In this study, teachers are giving an opportunity to design and develop their own educational games. The following three questions guide the research: (1) What are the characteristics of teacher designed and developed games? (2) What theories do teachers use when they make games for educational purposes? (3) What are the design considerations when teachers engage in game authoring experiences? Framed in a qualitative, naturalistic case study perspective, this paper explores 83 teachers’ experience and thinking grounded in enactivism. Participating teachers are enrolled in a graduate course focusing on game based learning. Data sources include: teacher written assignments, teacher created digital artifacts, instructor’s reflective journal, and learner feedback after class. The analysis of the data show that teachers tend to create quiz games using the software they are familiar with, prefer collaborative design process, and math is a popular subject for games. They like to author games that are customized, with detailed storylines, and are appropriate for the local contexts. Implication and recommendations are also discussed.
|