Course Games

IndieCade 2012 Submissions Now Open

2012-02-07T14:24:00.000-08:00

Submissions Now Open for the Fifth-Annual IndieCade Festival
Submit Your Game & Spread the Word!

The fifth-annual IndieCade International Festival of Independent Games will be held October 4-7, 2012, in Los Angeles. The festival includes a Red Carpet Awards; a must-attend professional conference; the IndieXchange meeting series; an open-to-the-public GameWalk of finalist games; a continuous schedule of big games and night games; and other events. IndieCade is a traditional walking festival that occupies multiple theater, gallery, and restaurant venues and spills into the streets.

About IndieCade:

IndieCade promotes independent game development globally through a series of events highlighting the rich, diverse, artistic, and culturally significant contributions of independent game developers. IndieCade's programs are designed to bring visibility to and facilitate the production of new works within the emerging indie game community. IndieCade was formed by Creative Media Collaborative, an alliance of industry producers and leaders founded in 2005.

New Book - Unity iOS Essentials

2012-02-06T16:40:00.000-08:00

I just finished working through Unity iOS Essentials by Robert Wiebe, published by Packt:

http://www.packtpub.com/unity-3d-essentials-for-ios-games/book

I recommend this book as an excellent introduction to Unity development for iOS devices, well suited for Unity developers for the desktop that are taking their first steps in mobile game development for iOS.

The book opens with an emphasis on planning the application, which is a topic that anyone that has created a mobile game can appreciate. The initial three chapters cover comparing iOS device features, iOS mobile concepts in general, and how the Unity toolset is applied within that context. These introductory chapters are replete with advice and best practice specifics regarding what contributes to a successful game product for iOS mobile.

After setting the foundation, the book takes a detailed, step-by-step, project oriented approach in learning to create your first game for iOS devices. This content should be very accessible to any developer that has a good overall knowledge of game development with Unity.

From there, the book enters the more technical aspect of how the iOS application functions in the greater enterprise. This presents something of an unavoidable steep learning curve for developers that are engaging with this for the first time. Again, the book takes a detailed, step-by-step approach and includes many useful tips and suggestions.

Anyone that is interested in this book is probably familiar with the Unity Car Tutorial, and the book uses that resource and the JCar project to take the reader on a very detailed process of creating a physics-based driving game using iOS device features that is really well conceived.

The book does a good job in introducing techniques for optimizing lighting, fx, and shaders for for iOS games – again using step-by-step examples.

Lastly, the book addresses deployment and web-based player management.

To get the most from this book, a developer should have previous experience with Unity, a 3D modeling application, a digital imaging modeling application, and a Max OS X development system for XCode. Given the scope of the book, this is an excellent way to explore a trial use of Unity Pro and Unity iOS.

White House office studies benefits of video games

2012-02-01T16:34:00.000-08:00

From USA Today:

Constance Steinkuehler has been a Senior Policy Analyst at the White House, where she's shaping the Obama administration's policies around games that improve health, education, civic engagement and the environment, among other areas.

Apple's intention really doesn't matter ...

2012-01-19T12:26:00.000-08:00

The buzz is that Apple has a new initiative, returning to a strategy from it's earliest days with an intent to dominate the rise of mobile learning in the classroom - and kill the printed textbook and lab packs along the way.

"Apple expected to delve into textbooks" - Washington Post

Apple Is Said to Plan Digital-Textbook Push to Bolster IPad Use in Schools - Bloomberg News

Apple Won't Kill the Textbook, But It Might Kill the Handout - PC Magazine

We like the iPad ... quite a bit. We're certain that the iPad has legs as a tool in the classroom for both teachers and learners. It's beautifully designed, with development tools and a supporting business model and development community that are clearly superior.

But, we don't see Apple as a player in the textbook industry. The risk vs reward is completely skewed ... Apple is about making money ... and textbook publishing is no longer an industry with the kinds of margins that interest companies like Apple.

If Apple does intend their new "Garage Band for Books" to be a tool for teachers to use as primary publishers ... that's unrealistic ... we've seen this exact revolution several times over since the 80's, where the latest tech is going to turn teachers into primary publishers ... and it never does. The reason why is simple ... teaching and publishing are different skillsets ... both are consuming professions, neither can be done casually.

But, even if that is Apple's intention, it doesn't really matter. We think that their "Garage Band for Books" would become powerful in the hands (and iPads) of learners. Garage Band didn't replace Pro Tools, but it has enabled a wave of user generated music ... A similar tool for learners to create and share their own mobile learning artifacts could indeed become a powerful way to amplify the iPad as learning platform.

So, in the end, Apple is successful anyway ... and looks brilliant (again).

Gates Foundation Grant for Ed Arcade & Filament MMOG for STEM

2012-01-19T11:59:00.000-08:00

MIT's Education Arcade received a $3 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to develop a MMOG for STEM learning. They are working with Filament Games, Madision, WI.

Motion Math Research Report by GameDesk

2011-12-09T10:46:00.000-08:00

A New Report Released by GameDesk Shows Motion Math Game Significantly Improves Students’ Fractions Knowledge and Attitudes toward Math.

Executive Summary:

Knowledge of fractions is essential for future success in mathematics. Yet according to national data, the vast majority of US students fail to become proficient in fractions.

The advent of mobile technologies such as iPad tablets enable new kinds of physical
interactions that have potential for improving learning; however to date no experimental studies have been conducted to determine the efficacy of any iPad app for improving students’ knowledge.

An experimental study was conducted to determine whether Motion Math, a fractions game designed for the iPad, iPhone, and iPod, improves students’ fractions knowledge and attitudes. The study also assessed students’ ratings of the Motion Math game.

Results show that students’ fractions test scores improved an average of over 15% after playing Motion Math for 20 minutes daily over a five-day period, representing a significant increase compared to a control group.

Students’ self-efficacy for fractions, as well as their liking of fractions, each improved an average of 10%, representing a statistically significant increase compared to a control group.

Virtually all students rated Motion Math as fun and reported wanting to play it again; nearly all (95%) students in the study reported that their friends would like the game, and that the game helped them learn fractions.

Taken together, the data from this experimental study offer strong evidence that Motion Math successfully integrates entertainment value with educational value.

Visit GameDesk and read the full report..

Visit GameDesk.org and

Gronstedt Group’s Train for Success Sessions

2011-10-27T15:23:00.000-07:00

Today, I had a wonderful opportunity to present to the Gronstedt Group’s weekly Train for Success session that was held in web.alive. My presentation topic was our modified Scrum production model that we've been evolving here at Course Games.

These Train for Success virtual world meeting sessions are superb opportunities for anyone that is involved or interested in virtual worlds, serious games, and gamification. I look forward to attending these weekly sessions in the future.

Here is their Facebook page.

Here is their SecondLife SLURL.

Here is their link for web.alive.

articy:draft

2011-10-21T11:42:00.000-07:00

articy:draft by Nevigo is a cool new way to design interactive stories - using a 'flow editor' format, and it has a rich set of features for dialog, character, and world design.

Available in a multi-user (client-server) solution - this is an excellent tool for virtual teams.

We think that this may also be very useful for us as an accessible 'visualization' of the interactive/branching content - for use in presenting/pitching concepts outside the team.

Arizona Agribusiness and Equine Center

2011-10-18T14:18:00.000-07:00

The Arizona Agribusiness and Equine Center (AAEC) is one of the most unique dual enrollment programs that we've seen. In partnership with Maricopa and Yavapai Community Colleges, it is a multicampus independent high school district - where students are concurrently enrolled in college-level courses as part of their high school course of study - which is focused on a rigorous equine sciences, agriculture, and agribusiness college preparatory/career pathway curriculum.

We became aware of AAEC by way of the visibility that they have attained for their innovations in STEM learning infusion in their programs.

Network engineering game from NASA

2011-10-14T19:33:00.000-07:00

NASA has a game for network engineering that is pretty cool:

http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/3d_resources/scan.html

The player has to engineer Near Earth, Space, and Deep Space comm networks.

You role-play as a Scientist, Techologist, Engineer or Mathematician - each role has a different strength.

This was made with Unity (like their Space Station simulator game).

A Learner's Wall

2011-10-12T17:50:00.000-07:00

Here at Course Games, we're in production on STEM learning game for 8th Physical Science instruction. Our design intention for this digital game-based learning product is that it will be used in class and at home, with mobile devices (Android and iOS) and the web browser.

We have the learning activities closely tied to the curriculum standards, textbook content organization, and lesson planning found in typical 8th grade Physical Science courses across the nation. Our next design challenge is to envision a 'front-end' for the product that will promote and facilitate emerging game-based learning in the classroom.

Our initial thinking (a needs analysis is in process) is that the most effective design for the 'front end' of the product would have a contemporary functional core that is, or embeds into, a social learning enterprise.

Our primary question is “How does the use of the learning product promote and sustain social learning?”

To get a sense of what how this system will function, we're starting by drawing a functional diagram with Social Learning Enterprise at the center. From that central focus, we are depicting any/all features, tools, resources, content, media, activities, etc. in respect to how they contribute to the Social Learning Enterprise.

We're envisioning that this product might seem something like Facebook or Google+ mashed up with an Online Game Lobby - with some common Learning Management System (LMS) features. The ‘main page’ in this system would be the learner’s ‘social wall’.

Using this product, learners would work in class in self-identified small group learning communities, sharing their work with each other and collaborating in the same social manner that they commonly do outside of school. They would complete learning challenges assigned by the teacher and thereby earn achievements, access information resources – bookmarking what is most relevant, and contribute their own user-generated-content (images, movies, links) related to learning activities – working in and outside of the classroom together.

It appears that McGraw-Hill is already doing something like this:

http://www.360ed.com/Products/McGraw-Hill-Spark/

http://www.techlearning.com/article/51760

http://www.eschoolnews.com/2011/05/02/siia-announces-top-innovators-in-technology-for-personalized-learning/

http://educatormusing.blogspot.com/2011/06/mcgraw-hill-and-360ed-partnered-to.html

Identifying Successful K-12 STEM Education

2011-10-06T12:52:00.000-07:00

The National Research Council's report "Successful K-12 STEM Education" focuses on the science and mathematics parts of STEM and on criteria for identifying effective STEM schools and practices. It provides an overview of the landscape of K-12 STEM education by considering different school models, highlighting research on effective STEM education practices, and identifying some conditions that promote and limit school- and student-level success in STEM. It can serve as a guide for those involved in K-12 education at all levels: policy makers; decision makers at the school and district levels; local, state, and federal government agencies; curriculum developers; educators; and parent and education advocacy groups.

Badges Competition at DML

2011-09-30T08:56:00.000-07:00

The Mozilla Foundation and the HASTAC Initiative (MacArthur Foundation) are offering two new competitions related to badges and achievement systems:

Badges Competition: Badges for Lifelong Learning ($10K-$200K)

Research Competition: Badges, Trophies, and Achievements ($5-$80K)

Check out the Mozilla Open Badge Infrastructure standards and APIs:

http://openbadges.org/

Google+ Developer APIs and other Hangout stuff

2011-09-20T11:15:00.000-07:00

Google has launched an initial set of APIs for developers creating games and apps on the Google+ platform.

The initial release is limited, only allowing developers to retrieving public information from the Google+ community. Developers using the API can access public information about their customers, as well as retrieve certain player analytics.

Google+ supports programs written in Java, GWT, Python, Ruby, PHP, Objective-C, and .NET, the company said.

The Google+ social games network was unveiled in August. Heavyweight studios such as Zynga, Rovio, PopCap, Playdom and Digital Chocolate are supporting the platform with key game releases.

Inkling by WACOM

2011-09-04T18:08:00.000-07:00

Tablets are super cool ... but, what if you could draw on paper and then magically upload that sketch into Photoshop? How often do you wish that you could do that?

Well, check this out ... Inkling by WACOM.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXbBA1DRE84

US News and World Report Starts STEM Ed Resource Center

2011-08-30T12:31:00.000-07:00

US News's STEM Education resource center will have their latest news, opinions and thoughts about science, technology, engineering and math education." The STEM center will provide "viewpoints from top experts in the field, rankings of top STEM schools, and stories about programs and people that are making a difference."

NSTA Freebies Resource

2011-08-19T18:26:00.000-07:00

In case you have not seen this, here's an NSTA page is an amazing collection of cool resources for Science Teachers:

http://www.nsta.org/publications/freebies.aspx

Making Learning Games that Don't Suck

2011-08-19T11:10:00.000-07:00

Palo Alto-based education game maker Airy Labs has raised $1.5 million from Foundation Capital, Google Ventures, and Playdom co-founder Rick Thompson.

The funding comes after a $100,000 fellowship grant to Airy’s founder, Andrew Hsu, from Peter Thiel’s much-publicized and politicized “20 under 20″ grant program, in which the PayPal co-founder paid 20 young entrepreneurs to leave or forgo college in favor of starting companies.

The announcement also makes Hsu the first alum of Thiel’s program to get a business idea venture funded.

Airy’s mission, according to Hsu, is to “make games that parents can feel good about handing to their kids … and that don’t suck.”

The games, which will initially teach English, math and memory building, will be targeted at the 5 to 13 age range, which is coincidentally about the same age Hsu was when he started studying neuroscience at the University of Washington.

It’s somewhat ironic that the first funded Thiel fellow has spent almost half his life in college.

While Hsu said that Thiel’s cash was “nice to have,” he said he knew he’d have to raise a lot more to build out his vision for cross-platform learning games.

Hsu said Airy’s first products would be offered initially on Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android platform, with the hope that the games will evolve “into a larger platform where social learning can take place.”

New Framework for K-12 Science Education

2011-07-20T06:12:00.000-07:00

A report released today by the National Research Council presents a new framework for K-12 science education that identifies the key scientific ideas and practices all students should learn by the end of high school. The framework will serve as the foundation for new K-12 science education standards, to replace those issued more than a decade ago. The National Research Council is the operating arm of the National Academy of Sciences and National Academy of Engineering; all three are independent, nongovernmental organizations.

Read the report online at the National Academies Press.

Ko's Journey - Math Game

2011-07-04T12:55:00.000-07:00

Ko's Journey is a story-driven game for 5th-7th Math education.

Developed by Imagine Education, this digital game-based learning product is aligned to the Common Core Standards Initiative.

The game authentically situates the learning activities within the context of the game narrative.

All-girls St. Paul Public Middle School targets STEM

2011-06-30T09:15:00.000-07:00

The Laura Jeffrey Academy, Minnesota's first all-girl charter school, held graduation ceremonies for its first ever class of 8th graders.

The charter school, which teaches fifth through eighth grades, attempts to build the confidence of girls and push their interests in science, technology, engineering, arts and math through a year-round project-based model.

Since it opened in 2008, the St. Paul charter school has doubled in size from its original enrollment of 100 students.

The academy started with fifth-graders and added on a grade each year.

Laura Jeffrey, the school's namesake, died in 2003. She was one of the first African-American female students at Macalester College. She graduated with honors and became one of the first African-American librarians in the St. Paul library system.

Discovery Education Techbooks for STEM

2011-06-29T09:37:00.000-07:00

Eight Rapides Parish schools are replacing their science textbooks with "techbooks" -- digital books created by Discovery Channel that offer interactive lessons, videos and hands-on projects, and are accessible to students anytime, anywhere online.
"Some of us are using our textbook money" to purchase access to the techbook, said Fred Moore, principal of Julius Patrick Elementary School (Louisiana).

Visit Discover Education and explore their 'techbook'.

Zombie Science

2011-06-21T07:39:00.000-07:00

If a zombie apocalypse arrives one day, will people be ready for it? This questions sounds like a joke — or the plot of a George Romero film — but for students in the Zombie Science Camp this summer it is a serious question. This week, they will have to study, complete experiments and learn about how to survive if zombies were to take over the Earth.

The camp is a part of the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Summer Adventure program sponsored by the Institute for Advanced Learning & Research. Primarily for students in third through twelfth grades. The 11 sessions are designed to be a fun way to learn STEM topics.

Zombies are not the only unique subjects to study. Other sessions include exploring Mayan pyramids, building robots and dissecting animals. One class focuses on encouraging young women to enter the high-demand field of engineering. All classes involve group work and lots of hands-on learning activities.

The camps are usually well received so many students repeat a class or come back, according to Nancy Combs, the K-12 STEM Academic Program Coordinator at the Institute.

“STEM education is fun. And it is hands on. That is important. When it is hands-on it usually means it turns their minds on,” said Combs.

In the zombie science class, which began on Monday, the 18 students from ages 11 to 14 learned about DNA and performed experiments to show how a disease — like “zombification” — could infect a person. They will later study self-sufficiency topics like filtering water and windmill power since these things would be crucial after a zombie apocalypse. While dead people do not walk the Earth, the subject matter is still useful, especially for students interested in science.

It was certainly interesting to Akira Snowden, who one day hopes to become a veterinarian, and was excited about the summer camp because her favorite subject is science.

“I originally wanted to go to the biology camp because I heard they get to cut up a frog,” said Akira Snowden. “But my mom wanted me in this one instead. But I like it too.”

Not everyone felt the same about cutting up frogs in the biology camp being offered.

“I thought the biology one sounded cool, but there was no way I was cutting up a frog,” said 13-year-old Katy Alford. Alford said she was nervous to come to camp at first because she did not know anyone, but as soon as she got there she said she changed her mind. And by the end of the day was chatting along with her other lab partners as they worked on experiments.

Twelve-year old Jake Gilstrap said the zombie class was his main choice.

“I thought it would be cool to do,” said Gilstrap wearing safety goggles and prodding a test tube. “It is something different. It’s a different kind of class. We get to see how a zombie virus will affect DNA… It’s cool.”

Being unique is something the summer camps are trying to do to make learning tough subjects fun. The camps have been at the Institute for several years, according to Combs, but more classes were offered this year because of increased funding from the J.T.-Minnie Maude Charitable Trust, a non-profit that works to provide educational scholarships and grants.

Autodesk Tinkerbox

2011-06-10T09:35:00.000-07:00

Available for iPhone and iPad, TinkerBox is a free-to-play physics puzzle game.

"While it is full of interesting science facts and teaches basic engineering concepts, TinkerBox is more than just educational!

Take the tools in your hands to explore your creativity and imagination with Invent mode. Build outrageous machines, share them with your friends, or download popular inventions from online.

Stretch your brain through the devious Puzzle mode. Get immersed in physics-based puzzles and mechanical concepts, where your only hope for success is your creative problem solving."

Scalable Game Design Institute

2011-06-07T10:55:00.000-07:00

The summer institute is part of CU's "iDreams" project, which is funded by the National Science Foundation to teach computational thinking skills in middle school through video game design.

The project team includes researchers from CU's computer science department, the School of Education, software partner AgentSheets Inc., and the Science Discovery and Upward Bound outreach programs.

The iDreams project, which is in its final year, was originally projected to reach 1,200 students through their teachers. But it's now on track to reach more than 5,000 students, according to CU. About 56 percent of the students participating in the iDreams project are minorities.

Teachers from school districts throughout the state -- and country -- are learning the Scalable Game Design curriculum, developed at CU, and the software.

School districts involved range from those that are affluent and technology-rich to rural and Native American reservation schools.

Action Science

2011-05-19T10:30:00.000-07:00

Dr. Bill Robertson, Assistant Professor, College of Education, UTEP, uses skateboarding, BMX, and inline skating to demonstrate momentum, gravity, friction, and force as 'real-world' physics that young learners can easily comprehend.

Visit www.drskateboard.com for more ...

$25 computer for students

2011-05-10T09:02:00.000-07:00

The Raspberry Pi Foundation is a UK charity which exists to promote the study of computer science and related topics, especially at school level, and to put the fun back into learning computing.

They plan to develop, manufacture and distribute an ultra-low-cost computer, for use in teaching computer programming to children. WThey expect this computer to have many other applications both in the developed and the developing world.

Their first product is about the size of a USB key, and is designed to plug into a TV or be combined with a touch screen for a low cost tablet. The expected price is $25 for a fully-configured system.

Check out this clip on BBC News.

Death of Textbooks, Emergence of Games webinar from edWeb.net

2011-05-09T16:20:00.000-07:00

Click here to watch the recording of an edWeb.net webinar "Death of Textbooks, Emergence of Games", with Dr. James M Bower, CEO Numedeon, Inc..

Click here to join the edWeb.net game-based learning community.

MIT's Vanished STEM game

2011-04-20T08:59:00.000-07:00

From MITnews, by Peter Dizikes

An MIT-produced interactive game, 'Vanished,' now being played by thousands online, offers a novel experiment in alternative science education.

"This month, thousands of middle-school students are going online to play an interactive video game. That might not sound surprising, by itself. But in this case, the game is a special science-mystery project, “Vanished,” created by MIT researchers on behalf of the Smithsonian Institution, as a novel experiment in alternative science education.

“Vanished” is a two-month-long game, which debuted the week of April 4 and stems from an initial scenario revealed in recent video messages on the site. The premise is that people living in the future have contacted us in the present, to answer a question: What event occurred between our time and theirs that led to the loss of civilization’s historical records? Students must decode clues in hidden messages, and in response find and provide information about Earth’s current condition, such as temperature and species data, to help people in the future deduce what wound up happening.

“Vanished,” the first game of its kind, is intended to take the problem-solving and critical-thinking skills kids often develop playing other forms of video games, and translate those habits into a scientific context; the goal is to help students experience science as an engaging process of mystery and discovery.

“Too often, kids are convinced science is no fun and not for them,” says Scot Osterweil, research director of MIT’s Education Arcade, a group jointly housed in MIT’s Comparative Media Studies program and the Scheller Teacher Education Program, which created the game. “They believe it’s all about rote memorization and procedure. But as game designers, we’re convinced that game playing is a lot like science: There is problem-solving, exploration, collaboration, hypothesizing, testing and learning from your failures.”

Informal learning

So far in April, more than 5,000 students have registered for “Vanished,” and approximately 4,000 messages are being posted daily on the site’s forums, where participants discuss clues and share information. Students can also hunt for clues at 17 Smithsonian-affiliated science museums nationally.

The game’s conceptual origins lie in discussions researchers in the Comparative Media Studies group have had with Smithsonian officials, dating back about four years. The creation of “Vanished” took place after the MIT researchers won a grant to develop the game from the National Science Foundation (NSF) in 2009.

The NSF has an interest in projects such as “Vanished” due in part to the agency’s findings, over many years of research surveys, that much of the public’s science knowledge comes from outside the classroom. The grant for developing the game came from the NSF’s program in “Informal Science Education,” which seeks new ways to interest students in science.

The MIT researchers hope that participating in “Vanished” will help break down myths among students, and help them realize that in asking questions and hunting for information, they are performing tasks central to science.

“Scientists aren’t a priesthood of people with secret knowledge,” Osterweil says. “They don’t walk around with it all in their heads. They do research to find it out.”

For that matter, a group of scientists will be participating in video chats with the students later this month, to listen to the students’ hypotheses and offer feedback. “I think it’s a great opportunity, because the students are not just learning content, but acting as practicing scientists,” says Elizabeth Cottrell, a geologist and director of the Smithsonian’s Global Volcanism Program. “The students are developing scientific habits of mind, not just memorizing vocabulary.”

It was also critical, Osterweil points out, to create a game in which students could not merely find the correct answers by looking them up online; rather, they must go out into their neighborhoods and actively record information. For this reason, the scenario played out in “Vanished” could not involve Earth’s past — about which answers can be googled — but only its present and future.

A model for future games

“Vanished” was produced by a team of researchers in Comparative Media Studies, including Osterweil, project manager Caitlin Feeley and even several students in MIT’s Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP). The MIT researchers hope to use the game as a model for the creation of future online science-education tools, and have created metrics to assess its performance.

“One thing I like about ‘Vanished’ is that there is a lot of assessment built in,” says Cottrell, who was not involved in creating the game, but says she will also be interested in evaluating how the students are responding to the game during her virtual discussion with them.

The ideal response a teacher can have when assessing an educational game is, according to Osterweil, “‘I’m seeing performance from kids I wasn’t expecting to see.’” In that sense, he adds, “We’re hoping teachers and parents see what their kids are capable of.”

Osterweil promises that “Vanished” will have some surprising plot twists for its participants as the month rolls on, though naturally he could not yet reveal what they were on the record. For that, students will have to sign up and play along."

Technovation Challenge Pitch Night

2011-04-18T17:09:00.000-07:00

You are cordially invited to the Technovation Challenge Pitch Night on April 28, 2011 at the Santa Monica Public Library Auditorium.

Join us as we celebrate the conclusion of the Spring Technovation Challenge with a business plan competition and an awards presentation for the winning teams and outstanding individuals.

The evening will feature keynote speaker:
Lucy Hood, Executive Director, Institute for Communication Technology Management, USC Marshall School of Business

Along with the following VCs and entrepreneurs, as our Pitch Night Judges:
Dana Settle, Partner, Greycroft, LLC
Dave Siemer, Managing Director, Siemer and Associates
Eva Ho, VP Marketing and Operations, Factual
Karen Jashinsky, Founder and CEO, O2 MAX

This will be a unique opportunity to network with industry leaders and budding entrepreneurs and to learn how to take an idea from concept to launch! Register at http://tcla2011.eventbrite.com.

The mission of the Technovation Challenge is to promote women in technology by giving girls the skills and confidence they need to be successful in computer science and entrepreneurship. We aim to inspire girls to see themselves not just as users of technology, but as inventors, designers, builders and entrepreneurs. By showing girls that the high-tech world is an exciting place marked by collaboration and creativity, we hope to encourage more young women to enter the field.

In the 9-week course, high school students design a mobile phone app prototype, write a business plan, and "pitch" their plan to a panel of venture capitalists and entrepreneurs at a high-visibility Pitch Night event. Winners of each regional Pitch Night will come to the San Francisco Bay Area for a National Pitch Night.

The Technovation Challenge is run by Iridescent, a 501(c)(3) non-profit which provides STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education for underserved and underrepresented youth. Iridescent’s mission is to use science, technology and engineering to develop persistent curiosity and to show that knowledge is empowering. If you cannot attend but would like to sponsor the event, donations, in-kind or otherwise, are tax deductible. Further details for sponsorship can be found here.

Learning Science Through Computer Games and Simulations

2011-04-08T08:42:00.000-07:00

Learning Science Through Computer Games and Simulations - the prepublication offer from the National Academies Press:

"At a time when scientific and technological competence is vital to the nation's future, the weak performance of U.S. students in science reflects the uneven quality of current science education. Although young children come to school with innate curiosity and intuitive ideas about the world around them, science classes rarely tap this potential. Many experts have called for a new approach to science education, based on recent and ongoing research on teaching and learning. In this approach, simulations and games could play a significant role by addressing many goals and mechanisms for learning science: the motivation to learn science, conceptual understanding, science process skills, understanding of the nature of science, scientific discourse and argumentation, and identification with science and science learning.

To explore this potential, Learning Science: Computer Games, Simulations, and Education, reviews the available research on learning science through interaction with digital simulations and games. It considers the potential of digital games and simulations to contribute to learning science in schools, in informal out-of-school settings, and everyday life. The book also identifies the areas in which more research and research-based development is needed to fully capitalize on this potential.

Learning Science will guide academic researchers; developers, publishers, and entrepreneurs from the digital simulation and gaming community; and education practitioners and policy makers toward the formation of research and development partnerships that will facilitate rich intellectual collaboration. Industry, government agencies and foundations will play a significant role through start-up and ongoing support to ensure that digital games and simulations will not only excite and entertain, but also motivate and educate."

Joystick Labs Indie Accelerator

2011-04-08T08:38:00.000-07:00

If you are involved in an Indie startup in the North Carolina area, check out this incubator/accelator initiative:

"You bring a great idea and great people, we provide the keys to minimizing the risk of starting a game company: funding, support, mentoring, and introductions.

Joystick Labs is an innovative accelerator program focused exclusively on identifying and launching the next generation of digitally distributed video game companies. We are looking for teams of 2-5 developers who are passionate about games and social media, have a clear vision for the type of experience they want to create, and who are entrepreneurs at heart.

We don’t care how many titles you have previously shipped. We are more focused on your vision for your company and how many great titles your company will ship in the future."

Treadsylvania

2011-04-05T08:30:00.000-07:00

"Treadsylvania" is another cool game-based learning product from the NMSU Learning Games Lab

Google Apps Marketplace

2011-02-02T17:39:00.000-08:00

From Dian Schaffhauser, Campus Technology 01/26/11

Google has introduced a new education-focused area in its Google Apps Marketplace, which provides Web applications that integrate with and extend Google Apps.

According to the company, this area will be a central destination for educators to find new Web applications specifically intended for K-12 and higher education use. The apps don't require additional logins, are available from the Google navigation bar, and can access data stored in Google apps with approval.

Currently, the site has 24 applications, including Aviary Design Suite for Education, a set of free tools and templates for creating multimedia projects; RCampus ePortfolio, a free version of an e-portfolio environment; and Applane SIS, a six-month trial version of a student information system still in beta form.

Listings for higher ed users include EasyBib, an automatic bibliography composer; Digication e-Portfolio, which allows students to showcase work online; and EduTone Connector for Moodle, a trial version of a utility that facilitates single sign-on authentication through Google Apps.

Khan Academy

2011-02-01T12:12:00.000-08:00

Perhaps you've become aware of Salman Khan on PBS, CNN or through one his promotional appearances, talking about his wildly successful Khan Academy?

This is an open-source (free) project that is nothing short of amazing. He has self-produced an online library of 1600+ instructional videos for math, science, finance, economics, biology, chemistry, astronomy, history, physics, and statistics. Although many of his lessons do specifically address curriculum standards (for a purpose, such as the CAHSEE), this library is not driven by a curriculum structure, but is instead driven by learner need and interest.

This is SO totally cool!

Keith Devlin's Math Game Research

2011-02-01T12:06:00.000-08:00

Keith Devlin has been doing very cool research at Stanford regarding the use of games to teach math at the Middle School level. He has a project idea that I hope finds a greenlight:

http://news.stanford.edu/news/2010/february15/devlin-aaas-mathematics-021910.html

Here's some of his recent presentations:

http://www.stanford.edu/~kdevlin/videos.html

Augmented Reality using Kinect

2011-01-13T12:19:00.000-08:00

This is a very cool health viz example of the Kinect used for augmented reality:

Google Chrome Web Store Open

2010-12-17T18:48:00.000-08:00

Google has launched its Chrome Web Store, an HTML5-based app marketplace that operates on top of the Chrome web browser, including games from Electronic Arts and numerous other developers.

"People want to get paid for their apps, but they don't want to trust a small, independent developer. That's one of the problems we wanted to solve with the Chrome Web Store," Google VP of Product Management Sundar Pichai.

The store already lists 195 titles in the Games category, including offerings from Namco (Burger Time Deluxe), Zynga (FarmVille) and Digital Chocolate (Millionaire City) designed to run seamlessly inside the newest version of Google's web browser.

EA Games content is featured, with EA showing off a new version of the company's Pogo Games balloon-popping title Poppit as a free download for the platform. The game will be built-in to the upcoming version 9 of the Chrome browser.

Other EA titles available for download on the Chrome Web Store include existing web games such as FIFA Superstars, Lords of Ultima, Mirror's Edge 2D and Tiger Woods PGA Tour Online.

The latest version of the Chrome browser now supports hardware acceleration for in-browser apps.

300,000 Android Phones Daily!

2010-12-17T18:43:00.000-08:00

Google's activating more than 300,000 Android phones daily -- more than other popular mobile devices like iPhone and Blackberry, a sign that the search giant's increasingly-popular game-friendly platform is continuing to close what remains of the gap between itself and iPhone.

According to Fortune magazine's tech blog, Google is now selling 10 million Android phones per month, as compared with 14.1 million iPhones sold in Apple's most recent quarter -- its best quarter ever, to boot.

Earlier this month, research firm ComScore released data suggesting that smartphones using Google's Android operating system gaining on Apple's iPhone in terms of market share. ComScore said Android has gained 17 percent share since July, bringing it to 23.5 percent versus the iPhone's 24.6 percent.

Chris Pruett on Tuning Gameplay

2010-12-17T18:36:00.000-08:00

This Gamasutra article by Chris Pruett is a very compelling look at a super cool system for visual feedback (in the form of heat maps) using player metrics to indicate gameplay through the level.

Survival Master Research Field Test Invitation

2010-12-17T18:33:00.000-08:00

The Simulation and Modeling for Technology Education NSF DR K-12 Research Project would like to call teachers' attention to an opportunity to help in the development of the Survival Master game. This National Science Foundation-funded Project would welcome teachers (gamers or not gamers) who might like to try this curriculum with middle school classes during the January 2012 semester. Training will be provided during the prior August (2011) at Hofstra University on Long Island and support will continue through online Webinars. Not only will the field test teachers assist the development team in refining the materials, but they will have a chance to work with like-minded colleagues who are anxious to help advance digital game-based learning as an instructional strategy in STEM education.

Survival Master Field Testing Invitation Video

Please watch the video above for an overview of the project. All expenses will be paid, materials will be provided, and teachers will receive an honorarium for participating. Should you be interested in joining the team, please contact Michael Hacker, SMTE Project Director, at mhacker@nycap.rr.com.

National STEM Video Game Challenge

2010-09-24T15:37:00.000-07:00

The Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop announced President Obama's initiative to promote a renewed focus on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) education, with the National STEM Video Game Challenge that aims to motivate interest in STEM learning among America's youth by tapping into students' natural passions for playing and making video games.

Math Snacks and Science Pirates

2010-08-25T15:13:00.000-07:00

If you haven't already tried these, check out this cool work that is NMSU is doing in their Media Productions and Learning Game Lab:

Math Snacks

Math Snacks are short animations and mini-games designed to help learners "get it". Each snack presents a mathematical concept, particularly those addressed in grades 6, 7 and 8. Ideal for use in a classroom or on your own, they can even be placed on mobile devices for "homework". The accompanying print materials can assist learners in applying their conceptual understanding to math problems. Math Snacks were developed by NMSU's Media Productions and tested in the Learning Game Lab

Science Pirates

Science Pirates: The Curse of Brownbeard is a 3D educational computer game that communicates food safety knowledge in an environment of scientific exploration. The USDA awarded NMSU a grant to develop interactive games that help mid-school youth learn about food safety procedures, such as hand washing, cooking food to the proper temperature, keeping raw meat and cooked food separate, and washing surfaces. NMSU's Media Productions unit has a strong history in developing food safety materials, including an effective games site for younger children in 3rd - 5th grades, "The Food Detectives Fight BAC!(r)".

Original game design called for online gaming simulations through which youth would design their own experiments, draw conclusions and make recommendations in all areas of food safety. However, early testing of prototypes revealed the lack of experience youth have in conducting experiment design, and the instructional challenge of preparing students to adequately perform this important science process. Thus, the educational goal of Pirate Science shifted from one of understanding food safety issues through science processes, to one of understanding science processes to better change food safety behavior. That meant the educational focus became more centered on scientific understanding and processes, with the end result being a game that leads students through science processes as recommended through national science standards, while giving gamers a culminating activity of experiment design to lead them to better understanding of hand washing.

For more information on use or development of additional materials, contact:
bchamber@nmsu.edu

575-646-2848.