Valve Offers Portal for Free

According to Valve, "One of the biggest challenges in teaching science, technology, engineering, and math is capturing the students’ imaginations long enough for them to see all of the possibilities that lie ahead. Using interactive tools like the Portal series to draw them in makes physics, math, logic, spatial reasoning, probability, and problem-solving interesting, cool, and fun which gets us one step closer to our goal—engaged, thoughtful kids!"

Valve is offering the Mac and PC versions of Portal, the 2007 physics-based puzzle game that took the world by storm, for free via Steam until September 20. Valve is giving the game away in honor of its Learn with Portals  program. The educational program hopes to leverage the way video games are increasingly playing a role in education by using Portal and Portal 2 to teach physics and critical thinking skills to students.

Video Games Help Students Learn Math

According to T.H.E. Journal, Austin Independent School District (AISD) in Texas recently expanded the use of the DimensionM educational video games to seven middle schools and 15 charter schools after receiving the results of a summer pilot program to help 350 students who had failed the math portion  of the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) test 3 or more times. All eighth-graders must pass the TAKS in order to advance to the ninth grade. Ocoee Middle School, in Orange County, FL, was one of Tabula Digita's first clients. Educators and students at Ocoee, a Florida State Demonstration School, have worked closely with all of the DimensionM games and have learned, and taught others, quite a bit. See more of their story by clicking here. Download the Case Study >> CaseStudy_OcoeeMS.pdf

DimensionM™is an immersive video game world that engages students in the instruction and learning of mathematics. Pre-algebra and algebra objectives are covered through a series of missions that bring math into a world that today's students understand. The games are research-based and linked to specific objectives. Download demos to try out this new phenomena.

Teachers calculate value of games at math workshop

Educators in a Colorado district are learning new ways to provide differentiated instruction in math, thanks to a series of workshops by Nanci Smith, a consultant with ASCD. Teaching math and problem-solving skills through hands-on activities like puzzles and card games can be "more fun and engaging than problems on a worksheet," said Smith, who used many of the games during her tenure as a high-school math teacher. Journal-Advocate (Sterling, Colo.)

History-based video games inspire more indepth study

Game developers are hoping history-based video games will inspire more interest in subjects as diverse as Leonardo da Vinci and World War II. Recognizing that the games help with technical, critical-thinking and literacy skills, some libraries are including the games in their collections. "My hope is that bringing the idea of these types of characters into more popular culture will arouse some people's curiosities to investigate further and learn more," a game designer said. The Washington Post/Reuters (11/12)

NJ Students Collaborate Online Using Web 2.0 Tools

More educators in New Jersey are utilizing the tools of Web 2.0 technology, which allows students shared access to content and more collaborative learning. While some educators caution about the downside to the latest technology -- like its propensity for distracting students -- others say wiki pages, classroom blogs, video conferences and online chats help students learn how to be creative and prepare them for college and the real world. The Star-Ledger (Newark, N.J.) (11/7)

Schools are using robotics to teach math and science

Educators in some Washington state schools are using robotics projects as a hands-on way for students to learn math and science as well as improve teamwork, innovation and problem-solving skills. Members of the business community hope the program will also spur an interest in science and technology careers. "It's so empowering to children to build something and program it to do something, and it does it. It's better than any video game," one teacher said. The Spokesman-Review (Spokane, Wash.)

Students learn from new, more interactive generation of video games

A trend to include gaming in school curricula has students playing a new generation of educational video games that are more social and interactive, allowing students to collaborate and solve problems related to the real world. Video game designers have integrated science, math and language concepts into game mechanics, so they no longer seem to students like schoolwork. The New York Times