Yasmin Kafai

Last updated
Yasmin B. Kafai
YasminKafai.jpg
Alma mater Harvard University
Technische Universität Berlin
Known for Constructionism
Scratch
Electronic Textiles
Scientific career
Fields Learning Sciences
Computer Science
Constructionist Learning
Game studies
Institutions University of Pennsylvania
University of California Los Angeles
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Academic advisors Seymour Papert
Idit Harel

Yasmin B. Kafai is a German American academic who is Professor of Learning Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education, with a secondary appointment in Computer and Information Sciences at University of Pennsylvania School of Engineering and Applied Science. She is a past president of the International Society of the Learning Sciences (ISLS), and an executive editor of the Journal of the Learning Sciences . [1]

Contents

Life

Kafai was born in Germany and has worked and studied in Germany, France, and the United States. In the U.S., Kafai worked with Seymour Papert at the MIT Media Laboratory and was a faculty member of the UCLA Graduate School of Education and Information Studies. [1]

Kafai is a pioneer in research on computing, gaming, and learning. [2] [3] Utilizing constructionist theory, Kafai examines technology designs and culture, and helped to set the foundation for programmatic initiatives on games and learning. [1] Kafai was an early developer and researcher of Scratch, an educational programming language that allows young people to creatively participate as programmers in the development of virtual projects. [4] She is also an active voice on the involvement of girls in gaming and programming [5] and on the impact of virtual gaming on real-life social behavior in youth. [6] [7]

Kafai is an editor of Beyond Barbie and Mortal Kombat: New Perspectives on Gender and Gaming (2008), a collection of essays that builds on the groundbreaking book From Barbie to Mortal Kombat (Cassell and Jenkins, 2000). [8] Beyond Barbie and Mortal Kombat presents new developments in gaming, gender, and learning, and why gender-based stereotypes persist in gaming. [1] [8] [9] Kafai's 1995 book Minds in Play: Computer Design as a Context for Children's Learning helped to establish the field of gaming and learning. [1] Kafai has also written Under the Microscope: A Decade of Gender Equity Interventions in the Sciences (2004), contributed to Tech-Savvy: Educating Girls in the New Computer Age, and written several journal and book articles. [1]

Published books

Edited books

Related Research Articles

<i>Mortal Kombat II</i> 1993 video game

Mortal Kombat II is a fighting game originally produced by Midway for the arcades in 1993. It was ported to multiple home systems, including MS-DOS, Amiga, Game Boy, Game Gear, Sega Genesis, 32X, Sega Saturn, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, and PlayStation only in Japan, mostly in licensed versions developed by Probe Entertainment and Sculptured Software and published by Acclaim Entertainment.

<i>Barbie</i> (1991 video game) 1991 video game

Barbie is a multi-platform video game developed by Imagineering for Hi Tech Expressions. It is based on Mattel Inc.'s doll of the same name and was created in an attempt to get more girls to play video games. As such, it is one of the few explicitly girl-oriented NES games. The game takes place in a dream where Barbie must travel through three different worlds to gather accessories before attending a ball to meet Ken. Despite it having been of little interest to typical gamers at the time of its release, critics including staff writers for Velikij Drakon and Allgame have praised it as "not bad" for a generic platformer. Others including Justine Cassell and Nathanael Ng of the Georgia Institute of Technology have advanced the view that its genre is not appropriate for its content.

<i>Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3</i> Fighting video game

Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 is a fighting game in the Mortal Kombat series, developed and released by Midway to arcades in 1995. It is a standalone update of 1995's earlier Mortal Kombat 3 with an altered gameplay system, additional characters like the returning favorites Kitana and Scorpion who were missing from Mortal Kombat 3, and some new features.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mitchel Resnick</span> American academic and programmer

Mitchel Resnick is LEGO Papert Professor of Learning Research, Director of the Okawa Center, and Director of the Lifelong Kindergarten group at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Media Lab. As of 2019, Resnick serves as head of the Media Arts and Sciences academic program, which grants master's degrees and Ph.D.s at the MIT Media Lab.

<i>Mortal Kombat</i> Video game series and multimedia franchise

Mortal Kombat is a media franchise centered on a series of fighting video games originally developed by Midway Games in 1992.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Clubhouse Network</span> Out-of-school learning program

The Clubhouse Network, often shortened to "The Clubhouse," is an American nonprofit organization that provides a free out-of-school learning program where children from lower income communities can work with adult mentors to explore their own ideas, develop new skills, and build confidence in themselves through the use of technology. Its motto is "Where Technology Meets Imagination."

MicroWorlds JR is a computer program using a simplified version of the Logo programming language to teach non-readers or early readers to program in Logo. It was first launched in 2004 by Logo Computer Systems, Inc. (LCSI), and as in their original line of MicroWorlds programs, the object on the screen begins as a turtle and can be controlled with basic commands to make it move. Differing from the Logo syntax developed by Seymour Papert and teams at MIT, MicroWorlds JR uses images to replace the command names, which are selected by the child to create turtle graphics. The turtle object can be given a variety of shapes that act as a costume for the turtle, and therefore lends itself to a variety of animations and creative stories and projects for younger students.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whyville</span> Educational Internet site

Whyville is an educational Internet site geared towards children from ages 8–14+ founded and managed by Numedeon, Inc. Whyville engages its users in learning about a broad range of topics, including science, business, art and geography. Whyville's users (Whyvillians) engage in virtual world simulation based games and role play sponsored by a wide range of governmental, non-profit, and corporate entities. In 2009, the website had a registered base of more than 7 million users.

Numedeon, Inc. is a privately held company based in Pasadena, California, that since 1999 has been developing immersive online digital learning technology. Best known for creating the children's educational web site "Whyville", Numedeon has also developed a number of other immersive online learning environments for other demographics and purposes. Numedeon was founded by Dr. James M. Bower and several of his students and colleagues at the California Institute of Technology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Justine Cassell</span> American linguist, professor and human-computer interaction researcher

Justine M. Cassell is an American professor and researcher interested in human-human conversation, human-computer interaction, and storytelling. Since August 2010 she has been on the faculty of the Carnegie Mellon Human Computer Interaction Institute (HCII) and the Language Technologies Institute, with courtesy appointments in Psychology, and the Center for Neural Bases of Cognition.

<i>Mortal Kombat</i> (2011 video game) 2011 fighting video game

Mortal Kombat is a 2011 fighting game developed by NetherRealm Studios and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. It is the ninth main installment in the Mortal Kombat series and a soft reboot of the series. The game was released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 systems in April 2011, and a PlayStation Vita port was released in May 2012. An expanded version of the game, titled Mortal Kombat: Komplete Edition, was released for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in February 2012 and for Microsoft Windows in July 2013.

<i>Mortal Kombat</i> (1992 video game) 1992 fighting game

Mortal Kombat is a 1992 fighting game developed and published by Midway. It is the first entry in the Mortal Kombat series and was subsequently released by Acclaim Entertainment for nearly every home platform at that time. The game focuses on several characters of various intentions who enter a martial arts tournament with worldly consequences. It introduced many key aspects of the Mortal Kombat series, including the unique five-button control scheme and gory finishing moves called Fatalities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mattel Interactive</span> Video game publisher and software distributor

Mattel Interactive was a video game publisher and software distributor.

<i>Mortal Kombat: Legacy</i> Web series directed by Kevin Tancharoen

Mortal Kombat: Legacy is an American web series adapted from the Mortal Kombat video game franchise. It debuted on Machinima.com's YouTube channel on April 11, 2011. The second season was released in its entirety on September 26, 2013.

Leah Buechley is an American educator, engineer and designer who is best known as the developer of the LilyPad Arduino toolkit and other smart textiles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Natalie Rusk</span> Computer scientist

Natalie Rusk is a research scientist in the Lifelong Kindergarten (LLK) group, part of the MIT Media Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

<i>Barbie Fashion Designer</i> 1996 video game

Barbie Fashion Designer is a dress-up computer game developed by Digital Domain and published by Mattel Media for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS in 1996. The game allows players to design clothing and style outfits. Players can then print off their designs and create clothing for their real-world Barbie dolls. Barbie Fashion Designer was the first commercially successful video game made for girls. After its success, many other girl games would be made, leading to the girls' games movement.

<i>Magic Fairy Tales: Barbie as Rapunzel</i> 1997 video game

Magic Fairy Tales: Barbie as Rapunzel is a 1997 educational adventure game developed by Media Station and published by Mattel Media.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Betsy DiSalvo</span> American professor (born 1969)

Elizabeth "Betsy" DiSalvo is an American professor and Interim Chair at the Georgia Institute of Technology School of Interactive Computing. She is known for her research on informal learning, the impact of cultural values on technology use and production, computer science education, and the learning sciences.

<i>Adventures with Barbie: Ocean Discovery</i> 1997 video game

Adventures with Barbie: Ocean Discovery is a 1997 video game developed by Gorilla Systems Corporation and published by Vivendi Universal Interactive Publishing for Windows. The Game Boy Color version is titled Barbie: Ocean Discovery.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Yasmin B. Kafai". Penn GSE. Retrieved 2011-01-27.
  2. ↑ James Ryan (1998-07-02). "On the Job With Putt-Putt, Freddi Fish and Pajama Sam". The New York Times. Retrieved 2011-01-27.
  3. ↑ Pamela Mendels (2000-04-12). "Changing Girls' Attitudes About Computer". The New York Times On The Web. Retrieved 2011-01-27.
  4. ↑ "Scratch: Programming for All". Communications of the ACM. 2009. Retrieved 2011-01-27.
  5. ↑ Katie Ash (2009-10-14). "Getting Girls Engaged in Digital-Game Design". Education Week. Education Week: Digital Directions. Retrieved 2011-01-27.
  6. ↑ Sharon Duke Estroff (2009-01-09). "Undercover in a Kid's Online World". Good Housekeeping. Retrieved 2011-01-27.
  7. ↑ Sandy Hingston (2010-11-26). "Is It Just Us, Or Are Kids Getting Really Stupid?". Philadelphia Magazine. Retrieved 2011-01-27.
  8. 1 2 "Book review of Beyond Barbie and Mortal Kombat: New Perspectives on Gender and Gaming". Signs. The University of Chicago Press. 35 (4): 1029–1030. Summer 2010. JSTOR   10.1086/651047.
  9. ↑ "Review of Beyond Barbie and Mortal Combat: New Perspectives on Gender and Gaming". MC Reviews. 2010-06-14. Retrieved 2011-01-27.
  10. ↑ Connected Gaming. The John D. And Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Series on Digital Media and Learning. MIT Press. 23 December 2016. ISBN   9780262035378 . Retrieved 2021-06-10.
  11. ↑ Connected Code. The John D. And Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Series on Digital Media and Learning. MIT Press. 11 July 2014. ISBN   9780262027755 . Retrieved 2021-06-10.
  12. ↑ Connected Play. The John D. And Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Series on Digital Media and Learning. MIT Press. 11 October 2013. ISBN   9780262019934 . Retrieved 2021-06-10.
  13. 1 2 3 "Yasmin B. Kafai | Penn GSE". www.gse.upenn.edu. Retrieved 2021-06-10.
  14. ↑ Designing Constructionist Futures. MIT Press. 27 October 2020. ISBN   9780262539845 . Retrieved 2021-06-10.
  15. ↑ Textile Messages. Peter Lang Publishers. 2013-01-01. Retrieved 2021-06-10.
  16. ↑ Beyond Barbie and Mortal Kombat. MIT Press. 19 September 2008. ISBN   9780262113199 . Retrieved 2021-06-10.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.