer games in this paper, have been of interest to researchers from many different perspectives, some positive (for example, motivation, engagement, learning, skills development) and some negative (for example, violence, aggression, gender stereotyping). One particular type of game that has not been explored in detail for teaching and learning is the Alternate Reality Game (ARG), a form of interactive narrative, often involving multiple media and game elements, to tell a story that may be affected by participants’ ideas or actions. In this paper we discuss the use of an ARG to help support the teaching and learning of modern foreign languages by European secondary school children (ages 11-18).