This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Informatics in Schools: Situation, Evolution and Perspectives, ISSEP 2011, held in Bratislava, Slovakia, in October 2011. The 20 revised full papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from 69 submissions. A broad variety of topics related to teaching informatics in schools is addressed ranging from national experience reports to paedagogical and methodological issues. The papers are organized in topical sections on informatics education - the spectrum of options, national perspectives, outreach programmes, teacher education, informatics in primary schools, advanced concepts of informatics in schools, as well as competitions and exams.

The International Conference on Informatics in Schools: Situation, Evolution and Perspectives - ISSEP - is a forum for researchers and practitioners in the area of Informatics education, both in primary and secondary schools. It provides an opportunity for educators to reflect upon the goals and objectives of this subject, its curricula and various teaching/learning paradigms and topics, possible connections to everyday life and various ways of establishing Informatics Education in schools. This conference also cares about teaching/learning materials, various forms of assessment, traditional and innovative educational research designs, Informatics' contribution to the preparation of children for the 21st century, motivating competitions, projects and activities supporting informatics education in school.

This book gathers a selection of the articles accepted for presentation and discussion at the 2nd International Conference on Smart Learning Ecosystems and Regional Developments (SLERD 2017), held 22–23 June What characterizes smart learning ecosystems? What is their role in city and regional development and innovation? How can we promote the engagement of citizens in smart learning ecosystems? These are some of the questions addressed at SLERD 2017 and documented here. The proceedings include scientific papers that endeavor to understand, devise and promote innovative human-centric design and development methods, education/training practices, informal social learning, and citizen-driven policies. The individual papers elaborate on the notion of smart learning ecosystems, study the relation of smart learning ecosystems with As such, they help to foster the social innovation sectors, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and economic development and deployment strategies, alongside new policies for smarter, proactive citizens – making them a valuable resource for researchers and policymakers alike.

This book presents the outcomes of the 7th International Conference in Methodologies and Intelligent Systems for Technology Enhanced Learning (MIS4TEL'17), hosted by the Polytechnic of Porto, Portugal from 21 to 23 June 2017. Expanding on the topics of the previous conferences, it provided an open forum for discussing intelligent systems for technology enhanced learning (TEL) and their roots in novel learning theories, empirical methodologies for their design or evaluation, stand-alone and web-based solutions, and makerspaces. It also fostered entrepreneurship and business startup ideas, bringing together researchers and developers from industry, education and the academic world to report on the latest scientific research, technical advances and methodologies.

Gamification is an increasingly popular technology that has been utilized across a number of fields such as business, medicine, and education. As education continues to turn toward online teaching and learning, gamification is one of many new technologies that have been proven to assist educators in providing holistic and effective instruction. Additional research is required to ensure this technology is utilized appropriately within the classroom. The Handbook of Research on the Influence and Effectiveness of Gamification in Education considers the importance of gamification in the current learning environment and discusses the best practices, opportunities, and challenges of this innovative technology within an educational setting. Covering a wide range of critical topics such as engagement, serious games, and escape rooms, this major reference work is essential for policymakers, academicians, administrators, scholars, researchers, practitioners, instructors, and students.

Education and Technology for a Better World was the main theme for WCCE 2009. The conference highlights and explores different perspectives of this theme, covering all levels of formal education as well as informal learning and societal aspects of education. The conference was open to everyone involved in education and training. Additionally players from technological, societal, business and political fields outside education were invited to make relevant contributions within the theme: Education and Technology for a Better World. For several years the WCCE (World Conference on Computers in Education) has brought benefits to the fields of computer science and computers and education as well as to their communities. The contributions at WCCE include research projects and good practice presented in different formats from full papers to posters, demonstrations, panels, workshops and symposiums. The focus is not only on presentations of accepted contributions but also on discussions and input from all participants. The main goal of these conferences is to provide a forum for the discussion of ideas in all areas of computer science and human learning. They create a unique environment in which researchers and practitioners in the fields of computer science and human learning can interact, exchanging theories, experiments, techniques, applications and evaluations of initiatives supporting new developments that are potentially relevant for the development of these fields. They intend to serve as reference guidelines for the research community.

A guide to computational thinking education, with a focus on artificial intelligence literacy and the integration of computing and physical objects. Computing has become an essential part of today’s primary and secondary school curricula. In recent years, K–12 computer education has shifted from computer science itself to the broader perspective of computational thinking (CT), which is less about technology than a way of thinking and solving problems—“a fundamental skill for everyone, not just computer scientists,” in the words of Jeanette Wing, author of a foundational article on CT. This volume introduces a variety of approaches to CT in K–12 education, offering a wide range of international perspectives that focus on artificial intelligence (AI) literacy and the integration of computing and physical objects. The book first offers an overview of CT and its importance in K–12 education, covering such topics as the rationale for teaching CT; programming as a general problem-solving skill; and the “phenomenon-based learning” approach. It then addresses the educational implications of the explosion in AI research, discussing, among other things, the importance of teaching children to be conscientious designers and consumers of AI. Finally, the book examines the increasing influence of physical devices in CT education, considering the learning opportunities offered by robotics. Contributors Harold Abelson, Cynthia Breazeal, Karen Brennan, Michael E. Caspersen, Christian Dindler, Daniella DiPaola, Nardie Fanchamps, Christina Gardner-McCune, Mark Guzdial, Kai Hakkarainen, Fredrik Heintz, Paul Hennissen, H. Ulrich Hoppe, Ole Sejer Iversen, Siu-Cheung Kong, Wai-Ying Kwok, Sven Manske, Jesús Moreno-León, Blakeley H. Payne, Sini Riikonen, Gregorio Robles, Marcos Román-González, Pirita Seitamaa-Hakkarainen, Ju-Ling Shih, Pasi Silander, Lou Slangen, Rachel Charlotte Smith, Marcus Specht, Florence R. Sullivan, David S. Touretzky