Organising institution:

Country: Finland

Age: 12-15 years.

Key question: How we can enhance learning process need with developing serious and learning games?

Objectives: The use of games supports learning. At its best, a game can affect the players on a deep level, which makes them understand the topic better. Learning is even more effective if young people develope the games themselves and test them together.

Time: 6 hours.

Software and apps to be used: Seppo software: http://seppo.io/en/

Brief presentation: Seppo software and the gaming is a new way of learning combines expe-riential, project-based learning and utilising technology in a real-life evironment. The 21st century skills, such as problem solving, creativity, teamwork, and sharing your know-how are an integral part of the learn-ing process of seppo games. Seppo’s game pedagogy is to teach in a way that inspires and motivates students. It gets players on the move, which also makes the brain work better. Our aim is to gather students to Game Jams of mobile and desktop games to develop applications and games with Seppo software. Game Jams Savonia University of Applied Sciences coordinate the National Games for Health Finland network. Games for Health is a new, emerging field that promotes well- 3 being, health and functional capacity. These games have desired health outcomes and are used to encourage citizens to take responsibility for their own self-care. Games for Health Finland and bringing together a unique combination of expertise, innovation and cross-cutting know-how for the benefit of people’s well-being. To get new innovative prototypes Savonia UAS has been organizing Health Game Jams since 2013. These events bring together game designers, programmers, sound designers, graphic artists, health and wellness experts, students, professionals, complete beginners and people simply interested in the topic. In these Game Jams also AR & VR Solutions have been popular and they have been develop for example to Kuopio Museum and rehabilitation purposes. In Kuopio we have companies specialized to AR and VR development that works tightly together with Savonia UAS. Our aim is to gather students to Game Jams of mobile and desktop games to develop applications and games with Seppo software. Game Jams Savonia University of Applied Sciences coordinate the National Games for Health Finland network. Games for Health is a new, emerging field that promotes well- 3 being, health and functional capacity. These games have desired health outcomes and are used to encourage citizens to take responsibility for their own self-care. Games for Health Finland and bringing together a unique combination of expertise, innovation and cross-cutting know-how for the benefit of people’s well-being. To get new innovative prototypes Savonia UAS has been organizing Health Game Jams since 2013. These events bring together game designers, programmers, sound designers, graphic artists, health and wellness experts, students, professionals, complete beginners and people simply interested in the topic. In these Game Jams also AR & VR Solutions have been popular and they have been develop for example to Kuopio Museum and rehabilitation purposes. In Kuopio we have companies specialized to AR and VR development that works tightly together with Savonia UAS. The Digital Atelier is arranged during the Game Jams. Participants of the Digital Gal-ùlerie may take part in groups who are developing games if they have some experience in ICT beforehand. They can test the games developed with Seppo software or they can design the game functions and make certain innovations which are then realized by the group. Participants of the Digital Gallerie could test the games which are developed in the earlier Game Jams and find some points to developeù further. They can make a report with videos of the best games developed during the Game Jams and the launch the video in the public media. Our students take part in Game Jams where they developeù games using Unity as a game engine and VIVE virtual technology. Games are mostly entertainment but we have done also serious games for learning and rehabilation purposes. Participants can further evaluate the games developed by companies and they can give important feedback from real users to commercial products of the games. The Digital Atelier participants can act as ICT support to set up different gaming systems whit many sensors and virtual glasses and install software to computers or phones and to the cloud. One function which Digital Atelier participants can take is the voting of the winner of Game Jams. It is possible that Digital Atelier participants can make an own group which can develop own games with the help of other more skilled groups. There is a lot of sen-ors and devices available during the Game Jams. Participants of Digital Atelier could quite easily develop desktop games with Unity platform because it is a little easier. If the step to programming is to long they can test existing desktop applications as well.

Topics covered: Motivation, Activity, learning directions and creativity enhancement with gaming.

Civic engagement: Kuopio city school authorities and teachers are our partners. We could send our students to city museum or library to make a game of some presentation. They can get facts about museum stands during the visit and develop the games later in Game Jams.

Preparation of space for the Atelier: We can show a Seppo demo for motivation nad we can continue with that in LTTA. We could have inside couple of places where different aspects, questions and material are gone through with the game.

Main inspirations taken from personal research: History, social skills, sport, 21. century skills, math, ad-ventures.

Mass media and social media connections: The results of the Game Jam and Seppo software games are presented in SOME. In the game there can be links which are opened during the game. The videos can developed separately. At this moment we do not have VR or AR but we can add snapshots of them.

How do you plan to give voice to students to present or show their personal skills and knowledge? We have a competition in Game Jams and the best games and application are presented to the audience. However all groups can pre-sent their results during the Game Jams.

How do you collect information as the starting point of a Digital Atelier? Students get the needed specification of the game functions from clients (e.g. museums, libraries…) by in-terviewing them.

Introducing students to the key question – the research begins: Kids can do informatics parts of the games by find-ing out facts from Internet.

Experimental phase

1. Action that unfolds the practical activity to clarify the question: Students can test the ques-tions beforehand.
2. Active work of the students: Students develope question sets about the choisen subject.
3. Presentation of findings and results (visualisation of information): The question sets are embedded in Seppo software games. There can graphical maps and curves to show the answer.
4. Analysis of results: Students can compare the points from each other and public. There can be simple analysis tools available like IBM Watson Analytics.

Project/design phase – part 1

1. Second action that unfolds the practical activity): The software shows the weak points of skills and suggests further actions.
2. Active work of the students: Students collect all answer and the game succesfullnes and make the report for a specific group.
3. Presentation of findings and results (visualisation of information): The analysis tools give the report graphical parts and students must formulate the text of the analysis.
4. Analysis of results: The analysis result is a report of the competitors. It shows the averages and deviations and it can give some weak signals of problems.

Project/design phase – part 2

1. Third action that unfolds the practical activity: Based on the analysis students are given questions and quidelines to next step of learning better.
2. Active work of the students: We might have the next level of gaming which goes to more detailled questions and skills.
3. Presentation of findings and results (visualisation of information): We can compare now the results of the third level to the previous phases of learning.
4. Analysis of results: Students can see which from analyse report which parts of the competence needs update.

Approach to a new software or a new app: The software is presented in a common meeting to all participants and we can use demos available.

Links between the Digital Atelier and real life of the students: The games subjects come form every day life. For example managing bank operations, filling out student applications, visiting museums, airport zoll controls etc.

How do you plan to evaluate knowledge and skills? We can set up score systems for skill level assessment.

Conclusion: Game Jams are very attractive place for young people because there is a real competition between students. The Seppo gaming software is a very platform for game development also for serious gaming for adults.