Learning and collaboration in the use of digital games on tablets: children´s perception of an experience in school

Abstract

The interaction with digital games can influence children’s learning processes and exercise cognitive and social skills in a school context. Therefore, this work aims to characterize the emerging collaboration in the use of digital games on tablets at school, considering the children’s perception. To this end, a qualitative field study was conducted based on the interventions in the classroom using an application that integrates mini games for the exercise of cognitive skills. The procedures for data collection included the recording of narrative observations, video recordings and interviews with a group of 24 children from a 2nd-year class at a Brazilian public school. The results revealed that the children perceive collaboration as a mutual commitment towards a common goal that includes respect for the rules agreed in the group and collective work. In addition, collaboration is possible even with the use of mobile devices accessed individually. We conclude that it is possible to promote new learning contexts anchored in collaborative practices and in the use of mobile technologies as a strategy for the construction of knowledge in the school.