CALL FOR PAPERS YUYAY Vol.3 #1
Gamification, AI and arts as teaching tools in the 21st century.
The role of the educator throughout history has been crucial for the development of great civilizations and societies. Throughout time, educators have had to adapt to different periods, playing multiple roles such as facilitators, mediators, moderators, conceptors and producers of learning material, amongst the most prominent ones. The 21st century challenges require educators to be resilient, responsive -innovative, communicative, inclusive, observant, empathetic, and caring- and promoters of inclusive innovation, by using all available resources in order to ensure sustainable learning.
With the surge of technological innovations, which have become an integral part of the teaching-learning process, the challenge of adapting education to new generations of learners -who can be considered as tech savvy- and to those with special educational needs (SEN) arises. This has prompted educators to broaden their horizons and explore fields such as gamification, artificial intelligence, and art, integrating them as essential tools in their teaching practice. Russell and Norvig, in their influential e-book on Artificial intelligence, state: “Artificial intelligence is already part of the realm of scientific methods”. This statement highlights the importance of AI nowadays, not only as an emerging technology but as a fundamental component in research and science.
In the educational context, the integration of AI should not be perceived as a substitution of educators, but as a powerful tool that enhances and transforms the learning process. The AI has the ability to analyze data, tailor learning experiences and provide immediate feedback, redefining the concept of the traditional classroom and paving the way for a more dynamic and learner-centered education. Russell and Norvig’s approach to AI underscores that it is not simply a complementary technology but an integral tool in scientific methods. In education, adopting this mindset means to recognize that AI can strengthen the role of educators, allowing them to focus on guiding, inspiring and facilitating the learning process, whilst technology handles more ordinary tasks.
Considering AI as an essential tool in education, as well as gamification -a pioneering pedagogical approach-, means embracing innovation and fostering a learning environment adapted to the individual needs of each learner. Thus, AI becomes a key ally to transform the traditional teaching model into a more active, participatory and personalized one. On the other hand, the arts awaken the creativity and sensitivity, they encourage critical thinking and enrich the learning process in students, based on the multiple intelligences’ theory by Gardner (1995). Moreover, the arts are a reflective, inclusive, and adaptable resource to any area of knowledge, serving as a bridge between culture and learning.
This issue proposes to broaden the analysis of the usefulness and effectiveness of these tools in 21st century teaching, based on insights of educators across various disciplines and the results obtained in their classrooms, both in higher and secondary education. The aim is to share innovative approaches and methodologies with the teaching community, adapted to the profile and experience of each educator, to ensure sustainable learning for students.
We look forward to offering a platform for the submission of scientific articles that examine the relevance of incorporating innovative tools in teaching and learning. We are pleased to invite the teaching community to submit their reflections (essays), research results (formal articles) and narratives of pedagogical experiences (case studies, morphological analyses, creative products, etc.) on gamification, AI and art as educational tools in the XXI century.
Ing. Monserratt Mogrovejo Rosero, Mgtr.
Foreign language professor, translator and interpreter.
Issue coordinator
University of the Arts (Universidad de las Artes) – Ecuador
