Hello everyone! In this video we present an overview of the Wearable Learning Cloud Project that have been supported through several NSF research and development awards over the last several years! 

The goal of our projects are to develop new ways for students and teachers to engage with game design, creation, and collaborative game play math in classroom! 

Please post your questions or comments below! We look forward to an exciting exchange this week!

I really love the idea of students taking ownership of the game-creating process. Do you think there is room in this area of work to encourage more peer-to-peer learning through games? Or maybe even having older students design games for concepts younger students are learning, and teach them?

I love the idea of combining mathematics and gaming to develop computational skills in teachers and students.  How have you recruited teachers who might be technology averse to bring this to their classroom?

Your "game play and design framework" is quite thought-provoking--as is the concept of "wearable learning." I'm impressed by the evidence of effectiveness you have found.

I really enjoyed seeing the program in action in various classrooms - the students look so engaged! Can you share a bit more about the types of math games that they're creating and playing? I'm also interested to hear more about how you measure the development of their computational thinking skills. 

I enjoyed your video and am glad to see how you have integrated game design into classrooms!

Really exciting work. Can you describe a bit how you are measuring engagement in the research component? 

This is a really a great way to introduce computational thinking with young children - and probably older children as well!

I'd love to see some examples of the games the students (and their teachers) created - do you have links to any of those products? 

 In your professional development, you meet the growing need of technology integration in the classroom to  develop  computational skills.  What is the teacher feedback on their impressions of their students growth?  

Your work is so important and engaging for students.  I wonder if you are writing about/exploring that play aspect as it connects to breaking down math anxiety.  The physicality of the games that you can see in the video made me wonder about that and the role of muscle memory (especially as they are using their motor skills to engage tactically with geometry).  We know that physical exercise can be one way of managing anxiety, and math anxiety is a pervasive.  I am sure you are thinking of that, but I would love to hear more!

This is very exciting work! It is great to see the enthusiasm in the kids as they engage in project. Gaming... Are there other links to explore the creations of students/teachers?

Fascinating!  Love the project-based learning approach.  My curiosity is mostly around the idea of introducing younger kids to "abstract concepts" at earlier ages. I think the rationale for waiting until later in their cognitive development is that abstract thought emerges later. But I love the idea of challenging that.  Do you see a limit in how much the younger students can absorb or even comprehend?  Does it vary by student?  Does an older student comprehend better?  Would love to hear about what you are experiencing there.  Well done!

Really cool video.  Love the idea of game creation--it's something children we've seen very young children do successfully at our museum.  The wearable tools you've developed free children to move and interact while scaffolding their learning.  Great to see this connection of digital and real world experience.  Thank you for this innovative work.

We've facilitated workshops where children create board games, but we've also noticed that just about any activity that invites a way to measure success, keep score or has a goal can turn into a game.  Another thing I really liked in your video is realizing that we don't need to create games for children; they can create them on their own.  

Ivon - now that you are moving (back) to UMass Amherst, we should talk about how to collaborate. Rick

This is a very interesting project. Your use of games and letting students create the games is a great idea and I'm sure very engaging for the students. I'm curious how you all are defining computational thinking, and whether/how you are measuring this as an outcome of the project. Thanks. 

I agree, these issues of defining and measuring computational thinking are important and fascinating open questions within the field, and ones we are also working through in our computer science education research. 

Great empowering project. How do you recruit the teachers to participate in your project? You mentioned some are tech-adverse at the start. Do they volunteer or are they "voluntold"?

Thank you for your wonderful responses and insights in this dialogue. 

I wondered what were your greatest challenges in the project.  

This is such a great way to foster computational thinking through embodiment, collaboration and design of games. I think Seymour Papert would be proud to see this in use. Thanks for sharing this!

In playing the games, do you use any strategies to help them process what they are learning through the games?  Do you discuss key concepts or skills they are developing?

Thanks for sharing information about your project. Engaging students in the game design process is a great idea. I wonder what measures you are using to assess students' computational thinking. It seems like there would be a number of other important educational and affective outcomes that could be impacted through game play. Are you also measuring other variables? Thanks again for sharing your work. 

What is the most important thing that viewers are taking away from this project? 

Hi DeLene, I think the most important thing that viewers are taking away from this project is that it is feasible to play and create games with the Wearable Learning Cloud platform, and that the cycle  that starts with teachers playing games and ends with students themselves playing and creating games works. In the process, both students and teachers exercise Computational Thinking, program, taking a variety of perspectives, and they also learn math in the process. In addition, the level of affective engagement of students and teachers is extremely high.

Hello fellow EMIC developer!  The learning cloud platform is a great update to the last time we got to see this work at PME-NA.  So cool to see how it is moving forward.  The video presents "statistically significant increases in CT".  Is this measured in a pre/post within design or between design with a control comparison?

I like this video because it helps students to design their own games. When students design a game, they are likely to improve upon it. That helps the learning process.

I agree with the presenters that bringing computational thinking learning to elementary students is a challenging task. The idea of staring with playing a game and then having the students to bootstrap from that experience and create their own games is a strong tool to enhancing students' computational thinking skills. Amazing work by the researchers of this work.