The question of the title may seem senseless. Computer games presumably do not foster moral sensitivity. On the contrary, the player often takes the role of soldier, thief, monster etc. with the aim of winning at any cost. And yet, digital games carry great potentials for learning. The possibility to act and engage in virtual situations may be used in many other contexts with the aim of handling difficult moral dilemmas, in which the "practicing of goodness" may lead to understanding and empathy. The study seeks an answer to the question of the title by means of the game, Men and animals. Moral development of the young generation is recognized as a growing problem by western countries. As the lives of young people are characterized by moral ambivalence, and competing moral discourses, values seem to be increasingly uncertain and fragmented. Researchers describe such morality as "situational" in contrast to rule based moral values. To develop a more coherent and reflected morality, people have to meet, discuss, and act in a variety of complex situation, leading to deepened "moral sensitivity". The digital game Men and animals was developed to meet such demands. Embedded in a narrative, the game presents the students to authentic dilemmas that can be "solved" in more than one way. The solutions represent different moral values. The game is played in pairs allowing for discussion. To solve the dilemmas a range of opinions and information is presented. The game can be played several times allowing students to test the consequences of polar value positions. Playing takes 45 minutes. Effects and experiences of playing the game was studied involving 100 students aged 16-19. By interviews and a questionnaire students' moral reasoning was tested in various situations before and after playing the game. Observation of players' discussions and arguments while playing was included. The choices made by each pair were registered and positioned on a scale from "Absolute animal rights" to "Animals have no rights at all". At the end of the play students saw all their choices, and were invited to reflect on them in relation to the value scale. This gave room for reflection on the situational character of the choices, which for most pairs mirrored an ambivalent moral position. A majority of the students experienced the continuous demand for decision-making as highly engaging - and difficult. The game made the students question their initial general idea of the relations between men and animals. Before playing, a majority ascribed the same value to animals as to men. Having played, students' decisions became more relational and situational, mirroring a more reflected position. Students themselves commented on the problem of understanding the moral components of a dilemma, as well as their own position. They articulated a feeling of not having thought of such things in depth, and interest in playing more games that challenged their presumptions.

Thirty students aged 13-15 were observed at school when playing the COTS computer game SimCity 4 with the mission to create sustainable cities. The aim was to study students’ use of scientific concepts, theories, and processes during gameplay. The analysis demonstrates that the gaming students were engaged in what can be described as scientific practice. They were exploring, penetrating and manipulating the game mechanics, thus demonstrating understanding of the interdependency of factors in the system. This was, however, mostly done in a rather unsystematic way. Students did observe and discuss the results of their actions, and according to later decisions also learned from them, but formal analyses or conclusions were largely lacking. They treated the gameplay as part of the school task, and the game as a virtual dynamic system rather than as a simulated real world. The results illustrate the assumption that computer gameplay in school needs to be contextualised in a way that enables the students to make sense of the educationally relevant content.

Matematikundervisningen i den svenska skolan står inför mycket stora förändringar. Regeringen har nyligen beslutat om nya ämnesplaner för både grundskolan och gymnasieskolan, vilka ska tillämpas på utbildningar som påbörjas efter den 1 juli 2011. Med ett nytt centralt ämnesinnehåll kommer också nya kunskapskrav och ett nytt betygssystem. Utöver detta står skolan inför en i praktiken mycket större och mera genomgripande förändring, nämligen att motsvara de krav som samhällets fortskridande digitalisering ställer samt att leva upp till förväntningarna från ungdomar med stor medievana.

I denna artikel ger författarna exempel på hur IKT kan användas för att arbeta med både matematiska uttrycksformer och representationer. Ofta skiljer vi inte på uttrycksformer och representationer, utan de får stå för samma sak. För tydlighetens skull diskuteras de dock här var för sig. Artikeln innehåller även exempel på tillämpningar från gymnasiet.

The interest for game-based learning is growing among science educators. A range of research reviews have been published regarding the educational potentials of using computer games as a tool for learning and mediation, but on a general level. This research review focuses on empirical studies conducted on computer game play specifically used to enhance science learning. 50 publications published during the last decade were found that met the criteria of presenting empirical data from students using games for learning science in school contexts. The studies are reviewed and analysed according to: type of game, research design, research interests and research methodology, school subject and content, number and age of students, time spent on the intervention, gender, and teacher roles. The scope and quality of the studies are also discussed.

Om datorer ska kunna användas i matematikundervisningen på ett ändamålsenligt sätt måste helt andra program få installeras på skolornas datorer. Makten över datorer och programvara måste ligga i händerna på de undervisande lärarna, skriver fyra forskare verksamma vid Malmö högskola och Göteborgs universitet.

This article presents an empirical study performed in the light of socio-cultural theories, emphasizing the usage of tools as a part of human learning. The aim was to explore what actions emerged in the interac-tion with, and were mediated by the mobile educational computer game Agent O, when collaboratively played outdoors by seventeen 15-16 year old science students. Video recording was used to gather data. The outcome is a visual and written description of eight more prominent actions and sub-actions that occurred while gaming, including not only actions in direct connection to the actual gaming session, but also actions that emerged in the situation as a whole: the social practice within which the gaming took place. The gaming students came to act as a sort of student-gamer-performer-hybrids, alternating between different roles. These and the other gaming actions seemed to have worked as a source of motivation for the students.

Medialandskapet ändras i en rasande takt. Bland det nya som dykt upp hittar man t ex gräsrotsvideo (YouTube), kollektiva forum på nätet, mobiltelefoner med GPS och bredband. Innovationer och utveckling inom detta område ställer stora krav på lärarna, men erbjuder också nya spännande möjligheter för matematikundervisningen. Här rapporteras om MLE-projektet, där mobiltelefoner och handhållna datorer används för att utforska matematik på grundskolan och gymnasiet.

Medielandskapet ändras i en rasande takt. Bland de nya sakerna som dykt upp är: gräsrotsvideo (YouTube), kollektiva forum på nätet, mobiltelefoner med GPS och bredband, ultrasmå bärbara datorer. Innovationer och utveckling inom detta område ställer stora krav på lärarna, men erbjuder också nya spännande möjligheter för undervisningen.