Yasmin B. Kafai

Bio: Yasmin B. Kafai is an academic researcher from University of Pennsylvania. The author has contributed to research in topics: Game design & Educational technology. The author has an hindex of 46, co-authored 259 publications receiving 11594 citations. Previous affiliations of Yasmin B. Kafai include University of California, Los Angeles & University of California.

Scratch: programming for all

Abstract: "Digital fluency" should mean designing, creating, and remixing, not just browsing, chatting, and interacting.

Constructionism in Practice: Designing, Thinking, and Learning in A Digital World

Abstract: Contents: Y.B. Kafai, M. Resnick, Introduction. Part I:Perspectives in Constructionism. S. Papert, A Word for Learning. E. Ackermann, Perspective-Taking and Object Construction: Two Keys to Learning. A.A. Brandes, Elementary School Children's Images of Science. Part II:Learning Through Design. Y.B. Kafai, Learning Design by Making Games: Children's Development of Design Strategies in the Creation of a Complex Computational Artifact. Y.B. Kafai, Electronic Play Worlds: Gender Differences in Children's Constructions of Video Games. G. Gargarian, The Art of Design. R. Sargent, M. Resnick, F. Martin, B. Silverman, Building and Learning with Programmable Bricks. Part III:Learning in Communities. A. Shaw, Social Constructionism and the Inner City: Designing Environments for Social Development and Urban Renewal. A. Bruckman, M. Resnick, The MediaMOO Project: Constructionism and Professional Community. M. Evard, A Community of Designers: Learning Through Exchanging Questions and Answers. P.K. Hooper, "They Have Their Own Thoughts": A Story of Constructionist Learning in an Alternative African-Centered Community School. Part IV:Learning About Systems. M. Resnick, New Paradigms for Computing, New Paradigms for Thinking. U. Wilensky, Making Sense of Probability Through Paradox and Programming: A Case Study in a Connected Mathematics Framework. F.G. Martin, Ideal and Real Systems: A Study of Notions of Control in Undergraduates Who Design Robots.

Playing and Making Games for Learning: Instructionist and Constructionist Perspectives for Game Studies

Abstract: This article presents an overview of what we know about two perspectives, coined instructionist and constructionist, to games for learning. The instructionists, accustomed to thinking in terms of m...

Minds in Play: Computer Game Design As A Context for Children's Learning

Abstract: Video games more than any other media have brought technology into children's homes and hearts Educators, psychologists, and parents are struck by the quality of engagement that stands in stark contrast to children's usual interest in school homework and other activities Whereas most research efforts have concentrated on discussing the effects of game playing, this book takes a different stance It takes a close look at games as a context for learning by placing children in the roles of producers rather than consumers of games Kafai presents a constructionist vision of computer-based learning activities in schools She follows a class of sixteen fourth-grade students from an inner-city public elementary school as they were programming games in Logo to teach fractions to third graders The children transformed their classroom into a game design studio for six months, learning programming, writing stories and dialogues, constructing representations of fractions, creating package designs and advertisements, considering interface design issues, and devising teaching strategies In this context, programming became a medium for children's personal and creative expression; in the design of their games children engaged their fantasies and built relationships with other pockets of reality that went beyond traditional school approaches The ideas and discussions presented in this book address educators, researchers, and software and curriculum designers interested in children's learning and thinking with educational technologies

Programming by choice: urban youth learning programming with scratch

Abstract: This paper describes Scratch, a visual, block-based programming language designed to facilitate media manipulation for novice programmers. We report on the Scratch programming experiences of urban youth ages 8-18 at a Computer Clubhouse 'an after school center' over an 18-month period. Our analyses of 536 Scratch projects collected during this time documents the learning of key programming concepts even in the absence of instructional interventions or experienced mentors. We discuss the motivations of urban youth who choose to program in Scratch rather than using one of the many other software packages available to them and the implications for introducing programming at after school settings in underserved communities.

How people learn: Brain, mind, experience, and school.

Abstract: New developments in the science of learning science of learning overview mind and brain how experts differ from novices how children learn learning and transfer the learning environment curriculum, instruction and commnity effective teaching - examples in history, mathematics and science teacher learning technology to support learning conclusions from new developments in the science of learning.

Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge: A Framework for Teacher Knowledge

Abstract: Research in the area of educational technology has often been critiqued for a lack of theoretical grounding. In this article we propose a conceptual framework for educational technology by building on Shulman’s formulation of ‘‘pedagogical content knowledge’’ and extend it to the phenomenon of teachers integrating technology into their pedagogy. This framework is the result of 5 years of work on a program of research focused on teacher professional development and faculty development in higher education. It attempts to capture some of the essential qualities of teacher knowledge required for technology integration in teaching, while addressing the complex, multifaceted, and situated nature of this knowledge. We argue, briefly, that thoughtful pedagogical uses of technology require the development of a complex, situated form of knowledge that we call Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPCK). In doing so, we posit the complex roles of, and interplay among, three main components of learning environments: content, pedagogy, and technology. We argue that this model has much to offer to discussions of technology integration at multiple levels: theoretical, pedagogical, and methodological. In this article, we describe the theory behind our framework, provide examples of our teaching approach based upon the framework, and illustrate the methodological contributions that have resulted from this work.

The Production of Space

Abstract: ‘The Production of Space’, in: Frans Jacobi, Imagine, Space Poetry, Copenhagen, 1996, unpaginated.

스크린 위의 삶 = Life on the screen : identity in the age of the internet

Abstract: From the Publisher: A Question of Identity Life on the Screen is a fascinating and wide-ranging investigation of the impact of computers and networking on society, peoples' perceptions of themselves, and the individual's relationship to machines. Sherry Turkle, a Professor of the Sociology of Science at MIT and a licensed psychologist, uses Internet MUDs (multi-user domains, or in older gaming parlance multi-user dungeons) as a launching pad for explorations of software design, user interfaces, simulation, artificial intelligence, artificial life, agents, "bots," virtual reality, and "the on-line way of life." Turkle's discussion of postmodernism is particularly enlightening. She shows how postmodern concepts in art, architecture, and ethics are related to concrete topics much closer to home, for example AI research (Minsky's "Society of Mind") and even MUDs (exemplified by students with X-window terminals who are doing homework in one window and simultaneously playing out several different roles in the same MUD in other windows). Those of you who have (like me) been turned off by the shallow, pretentious, meaningless paintings and sculptures that litter our museums of modern art may have a different perspective after hearing what Turkle has to say. This is a psychoanalytical book, not a technical one. However, software developers and engineers will find it highly accessible because of the depth of the author's technical understanding and credibility. Unlike most other authors in this genre, Turkle does not constantly jar the technically-literate reader with blatant errors or bogus assertions about how things work. Although I personally don't have time or patience for MUDs,view most of AI as snake-oil, and abhor postmodern architecture, I thought the time spent reading this book was an extremely good investment.