The document discusses a project that uses digital game design and development to promote social inclusion and intergenerational learning. The project aims to strengthen links between children with learning difficulties, their families, and teachers. An initial investigation found that games could effectively teach topics like time, the Greek alphabet, and Greek geography. The project will provide training to develop games for topics like memory and language learning. Game developers will include local computer science teachers and volunteers. Future work includes implementing local interventions and evaluating their impact.

1. ADULTS’ LEARNING FOR INTERGENERATIONAL CREATIVE EXPERIENCES
Project Number: 518106-LLP-1-2011-1-IT-GRUNDTVIG-GMP
Social Inclusion through
Games
A game-based learning educational
intervention in Greece
Technical University of Crete - Lab. of Distributed Multimedia Information
Systems and Applications (TUC/MUSIC) - http://www.music.tuc.gr/
Nektarios Moumoutzis - nektar@ced.tuc.gr

2. Main objectives
● Social inclusion of social groups at risk
● Exploit the educational potential of digital
games
● Strengthen links between children with
learning difficulties and their families

3. Game lifecycle
Game
Concept
Game
Design
Game
Development
Game
Testing
Game
Distributio
n

4. The creative language of games
● Game design & game development provide
a powerful learning environment
● This environment could promote the
acquisition of ICT skills as well as creativity,
analytical thinking, and team working.
● Gameplay can promote the acquisition of
basic computer skills and strengthen the
links between (learning together).

5. Games for intergenerational learning
● Exploit the learning potential of (video)
games
● Establish and support game communities
○ Game players (adults and children)
○ Game developers (teenagers and volunteers)
○ Use of social networks to facilitate communication
● A model "platform":
○ Scratch environment
○ Scratch community site
http://scratch.mit.edu

6. Initial investigation
● TUC personnel worked with local teachers to
test the viability of game development for
learning
● Topics on primary education:
○ Learning the Time
○ The Greek Alphabet
○ Greek Geography
● Teachers were introduced to:
○ Storyboards for game design
○ Scratch environment for game development

7. Learning the Time
● A question-and-answer
game to learn the time
● At each round, the pupil is
asked to put the arms of
the clock in the correct
position.
● The game is easily
adaptable to use a
joystick as an input
device.

8. The Greek Alphabet
● A game of exploration to
learn the Greek alphabet
● General purpose scripting
to easily accommodate
symbol systems (e.g.
foreign alphabets,
numbers, traffic signs
etc.)

9. The Regions of Greece
● A jigsaw puzzle game to
learn the regions of
Greece.
● General purpose scripting
to easily accommodate
other geography-based
jigsaw puzzles.

10. Results of initial investigation
● Game design is viable
and effective
● Game development
needs technical skills that
a typical primary teacher
doesn't have
● Apparent need to engage
skilled teenagers and
volunteers as "game
developers"

11. Current developments
● Target group: Children with learning
difficulties, their parents and teachers.
○ Local Special Primary School
● Paper prototypes for:
○ Memory Game
○ Language Learning Game
● Game developers
○ Chania Linux User Group
○ Local computer science teachers in secondary
education
● The 2nd pSkills Summer School
http://pskills.ced.tuc.gr/Summer_School_2012

12. Conclusions and Future Work
● Next steps following the ALICE schedule:
○ Training of trainers
○ Development of trainers project plans
○ Implementation of project plans: local interventions
○ Evaluation of local interventions
● Parallel pilots that may be enriched with
gaming elements
○ Collection and digitization of local stories
○ Animating folk tales and stories from children's
literature works with eShadow
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ht5RfuQl_RE

13. Thank you!
Technical University of Crete - Lab. of Distributed
Multimedia Information Systems and Applications
(TUC/MUSIC) - http://www.music.tuc.gr/
Nektarios Moumoutzis - nektar@ced.tuc.gr