LOCATION-BASED MOBILE GAMESFOR LANGUAGE

EDUCATIONSara Armengot

(seagsl@rit.edu)

and

Godys Armengot Mejía

(gaagsl@rit.edu)

Department of Modern Languages and Cultures

Rochester Institute of Technology

WHAT ARE LOCATION-BASED MOBILE GAMES?“[C]reative new games that are facilitated by mobile devices in such a way that the game activity evolves according to players’ location.” (Avouris & Yiannoutsou)

“Some of these mobile games transcend place and time and can be played in many diverse places and extend to long periods of time (a term used in this case is pervasive games), while others are designed to be event based, i.e. to be played in specific places at specific times, like during visits in museums and other non-traditional game venues.” (Avouris &Yiannoutsou)

Avouris N., Yiannoutsou, N., (2012). A review of mobile location-based games for learning across physical and virtual spaces, Journal of Universal Computer Science, vol 18,(15), pp. 2120-2142.

WHAT ARE SOME EXAMPLES OF LOCATION-BASED GAMES?

Geozate (Spanish)

Tod an der Mauer (German)

Ingress (interface in English; players from around the world communicate in the language(s) of their choice)

Smart Blogs. 10 May 2013. Retrieved from http://www.smartblog.es/2013/05/geozate-primer-juego-de-geolocalizacion-en-tiempo-real-para-smartphones/

Ingress is a Massive Multiplayer Online Game by NianticLabs@Google. For age 13 and older (in the U.S.)

Although the game interface is in English, players can communicate in any language including Japanese and Chinese.

There are many videos including tutorials and news reports about Ingress available in LOTE.

To play this game, you must accept Google’s Privacy Policy. The device location will be shared publicly with other users through the game along with your submitted screen name (your code name).

Minimum age requirements to own a Google Account: United States: 13 or older Spain: 14 or older South Korea: 14 or older Netherlands: 16 or older All other countries: 13 or older

Image source: esingress.blogspot.com

HOW CAN PLAYING AND MAKING LOCATION-BASED GAMES SUPPORT ACTFL STANDARDS?

Communication:Interpersonal, Interpretive and Presentational

Cultures: Relating Cultural Practices and Products to Perspectives

Connections: Making Connections, Acquiring Information and Diverse Perspectives

Comparisons: Making Language and Cultural Comparisons

Communities: Interact and Collaborate with School and Global

Communities while Becoming Lifelong Learners

“World Readiness Standards for Learning Languages” actfl.org

WHAT ABOUT 21ST CENTURY SKILLS? Learning and Innovation Skills

Creativity and Innovation Critical Thinking and Problem Solving Communication and Collaboration

Information, Media and Technology Skills Information Literacy Media Literacy Information, Communications and Technology Literacy

Life and Career Skills Flexibility and Adaptability Initiative and Self-Direction Social and Cross-Cultural Skills Productivity and Accountability Leadership and Responsibility

From “Framework for 21st Century Learning” www.P21.org

ISTE (INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR TECHNOLOGY IN EDUCATION)

Creativity and innovation Communication and collaboration Research and information fluency Critical thinking, problem solving, and

decision making Digital citizenship Technology operations and concepts

From “ISTE Standards Students” iste.org/standards

HOW CAN MY STUDENTS AND I MAKE OUR OWN GAMES?1. Start with your game idea and learning

goals. Keep these at the forefront throughout the process. Consider using TaleBlazer’s Game Worksheet or create your own.

2. Select a web-based platform. For example:ARIS (University of Wisconsin Madison) Taleblazer (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

3. Edit your game on a computer (not your mobile device). You must be connected to the internet to edit your games. Save your work often.

4. Involve students in the design and testing process whenever possible. Making as well as playing the games can be a collaborative effort.

WHAT PLATFORM SHOULD I CHOOSE? ARIS- University of Wisconsin Madison

Note: ARIS games only work on iOS devices (iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad)

Taleblazer- Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Note: Taleblazer games will work on both iOS and Android. To get started, email support@taleblazer.org for the secret word.Next, go to http://taleblazer.org, selectlogin and fill out the signup section. Others?

Encuentros in the TaleBlazer editor