Call for Papers: Interactive Technologies and Games: Education, Health and Disability 2012 (ITAG)
The “Interactive Technologies and Games: Education, Health and Disability 2012″ (ITAG) conference takes place this year on 23-24 October 2012 at Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham in the United Kingdom.
The aim of the conference is to bring together academics and practitioners working with interactive technologies to explore and innovate within the areas of Education, Health and Disability. We have a particular focus on the use of gaming hardware and software to implement accessible solutions, interaction design using new input/output devices and the increasing impact of ubiquitous computing on our everyday well being.
The conference provides an excellent opportunity to showcase practice and to mainstream research ideas and outcomes. It introduces a wider audience to key findings and products from research and illustrates how practice feeds back into and informs research. The conference creates a forum for two-way communication between the academic and practitioner communities and particularly welcomes user led presentations and workshops.
The programme includes presentations of papers, workshops, and an exhibition space for demonstrations and posters. This event is held in partnership with GameCity – the World’s best-loved videogame festival (http://gamecity.org/) and delegates are welcome to attend all GameCity events including the opening drinks reception.
Scope
As guidance to participants on scope of papers and activities we state that: ‘Education’ includes both compulsory and post-compulsory education; ‘Disability’ includes physical, sensory and cognitive impairment; and the impact of interactive technologies and games on health and well-being is also a focus of this conference. An emphasis is placed on practical applications and guides to where currently available training resources and tools can be found and used. A selection of papers will be published electronically in full, so presentations will be limited to 20 minutes for the key findings, including time for questions from the floor. It is hoped (as in previous years) that the best papers will be published in a special issue of a relevant academic journal. Previous special issues have included:
Journal of Assistive Technologies – Volume 3 issue 2 June 2009 (ITAG 2008 selected papers)
Computers and Education – Volume 56, issue 1 (ITAG 2009 selected papers)
International Journal of Games Based Learning – in press (ITAG 2010 selected papers)
Journal of Assistive Technologies – Volume 6 issue 3 in development (ITAG 2011 selected papers)
Themes and topics:
The conference encourages multidisciplinary papers and examples of themes and topics include (but don’t let this restrict you):
Games Based Learning:
Social and collaborative aspects of games (e.g., educational aspects of Massively Multiplayer Online Games)
The efficacy of games based learning
Self authored content and personalisation in games
Learning theory, pedagogy and instructional design in games
Motivational aspects of games
Collaboration between Science and Art for more effective learning
Games to promote the inclusion (e.g., for offenders and people with disabilities, motivation of female gamers)
Game related Technologies:
Using contemporary games controllers to create new opportunities in health and rehabilitation applications (e.g., applications for Wii Fit, Kinect. Move).
Brain control interfaces to games
Pervasiveness and mobility of games
Location based services
Handheld learning in the classroom
Games for Health:
Serious games for clinical assessment (e.g. after stroke)
Serious games for rehabilitation and treatment (e.g. of phobias, ADHA, post-traumatic stress disorders, stroke)
‘Modding’ for health
Art and music rehabilitation in 3D multisensory environments
Games for children in hospital
Games to increase physical activity in children
Accessibility and Design:
Open source accessibility
Participatory design
Design for all
Natural user interfaces
The representation and promotion of gender equality in games
Alternative input modalities to games for people with disabilities (e.g., brain, haptic and audio interfaces)
Access to interactive technologies for elderly people
Web based technologies:
Resources for interactive learning tools and environments, e.g. Flash, podcasts, simulations, mobile games, Web 2.0 tool etc.
The Internet as a communication medium ( e.g. for people with Asperger Syndrome).
Browser based games and linking into social media channels
Submissions
Those wishing to present papers or hold a workshop should send abstracts, to a maximum of 500 words. For those hoping to exhibit or produce a poster, a 300-word abstract is required. The deadline for submissions is Friday 1st June 2012 to be sent to: karen.krelle@ntu.ac.uk
Final copies of accepted papers are required by Friday 14th September 2012
There is a conference fee of £150 for 2 days, and £80 for 1 day registration. This price includes your invitation to the Game City opening event, lunch, and morning and afternoon refreshments.
Accommodation and Travel Links: https://www.conferencebookings.co.uk/delegate/NCBITAGEHD2010 and http://www.nctx.co.uk/
Prizes Offered:
As in previous years prizes will be awarded!
Best Paper Award: £250
Best Student Paper award: £250
Best Student Poster: £150
