SITE 2012 Presentations

At SITE this year, we presented two papers on the results of the Game Design and Learning Summer camp we ran in 2011. You can find the papers and the presentation for one of them below.

1. Akcaoglu, M., Boyer, D.M. & Kereluik, K. (2012).  Teaching Problem Solving through Game Design: Reflections on Game Design and Learning Summer Camp. In P. Resta (Ed.), Proceedings of Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference 2012 (pp. 3-7). Chesapeake, VA: AACE.

Abstract:  In this paper, we report the preliminary findings of the first Game Design and Learning Summer Camp, which was held in Istanbul, Turkey for the first time in the summer of 2011. Here  we share the first insights we gained from the camp, as well as the design decisions we made while constructing our curriculum and activities. We also talk about our data collection process and sources, and our plans for future iterations.

2. Akcaoglu, M., Kereluik, K. & Boyer, D.M. (2012).  New Media Literacy Skills of Middle School Students in Turkey: Students Are Ready, Are the Schools?. In P. Resta (Ed.), Proceedings of Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference 2012 (pp. 1621-1625). Chesapeake, VA: AACE.
Retrieved from http://www.editlib.org/p/39819.

Abstract:In this descriptive research conducted on middle school students in Istanbul, Turkey, we report the results of two cross-sectional surveys which measured the New Media Literacy (NML) skills (Jenkins et al. 2006) and perceived technology abilities, and individual interviews regarding the content of computer classes and technology instruction. The results of the survey showed that the students were generally highly competent in the measured NML skills as well as using computers and the Internet. Through the interviews, however, students reported that the school computer classes taught only basic computer skills and procedures of productivity software, if not left free to play games. In the light of the findings, and previous research, in this paper, we report our initial findings and suggest how the computer classes can be modified to meet the demands of the changing world and the youth that has already caught up with, and in many respects, surpassed it.