Impar App Learning Italian with MITs Tale Blazer

Impar. App: Learning Italian with MIT's Tale. Blazer. Innovative Language Teaching and Learning at University Theme: Integrating informal learning into formal language education The Open University 16 th June 2017 Billy Brick and Tiziana Cervi-Wilson Coventry University

Research Questions How can a pervasive approach to learning using a location based game support beginners students of Italian on a university IWLP programme? How can a pervasive approach to learning fit within the context of a formal teaching and learning approaches? 2

The Disruptive Media Learning Lab (DMLL) 3 25/11/2015

Process 4

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Pervasive Learning Source: http: //www. knowledgejump. com/web_pics/Pervasive. Learning_all. PNG 7

Levelling up through solving problems Teaching to the test 8

A holistic approach 9

https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=w. Gi. Ila. GWAag 10

The Team Lecturers @Cov. Uni Researchers @DMLL Tiziana Cervi-Wilson Sylvester Arnab Senior Lecturer in Italian Reader in Games Science Billy Brick Languages Centre Manager Luca Morini Koula Charitonos Research Assistants Students @Cov. Uni Tyrone Bellamy-Wood Games Technology BSc student Gaetan van Leeuwen Creative Writing BA Student

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Characters and Narration 13

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Playtesting 22

Authentic experiences Conversations Observation skills Content Cultural encounters

Play-Test session

25 Source: http: //www. gamasutra. com/view/feature/132702/quick_and_dirty_prototyping_a_. ph

Participant Observation

“I haven’t seen something like this before, usually it is only dictionaries… This is more interactive instead of sitting on a desk with a book” [3 rd year engineering student]

“Interesting for beginners… an icebreaking activity, especially in the beginning of the academic year/studies when you know no one and you don’t talk to anyone in the class for the first 3 -4 weeks”

“I didn’t know anything about the [“Whitefriars Pub] and also the little alley behind the cathedral”

• B 65 8 QD Challenges Limitations of Taleblazer – too many behaviouristic type activities Institutional challenges Low level language competence Lack of familiarity with games development Extremely time consuming and logistically challenging

Future Developments 32

Thank you for listening Any questions? 34

References Arnab, S. , Tombs, G. , Duncan, M. , Smith, S. & Star, K. (2015). Towards the Blending of Digital and Physical Learning Contexts with a Gamified and Pervasive Approach. In Proceedings of Games and Learning Alliance (GALA) Conference, Rome, October 2015. Avouris, N. M. , & Yiannoutsou, N. (2012). A Review of Mobile Location-based Games for Learning across Physical and Virtual Spaces. J. UCS, 18(15), 2120 -2142. Charitonos, K, Morini, L, Arnab, S, Cervi-Wilson, T & Brick, B (2016) Urban explorations for language learning: a gamified approach to teaching Italian in a university context. in CALL communities and culture – short papers from EUROCALL 2016 [online] available from <https: //researchpublishing. net/display_article. php? doi=10. 14705/rpnet. 2016. eurocall 2016. 544> [4 June 2017] Gee JP. (Various dates) Publications for Education [online] available from <http: //jamespaulgee. com/pubdisp. php/? id=0&scateg=Education> [4 June 2017] Godwin-Jones, R. (2014) Games in language learning: Opportunities and challenges. Language Learning & Technology 18(2), 9– 19 [online] available from <http: //llt. msu. edu/issues/june 2014/emerging. pdf> [4 June 2017] Godwin- Jones, R. (2017) Smartphones and language learning. Language Learning & Technology 21 (2), 3– 17 [online] available from <http: //llt. msu. edu/issues/june 2017/emerging. pdf> [4 June 2017] Gaved, M. et al. (2013). Creating coherent incidental learning journeys on mobile devices through feedback and progress indicators. In QScience 35 Proceedings m. Learn 2013 (pp. 13 -16)

References Jantke, K. P. , & Spundflasch, S. (2013, May). Understanding Pervasive Games for Purposes of Learning. In CSEDU p. 696 -701 Kukulska-Hulme, A. (2013). Limelight on mobile learning: Integrating education and innovation. Harvard International Review, 34 (4), 12 Kukulska-Hulme, A. (2013). Re-skilling language learners for a mobile world. Monterey, CA: The International Research Foundation for English Language Education. Medlock-Walton, M. P. (2012). Tale Blazer: a platform for creating multiplayer location based games (Doctoral dissertation, Massachusetts Institute of Technology). Morini, L, Charitonos, K, Arnab, S, Cervi-Wilson, T, Brick, B, Bellamy-Wood, T & Van Leeuwen, G, ’Impar. App: Designing and piloting a game-based approach for language learning’. in), Proceedings of the European Conference on Games-based Learning. vol. 2016, Academic Conferences and Publishing International Limited, Reading, UK, pp. 1005 -1009, 10 th European Conference on Games Based Learning, Paisley, United Kingdom, 6 -7 October 2016. Reinders, H. , & Wattana, S. (2014) Can I say something? The effects of digital game play on willingness to communicate. Language Learning & Technology, 18(2), 101– 123. [online] available from <http: //llt. msu. edu/issues/june 2014/reinderswattana. pdf> [4 July 2016] Rosell-Aguilar, F. (2017). ‘State of the app: A taxonomy and framework for evaluating language learning mobile applications’. CALICO Journal, 34(2), 243– 258 40