Though we’ve made it past the swift transitions necessary at the start of the 2020 pandemic, K-12 institutions are still adapting to their student’s needs and their state’s guidelines for safety. In fact, Chalkbeat reports “Nearly all of the nation’s 20 largest school districts will have a remote option this fall, with at least half offering more full-time virtual schooling than they did before the pandemic.” Whether you’re in a fully remote or hybrid situation, or you’re looking for at-home learning opportunities to supplement your K-12 learner’s education, we have a list of resources just for you!
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Games are excellent tools for online learning. They build community, increase students’ intrinsic motivation, and can simulate just about any learning environment! By now, many students and teachers are seasoned pros at this whole distance learning thing, but no matter what level of comfort you have with online learning, rest assured that game-based learning is easy to access and easy to use. Below, we’ve gathered five more of our favorite resources for using games as remote instruction tools. If you have any other great game-based learning resources to share, please let us know on Facebook or Twitter!
Like us, our friends at iThrive Games know that games are powerful vehicles for social-emotional learning. Their mission is to make sure teens feel seen by meeting them where they are. iThrive Games has plenty of resources you can use in and out of the classroom. iThrive Sim, launched in 2020, is “a digital platform that hosts a library of role-playing simulation scenarios designed to deepen civic and social and emotional learning in high school social studies, history, and humanities classrooms.” It contains a suite of games covering media literacy, the executive branch of the U.S. government, and state’s rights. One particular game, Lives in Balance, involves a simulated public health crisis, and aims not only to mirror recent events but also to provide students and educators with new ways of connecting with one another and learn remotely. Check out Lives in Balance, along with other iThrive Sims games, free curriculum game-based learning resources, and other helpful materials by checking out iThrive Games!
🎮: Morphy
Looking for some free science games for K-8 learners that can be easily accessed in a web browser? Our friends at The Smithsonian Science Education Center have you covered with their Game Center, a collection of STEM games that have been “designed with clear learning objectives, vetted by…curriculum experts, and are used by students around the world!” Here, you can find games on physical science, life science, engineering, earth science, and even nutrition! Filament is a proud contributor to this lineup of games. Find our titles Bumper Ducks, Disaster Detector, Aquation: The Freshwater Access Game, Morphy!, Showbiz Safari, and Shutterbugs: Wiggle and Stomp among this suite’s offerings for kindergarten through middle school students. Your students can easily access these free games from home, or in the classroom. No matter what your learning environment, STEM game-based learning is at your fingertips!
Just like in our last edition of Resources for Using Games in Remote Learning, we’re changing gears for a minute to feature a class-management gamification platform: Goosechase! What is a goosechase? A scavenger hunt! Goosechase is a scavenger hunt gamification tool that can be used in the classroom, on field trips, and in virtual classrooms too. It is designed to make any learning experience more hands-on and interactive. Goosechase can also be used by adults in professional settings as well. Their website’s blog boasts plenty of resources for teachers and other professionals, such as this guide to keeping online students engaged. Learn more about this adaptable, immersive platform from the CEO himself by checking out the video below!
BYJU’s Early Learn App builds on science, math, and English concepts for kindergarten through third-grade students. This whimsical app, created in collaboration with Disney India, includes many familiar characters from Pixar and Disney movies, such as Frozen’s Anna and Cars’ Lightning McQueen. Through the many different games included in the app, students can learn about grammar, spatial awareness, problem-solving skills, and much more. We also want to highlight that Filament contributed to expand this app, creating a new Trace game mechanic! The Trace mechanic requires users to draw or trace an object, which was adapted by BYJU’s to fit different themes and fulfill a variety of educational takeaways within the app. We also created concepts for three new games too. Whether it’s used as an after-school supplement or a virtual classroom activity, BYJU’s Early Learn App contains tons of fun learning opportunities for the young learners in your life!
Of course, we’re rounding out this list with your friendly neighborhood educational game developer. We’re always hard at work with our clients creating playful experiences that improve people’s lives. Here on the blog, we’ve got a deep well of resources for game-based learning enthusiasts and beginners alike! Every Monday and Wednesday, we have new game-based learning content to share – such as free games you can play right now, or resource roundups that introduce you to the principles of playful learning. If there’s anything particular you’d like to see on the blog, don’t hesitate to reach out to us on Facebook or Twitter! And as always, if you’re interested in creating your own educational game, let us know. We have 17 years of experience creating impactful learning games, and we’re here to help!
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