Games
Can a Toy Spark Interest in Engineering for Girls?
Fed up with the limited choices of toys for girls, a Stanford-trained engineer created a toy focused on developing spatial skills in girls.
Teachers, Students, Digital Games: What’s the Right Mix?
By Holly Korbey When St. Louis fifth-grade teacher Jenny Kavanaugh teaches history, she uses her laptop to look at a map, or to give kids a virtual tour of the historical landmarks they’re studying. “Students can interact with history in very cool ways online,” she said. But when it’s time for math, she puts the [...]
Math, Physics, Languages: Minecraft is the Teachers’ Ultimate Multi-Tool
Need more convincing that Minecraft can be a powerful tool for learning? Check out this fun video from PBS Idea Channel’s Mike Rugnetta, who specifically (and very quickly) lists a number of ways the video game can and has been used to learn everything from physics to history.
World of Warcraft Finds Its Way Into Class
World of Warcraft Students’ passions can be a powerful driver for deeper and more creative learning. With this knowledge, some educators are using popular commercial games like World of Warcraft (WoW) to create curriculum around the game. And they say they’re seeing success, especially with learners who have had trouble in traditional classrooms. World of [...]
Money, Time, and Tactics: Can Games Be Effective in Schools?
If it’s true that 97 percent of teens in the U.S. are playing digital games, then the focus on how games can fit into the shifting education system becomes that much more important. Schools, districts, and individual educators are trying to figure out how games and learning can fit into the current complicated landscape. The [...]
Ideas for Fun and Learning During the Holiday Break
Flickr: Andrew Beeston With two weeks of holiday break stretched out ahead, here are some fun ways to keep kids occupied and engaged, as collected over time on MindShift. 1. DIVE INTO MINECRAFT. Simply put, Minecraft is a game that lets you build worlds out of blocks. But Minecraft’s visual simplicity belies what is a [...]
What’s It Like to Be a Molecule? Science Meets Embodied Learning
By Andrew Miller “Embodied learning” is a new initiative in the field of interactive and game-based learning, in which learning content is combined with physical movement. Among one of the leading organizations in bringing this movement to the classroom is SMALLab, based in Los Angeles. The company has created activities — check out their different [...]
For Holiday Travel, Apps to Keep Kids Busy
Flickr: GoodNCrazy By Bill Chappell Thanksgiving is Thursday, and that means more than 43 million Americans will be on the road, driving to family gatherings. For many parents, the crowded roads can bring another challenge: Keeping a 9-year-old entertained along the way. And sometimes, DVDs are not enough. These days, kids love to tinker with [...]
The Power of One Teacher’s Vision
Ananth Pai is a masterful educator, who runs a dynamic, student-centered classroom humming with activity — what we imagine as the best-case scenario for blended learning. Pai has created individual learning plans for each of his students, which includes time with him, with other kids, and with online games. And though his students have shown [...]
Video Games That Bring Civics Class to Life
By Andrew Miller The online educational video game site iCivics, created in 2009 by former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor that features civics curriculum, has partnered with EverFi, an ed-tech company focused on K-12 and higher ed. And through the partnership comes a new initiative Commons – Digital Town Square, offered free to all [...]
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