Authors:
Marcelo Alves de Barros
1
;
Valéria Andrade
1
;
J. Antão B. Moura
1
;
Laurent Borgmann
2
;
Uwe Terton
3
;
Fátima Vieira
4
;
Gabriel Cintra Alves da Costa
1
;
Rafaela Lacerda Araújo
1
;
Aline Oliveira Arruda
1
;
Sophie Naviner
5
and
Jobson Silva
1
Affiliations:
1
Federal University of Campina Grande (UFCG), Brazil
;
2
University of Applied Sciences Koblenz, Germany
;
3
University of the Sunshine Coast, Australia
;
4
University of Porto, Portugal
;
5
Ecole de Hautes Etudes du Commerce, France
Keyword(s):
Serious Games, Alternate Reality Games, Reading, Acting, Social Challenges.
Related
Ontology
Subjects/Areas/Topics:
Blended Learning
;
Computer-Supported Education
;
e-Learning
;
Game-Based and Simulation-Based Learning
;
Higher Order Thinking Skills
;
Immersive Learning
;
Learning/Teaching Methodologies and Assessment
Abstract:
This paper presents a gamified empowerment approach to train future teachers. The approach aims to innovate teaching strategies and to provide a system which motivates players to read and to apply acquired knowledge towards actions to address social challenges within their community. The approach is supported by an alternate reality serious game called “ReadAct” which blends reading instruction with opportunities to act on social responsibility in the real world. Validation results are offered for experiments with the ReadAct approach in different but related contexts of drama reading, environmental education and introduction to computing. Results provide evidence that ReadAct motivates players (young readers) to engage themselves and to attract their schools’ and families’ communities to act on social challenges. The underlying challenges in the experiments are water conservation, urban violence and bullying at school. The paper contributes to the literature on computer-based educa
tion by indicating how a ReadAct game may turn the school community, where it is played out, into a community school with an integrated view of academics and social services.
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