Massively http://massively.joystiq.com Massively http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Massively http://massively.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[MIT developing educational MMO funded by Gates Foundation]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/22/mit-developing-educational-mmo-funded-by-gates-foundation/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/22/mit-developing-educational-mmo-funded-by-gates-foundation/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/22/mit-developing-educational-mmo-funded-by-gates-foundation/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

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Is gaming the answer to the math- and science-related apathy plaguing American school kids? Some folks at MIT think so, and a new press blurb outlines how the institute is developing an MMO designed to further science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education.

"In contrast to the way that (STEM) is currently taught in secondary schools -- which often results in students becoming disengaged and disinterested in the subjects at an early age -- educational games like the one to be developed give students the chance to explore STEM topics in a way that deepens their knowledge while also developing 21st-century skills," the release says.

The title is being developed in collaboration with Filament Games, and MIT's Eric Klopfer says that it will be a powerful educational tool. "This genre of games is uniquely suited to teaching the nature of science inquiry," he explains, "because they provide collaborative, self-directed learning situations. Players take on the roles of scientists, engineers and mathematicians to explore and explain a robust virtual world." The project is being financed by a $3 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

MassivelyMIT developing educational MMO funded by Gates Foundation originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 22 Jan 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bill-and-melinda-gates-foundationbill-gateseducationeducational-mmoengineeringeric-klopferfilament-gamesfoundationkidsmathematicsMiscellaneousmitmmo-industrysciencestemtechnologySun, 22 Jan 2012 16:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Astronaut: Moon, Mars, and Beyond developer talks educational mission]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/09/01/astronaut-moon-mars-and-beyond-developer-talks-educational-mi/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/09/01/astronaut-moon-mars-and-beyond-developer-talks-educational-mi/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/09/01/astronaut-moon-mars-and-beyond-developer-talks-educational-mi/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , ,

Astronaut: Moon, Mars, and Beyond - ISS
Astronaut: Moon, Mars, and Beyond has been in the news a lot lately, but just who are the folks behind the educational MMO from NASA and Project Whitecard? A new piece at Gamasutra sheds a bit of light on that as well as a few more details about the project as a whole.

"I'm originally a developer," says Project Whitecard CEO Khal Shariff. "I thought, 'oh, I could be a developer for the rest of my life, or I could start my own company.'" That company has some pretty lofty goals for its first MMO, including reaching out to millions of kids worldwide and getting them interested in STEM education (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics).

"We are dedicated to using game technology to do things that, when somebody interacts with the game, it maybe leaves the world better or leaves somebody smarter," Shariff says.

MassivelyAstronaut: Moon, Mars, and Beyond developer talks educational mission originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 01 Sep 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We're guessing the interest in a NASA career is dying down after the last hype wave during the Space Camp years. So now the government space agency is looking for a fresh way to get young people interested in reaching for the stars, by following through with their earlier-reported plans of creating a NASA MMO. Hey, the online career-promotion thing worked for America's Army, didn't it?

The NASA MMO, still being in the infant stages of searching for an actual developer, is interested in making this the first educational MMO using the "STEM discipline". This promotes Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics within the game to get people interested in these subjects, and help them better understand how to pursue a career incorporating these skills. If you think about it, many MMOS already use this system, but the trick is disguising it in a thin veil of fun. That is the biggest challenge to creating a government-sponsored online game that aims to educate a particular target audience. But with the recent insane growth of games like EVE Online, we don't think the target audience will be a problem.

MassivelyNASA MMO hopes to awaken a stale engineering workforce originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 01 May 2008 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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