CHILDREN’S PERCEPTIONS OF LEARNING WITH EDUCATIONAL GAMES USING IPOD TOUCHES

The use of computer games on mobile devices in schools for learning is still relatively new and is constantly evolving. The successful integration of this emerging technology into education requires a longitudinal study into how they are being perceived by learners and teachers. Finding out what works well with children in the terms of technology and pedagogy will be beneficial for both educators and technology developers as well providing an insight into how children learn. This paper is focused on student’ perceptions of learning with games using iPod Touches. Both qualitative and quantitative approaches were employed including; surveys, interviews, observations and analysis of the children’ work. The research involved different steps; finding literature, practical research in a primary classroom, analysing the data as an outcome of the practical research to understand the students' attitude towards learning with games using iPod touches. The overall student’ perception of learning with games using iPod touches was a positive one. Many described their experience as 'fun', 'cool' and 'interactive'. It was evident in this study that iPod Touches had an impact on students' learning experience by making learning more interesting and fun, but it is difficult to measure if this had any effect on their actual learning.