This paper presents data from the first phase of a research project called "From games to mobile-learning interactive activities" (PTDC/CPE-CED/118337/2010). This research intends to contribute to create interactive learning activities based on students mobile game preferences, using their own mobile devices. The idea of BYOD - Bring Your Own Device - is to take advantage and use of the mobile devices students own and are familiar with, and use them in the classroom.

Most of the students have a laptop but they are not bringing it to school (Moura & Carvalho, 2008; Trotter, 2009; Certal & Carvalho, 2011), but they bring their cellphone, smartphone, Play Station Portable, or tablet, because these are easy to carry and are not heavy. These students belong to a generation called the "thumb generation" (Rheingold, 2002), digital natives (Prensky, 2001, 2009), homo zappiens (Veen & Vrakking, 2006), amongst others. They like to play games, to be online, to participate actively in social networks, to do multitasking, to send SMS and MMS, to be connected all the time, and so on. They need challenging computer interactive activities to learn using their mobile devices, just as they have in games (Douch et al., 2010; Gee, 2007; Prensky, 2006,2010; Squire, 2008, 2011; Williamson, 2009).

Mobile games are popular. Players can play their games when and where they want using their handheld devices. Gaming is not a single unified activity but a vast array of practices and activities. A game establishes routines, rules and actions that the player needs to learn in order to succeed (Gee, 2007). Game activities are characterized by spaces to be explored, learning by both success and failure, feedback that players can use to adjust their own understanding, and multiple possible outcomes (Klopfer, 2008). Games enable players to practice problem-solving and decision-making skills, to multi-task by dealing with many different “inputs” and “outputs” all at once, to collaborate by teaming up with other players, to take risks and experience failure in a safe environment, and overall, to develop the skills suited to 21st century living and working (Douch et al., 2010; Williamson, 2009). Players learn to manipulate and control highly complex environments and systems (Prensky, 2006, 2010). Gee (2003) recognizes that “good video games incorporate good learning principles” (p. 114). Based on these ideas, we propose the creation of interactive learning activities for mobile devices based on students’ mobile game preferences.

Three research questions guide this project: (i) Which mobile games do our students prefer?, (ii) Which learning principles are embedded in students’ preferred games?, and (iii) Which learning principles can be applied to develop interactive activities running on mobile devices?

Four objectives were defined for this research: 1) Characterize students’ game preferences in mobile devices. The preferences should be organized according to age segments corresponding to four levels of the Portuguese educational system: 2nd cycle of elementary school (students aged 10 to 12), 3rd cycle of elementary school (students aged 13 to 15), secondary school students (16 to 18 years of age), undergraduate and master students; 2) Identify the games learning principles embedded in those games; 3) Design and implement interactive activities that involve the use of software running on mobile devices; and 4) Create guidelines for the development of interactive learning activities for mobile devices based on the principles identified.

In this paper we will present data related to the first phase of the research: the games that students from 5th grade to master students like to play and their gaming habits.

Babbie, E. (1997). Survey Research Methods. Belmont, California: Wadsworth. Certal, F., & Carvalho, A. A. (2011). Estudo sobre a receptividade ao m-learning no ensino básico. In P. Dias & A. Osório (Orgs.), Challenges – Actas da VII Conferência Internacional da TIC na Educação (pp. 1427-1438). Braga: Centro de Competência. Douch, R., Attewell, J., & Dawson, D. (2010). Games Technologies for Learning. London: LNS. Gee, P. (2003). What video games have to teach us about learning literacy. New York: Macmillan. Gee, P. (2007). Good Video Games + Good Learning: Collected Essays on Video Games, Learning and Literacy. New York: Peter Lang. Klopfer, E. (2008). Augmented Learning: Research and design of mobile educational games. Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press. Moura, A., & Carvalho, A. A. (2008). Das Tecnologias com Fios ao Wireless: implicações no trabalho escolar e colaborativo em pares. In P. Dias & A. Osório (orgs), Ambientes Educativos Emergentes (pp. 57-78). Centro de Competência: Universidade do Minho. Prensky, M. (2001). Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants. On the Horizon, vol. 9 (5). Prensky, M. (2006). ‘Don’t bother me mom – I’m learning!’ How computer and video games are preparing your kids for 21st century success – and how you can help! Minnesota: Paragon House. Prensky, M. (2009). H. Sapiens Digital: From Digital Immigrants and Digital Natives to Digital Wisdom. Innovative 5(3). Prensky, M. (2010). Teaching Digital Natives. Partenering for real learning. Thousand Oaks: Corwin. Rheingold, H. (2002). Smart Mobs: The next social revolution. Cambridge: Perseus. Squire, K. (2008). Open-ended video games: A model for developing learning for the interactive age. In K. Salen (Ed.), The Ecology of Games: Connecting Youth, Games, and Learning (pp. 167-198). Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press. Squire, K. (2011). Video Games and Learning. Teaching and Participatory Culture in the Digital Age. New York: The Teachers College Press. Trotter, A. (2009). Students turn their cellphones on for classroom lessons. Education Week, pp. 1-2. Veen, W., & Vrakking, B. (2006). Homo Zappiens. Growing up in a digital age. London: Network Continuum Education. Zimmerman, E. (2008). Gaming literacy: Game Design as a Model for Literacy in the Twenty-First Century. In B. Perron, & M. J. Wolf (eds), The Video Game Theory Reader 2 (pp. 23-31). New York: Routledge.