Students as Digital Games' Evaluators: Enhancing Media Literacy and Learning Through Game Playing and Evaluation Methods

Digital games are recently in constant debate in the educational community on issues such as promoting media education and learning as well as engaging students in activities that enforce subject cognition and effective collaboration learning assignments. At the same time, these particular principles 'serve' the trend of the Media Education. Hence contemporary changes in the wider media field require a re-evaluation of the fundamental aims and methods of media education - not just as far as the content of the curriculum is concerned, but also in terms of a pedagogical method process. In this article, based on the above framework, the researchers are trying to portray the implementation and evaluation of a learning and teaching scenario, in which learners-primary school students are gradually exposed to the role of a video digital games evaluator, learning about them, playing them and gradually setting up the evaluation criteria through the constant coordination of the teacher-facilitator. As a culmination of their efforts, the students evaluate the digital games they selected and played as well as create an on-line journal, on which they demonstrate in both numerical and descriptive ways their outcomes. Via the utilisation of specific guidelines and evaluation criteria to be defined by them, students, evaluate and formulate a review of the characteristics of their favourite video game. Subsequently, based on the assessment panel they compose an analysis, describing the characteristics of the digital games in question as well as attempt to provide advice to prospective users-players on their correct educational integration. Although limitations existed on mapping the evaluation criteria and guiding the students to adopt and promote the required competences, the attractiveness of the tasks in question connected and supported by the careful pre-planning of the scenario seemed to aid the effectiveness of the project. New competences and knowledge developed such as a critical eye on the digital games, evaluation techniques on digital games in learning settings as well as enhancement of cognition on certain issues and subjects.