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The Level Up Report, your newsletter on 21st-century learning through games, coding, and making.
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Level Up Report

September 10, 2018
 
 
I think I'm going to start sending these out on Monday instead. :) Happy Monday!

Don't forget, you can tell us what's happening in your world by dropping us a line at news@levelup.org.

 

News

In today's digital world, do we need libraries? Of course we do! This long-form comic essay in The Guardian will remind you of so many things to love about libraries. From Neil Gaiman and Chris Riddell: "Why our future depends on libraries, reading and daydreaming."

A study in the journal Educational Researcher asserts that, once family and socioeconomic circumstances are taken into account, private schools seem to confer no education advantage over public schools. This runs counter to previous studies that show a benefit to attending private or charter schools. Fascinating information, worth a read, or read T74's summary.

Makerspaces are coming to more and more schools but without some creativity are frequently used solely for technology education. However the potential for utilizing them throughout the curriculum is huge. Learn from a few educators blazing the trail at Edmonton Catholic Schools and Brauser Maimonides Academy. Trisha Roffey of Edmonton Catholic also shares some of what she's learned at her site makerspaceforeducation.com.

Andreas Schleicher, initiator of the OECD PISA test that evaluates and compares the learning of students across the globe, has written a book summarizing practices that work well in various countries. In our efforts to build a 21st-century school system, what better data could we ask for? Sounds like a fascinating read... and hey, it's free! Check it out.

Gameheads, an Oakland-based nonprofit, uses video games to teach tech skills to low-income and underrepresented youth. EdSurge recently covered their fourth annual showcase, and the games cover political and socio-political themes important to the students. They're so good!

Muzology is a program that sets math principles to music to trigger memory, emotion, motivation and attention. It's a fascinating idea - after all, when you recite the alphabet to yourself, doesn't it come with a song? Why not take advantage of that? The Tennessean reported on use of the program in Knoxville. Promo video.

Can we leverage the rise of competitive gaming in the U.S., for education? Learn more about how colleges and universities are beginning to engage with eSports, and then check out some of the popular games!

Which coding games and toys for kids are actually best at teaching coding concepts? A software engineer and parent took a look at 40 coding-related toys, and broke them down by age group and quality in this valuable blog post.

This is amazing - English language arts teachers John Fallon and Paul Darvasi built an alternate reality game (ARG) (Blind Protocol) to teach their students about online privacy and data security. Love this idea. I bet the students will remember the lessons learned through this experience for years to come!

We've heard a lot about VR being used in hospital settings, but little about AR. Stanford's Packard Children's Hospital is experimenting with AR through a HoloLens for both distraction and education during treatments.

 

Play

Minecraft: Education Edition (iPad) – Newly available: the fun gameplay and great tools of Minecraft: Education Edition, now on your iPad! Use this version of Minecraft in your classroom to bring subjects to life and explore standards-aligned lessons and tutorials from Microsoft. Requires an Office 365 Education account and subscription. Classroom video.

Prism (iOS, Web) – This game from Carnegie Mellon's Entertainment Technology Center seeks to help students understand what life may be like for their autism spectrum peers. Players play as a fox, a nocturnal animal, but parts of the game are set in daylight and designed to be overwhelming. Fascinating concept. Article. Teacher resources. Video.

Donut County (PC, Mac, iOS, PS4) – Capture all the things in this Katamari Damacy-like game where you play as a hole. Move around the environment to gobble things up and solve puzzles. It's like Hole.io but better! (You should also play Hole.io.) Video.

 

Watch

Know how to talk with your teen about Instagram – Worried about how your kids are using social media? Parents at Instagram made a video about the ways their kids use Instagram, and offer hints and tips to other parents for how to understand the service. Full article.



 
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