For Equity & Social Impact
Games for Learning
He tākaro, he huarahi ako
The first NZCER Games for Learning conference took place in Wellington on 31 August - 1 September 2017.
Check out the archived programme below for links to recordings of some featured talks, breakout sessions, and links to resources, or browse photos from the conference.
Programme (2017 Conference)
DAY ONE: THURSDAY
8:00-9:00 Registration ICON (Level 2)
9:00-9:30 Mihi, welcome, and setting the scene Soundings Theatre (Level 2)
9:30 - 10:15
FEATURED TALK: Tihei Mauri Ora: The breath of life
Harko Brown
Soundings Theatre (Level 2)
10:15 - 10:40 Morning tea ICON (Level 2)
10:45 - 12:00
FEATURED TALK: Exploring and extending culture through games: Never Alone (Kisima Ingitchuna)
Amy Fredeen
Soundings Theatre (Level 2)
12:00 - 12:55 Lunch & Activities ICON (Level 2)
(back area of Hīnātore)
13:00 - 14:30
Aqua Republica: Catchment managers of the future
Rose Jowsey and Carl Johnson
Angus 1&2 (Level 3)
Soundings Theatre (Level 2)
Building physical learning games
Richard Durham
Suburban Quilt
Ben Kenobi
Why game design in the classroom?
Diana-Grace Morris
Hīnātore (Level 4)
Can games develop systems thinking?
Rose Hipkins
Angus 1&2 (Level 3)
13:00 - 14:30
Make money, make impact: Commercial games for learning & social impact
Alan Gershenfeld
(via live videoconference)
Rangimarie 3 (Level 3)
14:30 - 14:55 Afternoon tea ICON (Level 2)
15:00 - 16:00
Soundings Theatre (Level 2)
Gamify reading through choice, perspective, and multimodality
Jarek Beksa with Sue McDowall
(45 mins)
(back area of Hīnātore)
15:00 - 16:00
Playing with
blocks
Rachel Fenichel
Hīnātore (Level 4)
15:00 - 16:00
Cook Islands learners' perspectives on gaming: Inclusion, creativity, and critical thinking in our classroom
Year 13 students from Tereora College
Angus 1&2 (Level 3)
15:00 - 16:00
Exploring Scenarios for
the future
Alex Matthews and
Rox Flame
Rangimarie 3 (Level 3)
17:00 - 19:00
Come and join us for a social event at
St Johns Bar & Restaurant
16:05 - 16:50
Soundings Theatre (Level 2)
FEATURED TALK: Rethinking who
(and what) makes a game educational
Bron Stuckey
16:50 - 17:00 Closing Day one

DAY TWO: FRIDAY
8:30-8:45 Welcome Soundings Theatre (Level 2)
8:45 - 9:15
FEATURED TALK: Hīnātore | Learning Lab - Connecting learning and taonga
Tara Fagan
Soundings Theatre (Level 2)
9:15 - 10:15
FEATURED TALK: Connected Gaming: What making video games can
teach us about learning and literacy
Yasmin Kafai
Soundings Theatre (Level 2)
10:15 - 10:40 Morning tea ICON (Level 2)
10:45 - 11:25
FEATURED TALK: The NZ Game industry: Overview and Q&A
James Everett
Soundings Theatre (Level 2)
11:30 - 12:30
Symposium: Gamifying the secondary curriculum
11:30 - 12:30
Even awesomer Game of Awesome
Robert Whitaker,
Aaron McKirdy, and
Leanne Stubbing
Hīnātore (Level 4)
11:30 - 12:30
If the Games for Learning conference was a game...
Rachel Bolstad, Diana-Grace Morris, and
Dan Milward
Soundings Theatre
(Level 2)
Angus 1&2 (Level 3)
Gamifying the CREST award
Simon Christie
Our journey to gamify the Year 7-9 Curriculum
Hamish Barclay and
Brad Milne
12:30 - 13:15 Lunch ICON (Level )
12:30 - 13:10 Lunch ICON (Level 2)
Soundings Theatre
(Level 2)
Tākaro: A digital game to engage young people/rangatahi
with STEM
Weaving game design and digital technologies into the curriculum
Dan Milward
Building and publishing games in LittleBigPlanet for PS3 and PS4
Stephen Ross
13:15 - 14:45
Let's make a game!
Warren Mara
Angus 1&2 (Level 3)
13:15 - 14:45
Symposium: STEM and digital games
14:45 - 15:15 Afternoon tea ICON (Level 2)
15:15 - 16:45
Highlights from NZTA student game design challenge (Panel session)
"If the games for learning conference was a game" pitch event
Closing remarks and reflections
Soundings Theatre(Level 2)