DIGITEL2007 Workshop Calls for Papers

Author: by Beth A.

The IEEE International Workshop on Digital Game and Intelligent Toy Enhanced Learning (DIGITEL2007), which will take place March 26-28, 2007 at the National Central University in Jhongli, Taiwan, encourages paper submissions that address the growing interest in the design of digital games and intelligent toys for learning. According to the Workshop organizers, digital games use advanced computing, multimedia and Internet technology while intelligent toys are embedded with chips and sensors utilize wireless, mobile, and ubiquitous computing technologies. The game and toy designs that these technologies make possible integrate individual and social activities in new ways, and thus reframe long-standing questions, ideas, and approaches to learning. DIGITEL2007 will convene experts in digital games and toys from academia and industry to address fundamental questions about these new technologies for learning, including: What kinds of meaningful learning takes place through digital toys and games, and how does the process of deep understanding develop in these contexts? What new theories are needed to explain the phenomena of learning through digital game and toy-based play--and what old theories can be extended to this domain? How can we characterize the pedagogies of digital game and toy based learning? How can these technologies be adopted for formal and informal learning settings? Are there possible adverse outcomes and how can they be avoided, minimized, or mitigated? Furthermore, DIGITEL2007 intends to provide a forum, with keynotes, paper presentations, posters, and panels, for researchers and practitioners from various disciplines to exchange ideas to lay the foundation for this emerging research area. The proceedings of the workshop will be published by IEEE Computer Society. Paper submissions are due by September 15, 2006. For information such as topics of interest, paper format, and submission details, visit the DIGITEL2007 website.