Good morning all,
Games are getting more and more respect these days as learning tools, at home and in the classroom. The image at right (credit: Circulating) is a reminder of the hurdles faced by those of us who advocate use of games in schools. Fortunately, recent research released by the Pew Internet & American Life Project (“Teens, Video Games and Civics: Teens’ gaming experiences are diverse and include significant social interaction and civic engagement“) as well as coverage in the mainstream media (“Can games make your kid a better citizen?” [MSNBC.com]) is evidence that the tide is turning. What we need now are more free, safe, powerful game development environments to capture the imagination of a new generation of learners.
That’s where Atmosphir comes in (thank you, Fred Delventhal, for the link!) Atmosphir is a free video game development tool for Mac -and- PC that allows students to design complete, immersive environments with complex challenges, objectives and interrelationships. Take a look at this video, and imagine what a tool like this could do in a classroom:
It is fascinating to watch games move from the periphery closer to mainstream curriculum, and I wonder when teachers will be free (and able) to use applications like Atmosphir to teach math, science, language, social studies and more. We’re not there yet, but we’re getting closer every day. After school programs that feature these kinds of tools are fairly common; how long until they make the jump into regular education? I doubt my children will see it happen, but I wonder if my current students (in K-4) have a shot. Some will be in high school in just a few years. To be sure, the technology will evolve faster than the educational system can adapt, but there’s always hope!
Game on,
-kj-
9 responses so far ↓
1 Nancy // Sep 17, 2008 at 7:21 pm
I tried to sign up for the Beta and they said they had too many people. I need something that will take my kids to the next level. I teach in a gifted program and we have tons of software–simulations, problem solving, etc but I struggle with the software as play vs. work and learning.
2 Kevin Jarrett // Sep 17, 2008 at 7:32 pm
Hi Nancy,
Thanks for commenting. Would love to queue this up with you. Tell me more about your program, what software you’ve used, what’s worked, and what hasn’t. As you know, software isn’t the answer, curriculum is. So let’s talk curriculum and see what environments support what you want to accomplish…
-kj-
3 Martin Repetto // Sep 17, 2008 at 7:39 pm
Hi All,
Thanks for the article, Nancy, we are accommodating as many people as we can right now, believe me, you will get a link very soon to try the game, make sure to visit atmosphir.com in the upcoming weeks, we might have a surprise for you all! :D
Regards,
Martin
4 Nancy Bosch // Sep 17, 2008 at 9:32 pm
I teach in a state mandated special education program for gifted kids who are in the top 1%. The district serves around 1500 gifted kids K-12. The elementary services are provided in a one day a week pullout program. In our Center the kids come by grade level on different days. The middle schoolers and high schoolers have the option of taking a “gifted ed” class one hour a day.
I’ve taught gifted for 25 years and will retire in a couple of years, I’ve been using technology in the classroom since the mid-80s. I’ve presented nationally, (NECC 5 years) statewide and in my district for many years, now I focus my time on my kids. We’ve blogged, wikied, Moodled, webpaged, videoed, imaged, and on and on. You can see a list of our major projects here– http://anotsodifferentplace.blogspot.com/2007/07/where-is-all-your-stuff.html
That said I have 3 grown sons who have been playing video games for the last 15 years. and are still playing. I remember when the oldest used to play text adventures like Zork, where you typed “walk straight ahead” or “open the mailbox”. These text adventures were in my first classroom and it took a lot of critical thinking to get through those adventures. We also played games like Below the Root, Bard’s Tale, Castles, etc. Maybe I was naive but some of those games seemed to take so much more thinking than some of the games today!
I went through the next ten years or so focusing mainly on problem solving games Zoombini’s, Dr Brain, Thinkin’ Things, Incredible Machines, etc.
In the last few years after reading all the “press” about simulations I added Age of Empires, Age of Mythology, Civ 4, Risk 2, Railroad Tycoon, SimCity, Axis and Allies and others. This is what I’ve felt this last year…..kids play. I lack the focus and know how to help them set goals and get past the “shoot em up”. It reminds me of back in the day when the kids would spent their entire computer time shooting 10,000 pounds of buffalo on Oregon Trail.
What is missing for me in my classroom are task cards (?), standards identified for “success” in the simulation. I need checklists to make sure the kids are moving through more advanced stages and understanding what the simulation is trying to accomplish. I don’t want to look over at a kid, one more time, sitting in front of SimCity watching ambulances crash into high rises.
I only have my kids 7 hours a week and I really can’t justify the time simulations take. Maybe in my next life I will come up with a way to have some accountability and justification in using that software in my classroom when many of the kids that like that sort of stuff have it at home.
In a perfect world (HS American History) Axis and Allies could be used as a visual re-enactment of some of the major battles of WWII–I don’t have that luxury now.
I have the same problem with Scratch, Sketchup, Google Earth and Alice. Kids will get started but since I don’t know what the programs are capable of I don’t know how to facilitate the use of the software.
Maybe Atmospir will be different.
We do great stuff—-Later, N.
5 Kevin Jarrett // Sep 20, 2008 at 10:44 am
Nancy! Holy moly! I’ve been a fan of yours for years! Cemetery Scene Investigations is a total fave! You are an inspiration and a perfect example of what I would strive to be if I ever got a gifted and talented classroom of my own (something I have actually thought about!)
It sounds like what you need is a virtual worlds curriculum, and fortunately, one was just created by the wonderful folks over at Global Kids! Check it out!
http://www.rezed.org/group/GKslcurriculum
While much of it is specific to Second Life, I’m willing to bet there are MANY ways you can repurpose that material for a variety of other environments. Check it out and let me know what you think!
As far as Scratch, Sketchup, Google Earth and Alice, my first response is … don’t worry! Do you somehow feel you’re not doing enough? Are you kidding me? Tools are tools, it’s what you do with them that counts, and if your kids are not getting exposure to those tools, so what? Your lessons are incredibly rich and authentic. We all want to make sure our lessons and pedagogies are current, but, don’t let the arrival of these other tools muddy your focus. Maybe pick ONE (of that list, I’d go with Google Earth, myself) and dive into it with abandon. I’ve profiled some great Google Earth tools here, check the archives.
Good luck and keep up the great work!
-kj-
6 Nancy Bosch // Sep 20, 2008 at 8:36 pm
I certainly agree, we’ve tried some tools that we will never go back to and some we will delve into deeper. Thanks for the kudos, check back to the Inventions site in a few weeks, you can get there from http://adifferentplace.org
7 Nancy Bosch // Sep 20, 2008 at 8:39 pm
PS–I’m not going to get into Second Life. I think teachers have a hard enough time herding real kids–don’t think we need to be herding a bunch of virtual ones. ha.
8 Kevin Jarrett // Sep 20, 2008 at 9:38 pm
Hi again Nancy!
There are good reasons to get into Second Life beyond classroom use – the PD and networking opportunities are staggering – but it’s all about making choices and you have to decide what is best for -you-!
Enjoy your school year!
-kj-
9 Paul Left // Oct 1, 2008 at 2:23 am
I think the post title is a little misleading – ‘Let students design their own video games with Atmosphir!’ – as it suggests the software is ready for use. The software doesn’t really ‘allow students to design complete, immersive environments with complex challenges, objectives and interrelationships.’ Maybe it will one day.
In the meantime, I’d be interested to know if anyone in has actually developed anything ‘educational’ using the beta version that is available to check out.
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