The author seeks to expand the notion of the "play cycle," first introduced in 1998, to include the "functional cycle," with its "perceptual cue," touted by Jakob von Uexküll. He also discusses Simon Nicholson's theory of "loose parts" and James J. Gibson's notion of "affordances." He outlines the…

The author reviews the research and scholarly literature about young children's play with tablet computers and identifies four major topics relevant to the subject--digital literacy, learning, transgressive and creative play, and parental involvement. He finds that young children's tablet computer play relies not only on technology, but also on…

Game design offers a unique but often misunderstood pedagogical opportunity. The author draws on learning theory, feminist epistemology, and game studies to analyze a novel genre of games capable of realizing this opportunity by mobilizing knowledge through play--praxis games--founded on the concept of situated praxis. Situated praxis encourages…