AtomTouch is a molecular simulation app, created through a partnership between UW MRSEC and Field Day Lab. It allows learners to explore principles of thermodynamics and molecular dynamics in a tactile, exploratory way. The simulation was developed to help students understand the structures and attributes of particles at the molecular level, providing real-time feedback and responding to students’ actions.
Material Type: Game, Simulation
The Thermodynamics VR captures the Equation of State of water--a concept from undergraduate thermo classes--in a simulation that students can touch and see and manipulate. This project is an exciting partnership with John Pfotenhauer, Professor of Thermodynamics at UW-Madison, who uses the simulation with his intro-level students. Players stand in front of a virtual table and conduct experiments with a cylinder of water, a common example used in thermodynamics courses. Usually, the example is only theoretical. In the VR simulation, it becomes tactile and hands-on. Players can use tools on the table--a Bunsen burner, cooling coils, weights, balloons, and more--to alter the temperature, volume, and pressure of the substance and see how the water responds. Requires a VR Headset.
Material Type: Simulation
What is situated learning and why do we care so much about it? Situated learning refers to knowledge that is developed and applied in the same social setting in which it is typically used — such as when you learn to use a hammer by actually building something, and the values and practices associated with becoming a carpenter by working on a construction crew.
Material Type: Interactive
Open Educational Resource textbook that covers many topics about gamified learning and/or online learning. With chapters on educational board gaming, educational escape rooms, techniques for blended-learning classrooms, developing digital literacy, the digital divide, and a chapter on academic integrity in virtual learning.
Material Type: Teaching/Learning Strategy, Textbook
This is a fairly comprehensive list of resources related to educational uses of gaming and role-playing scenarios. It includes sections on the basics of multiplayer scenarios, the pedagogical concepts they embody, introductions to different types of multiplayer scenarios (escape rooms, edu-LARPs, megagames like Model UN, and alternate reality games), examples of activities for each, and an extensive bibliography covering books, podcasts, articles, and organizations related to each page of the resource.
Material Type: Reference Material, Teaching/Learning Strategy
04/14/21 | 59m 20s | Rating: TV-G David Gagnon, Director of the Field Day Lab at the Wisconsin Center for Education Research at UW-Madison, discusses the educational advantages of using video games and simulators as teaching tools. Games offer opportunities to actively learn new concepts and to fail without real world consequences.
Material Type: Game, Learning Task, Other
Presenters: Chris Baker (Public Library Consultant / Games & Learning Consultant, Library Services Team of the Wisconsin Dept. of Public Instruction), Jenna Gilles (Youth Services Associate, Chippewa Falls Public Library), & Jamie Hein (Library Director, Clintonville Public Library) Description: For years now, media usage data has shown that video games have led the entertainment industry by a massive margin, handily securing the crown as the most popular recreational medium on the planet. In the United States, 61% of Americans report playing video games for at least one hour every week; 29% of game players are 50 or older, and the average age of video gamers in the U.S. is 36, with a near-even split of 53% identifying as male, and 46% identifying as female. The point? These impressive statistics represent an enormous opportunity for libraries in the U.S. to capitalize on – and illustrate that librarians ought to prioritize intentionally developing robust video game collections for their users to access; game collections can meaningfully help libraries reach a broader base of patrons, create exceptional new pathways for materials circulation, resonate with additional user identities, and help foster a 'community of practice' surrounding games in the library space. On top of this, video game collections help libraries showcase an earnest desire to remain relevant, accessible, and cutting-edge to their public. In this first presentation in our series about video game collection development, you’ll hear from multiple librarians about the “why”, “what”, and “how” of video game selection and acquisition; we will highlight both philosophical and pragmatic best practices for developing video game collections – from advocacy data, to funding tips, to selection resources, to acquisition schedules, and more. A follow-up webinar in the series will focus on things like processing, borrowing rules, policy, and collection maintenance. You won’t want to miss these presentations! Webinar date and time: October 30, 2024 11:00 AM EDT This event was co-sponsored ALA's Games & Gaming Round Table: http://www.ala.org/rt/gamert
Material Type: Lesson, Other, Primary Source, Reference Material, Self Assessment, Teaching/Learning Strategy, Unit of Study
"I created this site to make it a little easier for parents, teachers and students to find resources, games, and have additional resources to support online learning without having to create a bunch of new accounts or remember a bunch of passwords. This is a database of links to free educational pre-K-12th grade games and research tools with no log ins or sign ups or memberships required. This site is aligned to Common Core Standards, teacher and parent needs and student interests. I invite you to explore and play and to maybe learn something new." __________________________ "This site came about in early 2020 when schools around the country started to close, due to COVID 19. I saw online that there were a lot of resources that families could access, but felt that the choices were overwhelming to parents and kids who were looking for some fun and educational things to do online. I narrowed down the sources and put them onto a manageable site that is easy for kids and parents to use. The use of technology is encouraged in schools and at home in order to support student engagement. With technology, I hope to inspire the STEM leaders and innovators of tomorrow. All of the links on this site are aligned with the Common Core Standards and are all age appropriate. With these links, all materials are free to use, without having to sign up or register for anything. I hope that you enjoy exploring these sites." -Ms. Krystal Youth Services Coordinator
Material Type: Activity/Lab, Assessment, Diagram/Illustration, Game, Homework/Assignment, Interactive, Learning Task, Module, Other, Reference Material, Self Assessment, Teaching/Learning Strategy, Unit of Study
Welcome to the URF Academy, a free resource for educators who seek to encourage and inspire the next generation of game designers. Our Game Design Curriculum is our way to share our love for and knowledge of games to students everywhere. We designed it with accessibility top of mind—any teacher with access to the internet and a printer should be able to teach students how to design a fun game. In our six-module curriculum, we outline the principles of game design using a simple framework and explore concepts through engaging workshops and activities. Students will learn about the language and theory necessary to engage deeply with games and ultimately collaborate in groups to design a paper prototype of a multiplayer game. History: In 2016, a group of Rioters launched URF Academy, an interactive game design workshop for high school students at our headquarters in Los Angeles. URF Academy’s goals were to teach local students about fundamental concepts in game design and showcase the breadth of careers in the gaming industry. After hosting more than 500 students over the course of two years, we expanded URF to several regional offices, including St. Louis, Dublin, Sydney, São Paulo, and Mexico City. Simultaneously, we began co-developing a free, online curriculum with two veteran computer science and game design educators to empower teachers to provide high quality game design instruction to high school students around the world.
Material Type: Activity/Lab, Assessment, Curriculum Map, Game, Homework/Assignment, Interactive, Learning Task, Lesson, Lesson Plan, Module, Other, Self Assessment, Student Guide, Unit of Study
Are you a dreamer, risk-taker, and experimental mess-maker? Are you interested in new media and how technology can transform learning experiences? If so, we want to talk with you! Visit our website to learn more about the workshops, free educational tools, and teacher fellowships we provide.
Material Type: Other
You have big ideas that take a whole team to build. We have artists, software engineers, designers and researchers... What is your secret project, your passion? We can make stuff, but we need your perspective to understand what is worth making. Partner with Field Day to produce digital media that will change how your students learn.Â
Material Type: Lesson
A guidebook for teahcing students how to tell community-based mobile stories in the classroom.Â
Material Type: Interactive
Are you interested in learning how to create (or have your students create) educational board games and mobile-based interactive stories and games? This collection of schedules, presentations, handouts and prototyping tools will get you off to a great start. In this workshop, learners will: -Learn about the Learning Science behind educational games -Learn the process of designing analog educational games -Learn how to use ARIS, a user-friendly, open-source platform for creating and playing mobile games, tours and interactive stories. -Use ARIS to create a location-based story or game
Material Type: Full Course, Lesson Plan, Reference Material, Teaching/Learning Strategy
Filament Games reached out to some of their game-based learning educator allies and asked them how they use games in the classroom, and they had a lot to say! So much in fact that they’ve compiled their insights into a shiny new eBook for your perusal – introducing How to Teach with Games! The eBook is packed with expert perspectives and practical advice, all of which is supplemented by recommended resources and downloadables to help you get started with game-based learning. Whether you’re just getting started with games or have been using games for years, we think you’ll learn something new from these educators’ stories.
Material Type: Curriculum Map
Resources with an emphasis on play, child development, belonging and inclusion, and social and emotional learning, grades K-3.
Material Type: Activity/Lab, Interactive, Lesson Plan, Teaching/Learning Strategy
In The Legend of the Lost Emerald, learners in grades 4-6 will use the same tools, practices, and skills that maritime archaeologists use to locate and dive for shipwrecks on the Great Lakes and uncover the real treasure—the stories inspired by actual shipwrecks and Great Lakes history.
Material Type: Activity/Lab, Diagram/Illustration, Game, Lesson, Lesson Plan
AtomTouch is a molecular simulation app, created through a partnership between UW MRSEC and Field Day Lab, that allows learners to explore principles of thermodynamics and molecular dynamics in a tactile, exploratory way.
Material Type: Assessment, Game, Interactive, Simulation
This is a list of Star Wars-related games and activities, suitable for a Star Wars-themed party in a library or classroom setting. Most ideas come from sources that encourage reading and literacy.
Material Type: Other
