this process. Learning through design considers programming
not only valuable for its computational and technological knowl-
edge, but also supportive of other learning. It proposes an envi-
ronment in which the computer becomes a tool that allows chil-
dren to express their personal thoughts and ideas in the form of a
product.

My second motivation is to explore the issue of whether mak-
ing games can become a powerful source for children's thinking
and learning in the school context. Playing video games is an ac-
tivity of great importance in children's culture and social life. The
increasing presence of computers and video games in homes has
initiated many discussions in the media and educational circles
about their value and influence on children's affective, social, and
cognitive well-being ( Kinder, 1991; Provenzo, 1991). In this book,
I address the issue of game playing from a different perspective.
Instead of focusing on the effects of game playing, I look at chil-
dren's learning and thinking while they are engaged in the pro-
cess of game making. In the design of my research, I take advan-
tage of the fact that children are interested in and knowledgeable
about games. I capitalize on this interest by asking them to design
games. I see programming games as a medium for children's per-
sonal and creative expression. This exploratory inquiry provides
insights into what can be learned about children's fascination with
games from the perspective of making them, and will help
broaden the general discussion.

The third motivation is to investigate the development of stu-
dents' thinking and learning in the context of a long term-learning
enterprise. My theoretical interests go beyond what is directly
relevant to practical work in the classroom. This effort is aimed at
understanding what I saw and placing what I did in the context of
other trends of inquiry. I am looking for insights into the different
ways in which students engage in designing a complex piece of
interactive software and what knowledge they build and connect
to in this process. I combine two different approaches to describe
and analyze these processes. First, when I focus on the evolution
of the project as a whole, my purpose is to make sense of the dif-
ferent transition points students pass through as they concretize
their ideas in the implementation of a game. One aspect of partic-
ular interest is the question of how students approached this task

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