Global Goals Adventures: A No-Tech Coding Game for Future Change Makers

Content and Engagement: Content Presented: The session will showcase the Global Goals Game, a no-tech coding project where students design sustainable cities and navigate challenges based on the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The poster will feature digital, photographic, and physical models of real student projects as well as actual game pieces, displayed on a table. These examples will highlight creativity, computational thinking, and problem-solving in real-world contexts. Audience Engagement: Attendees will have the opportunity to explore physical models, interact with digital components, and review the design process used by students. If desired, the session can be adapted into a workshop or creative lab, where participants will collaborate to design and play their own version of the Global Goals Game, using either no-tech or digital options. Activities: Attendees will engage with the tabletop models, understanding the process behind the projects. If presented as a workshop, they will design and code their characters through the sustainable city on a large game board, learning how to scaffold the project for their classrooms. Time: Poster Session (5-10 minutes per participant): Participants will have the opportunity to explore the project for 5-10 minutes, with additional time available to engage deeper and explore advanced concepts and extensions based on their interest. Workshop/Creativity Lab (Varies based on format): If presented as a workshop or creativity lab, participants will have an extended session to design and play the game in full. This session will be streamlined and adapted to the presentation model's requirements, allowing for deeper engagement and interaction with the content. Process: Engagement Tactics: Peer-to-peer interaction: Attendees will discuss how they can integrate similar projects into their curriculum, fostering exchange of ideas. Hands-on activities: If the session is adapted into a workshop, participants will actively build their game and design models, promoting creativity and collaboration. Multimedia engagement: Digital displays will showcase student projects and how they used technology or no-tech options for problem-solving.

Papert, S. (1980). Mindstorms: Children, Computers, and Powerful Ideas. – Seymour Papert's foundational work on constructionism, highlighting the value of learning through making and games, even in low-tech environments. Wing, J. (2006). Computational Thinking. – This paper emphasizes the importance of computational thinking as a skill set, which can be developed even without the use of technology, through activities like no-tech coding and game-based learning. https://dl.acm.org/doi/pdf/10.1145/1118178.1118215 Edutopia: Project-Based Learning (PBL) Research Review. – This resource reviews the effectiveness of PBL, supporting how hands-on, game-based projects like no-tech coding can deepen learning and foster real-world problem-solving. https://www.edutopia.org/pbl-research-learning-outcomes

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