The idea is to use a game that kids love to introduce them to real-world science and engineering problems and to awake an interest in the subjects. school is the place you can catch a kid and create enthusiasm,” she said. “Middle Quest Academy, a private school in Palatine, Ill., has incorporated the game into a class this year. They use it to reinforce lessons on J.R.R. Tolkien’s Hobbit.” “The Since November, students have been building their own fantasy worlds designed to — be populated by virtual dragons and writing about the adventures they have there. — Creativity Run Wild Amelia Landau, 11, said the game has allowed her to let her creativity run wild. is a nice way to make your imagination fly a little bit better,” she said. you “'Minecraft' “If want to create a huge sculpture, you can do that easily with thousands upon thousands of materials.” Some academics wonder, though, if "Minecraft" will be limited to wealthy districts with high-achieving students. Maria Cipollone, who is getting her doctorate at Temple University, recently used the game in a research project at a Philadelphia public school. She found that the game helped the students develop math skills such as estimating proportions. But it didn’t translate into the sort of math ability that would boost standardized test scores. But Dan Rezac, a technology specialist at Maple School in Northbrook, said that when kids do get a chance to play, the results can be amazing. 'Minecraft,' they can build anything,” he said. can learn social skills so they “With “They can work together with other people, who may not be in the same room, to build worlds and lands and objects, or, as one of our kids was saying, to re-create the human body so they can test diseases on it. There are really just limitless possibilities.” From gadget to garbage: tackling the problem of discarded technology By Orange County Register, adapted by Newsela Jan. 13, 2014 Grade level: 8 Old computer keyboards fill a box as EXPC employee Diego Cuellar walks through the company's warehouse on Dec. 17, 2013, in Santa Ana, Calif. In California, e-waste is recycled with funds paid by consumers as a fee when they purchase electronics. Photo: Mindy Schauer/Orange County Register/MCT
The idea is to use a game that kids love to introduce them to real-world science and engineering problems and to awake an interest in the subjects. “Middle school is the place you can catch a kid and create enthusiasm,” she said. Quest Academy, a private school in Palatine, Ill., has incorporated the game into a class this year. They use it to reinforce lessons on J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Hobbit.” Since November, students have been building their own fantasy worlds — designed to be populated by virtual dragons — and writing about the adventures they have there. Creativity Run Wild Amelia Landau, 11, said the game has allowed her to let her creativity run wild. “'Minecraft' is a nice way to make your imagination fly a little bit better,” she said. “If you want to create a huge sculpture, you can do that easily with thousands upon thousands of materials.” Some academics wonder, though, if "Minecraft" will be limited to wealthy districts with high-achieving students. Maria Cipollone, who is getting her doctorate at Temple University, recently used the game in a research project at a Philadelphia public school. She found that the game helped the students develop math skills such as estimating proportions. But it didn’t translate into the sort of math ability that would boost standardized test scores. But Dan Rezac, a technology specialist at Maple School in Northbrook, said that when kids do get a chance to play, the results can be amazing. “With 'Minecraft,' they can build anything,” he said. “They can learn social skills so they can work together with other people, who may not be in the same room, to build worlds and lands and objects, or, as one of our kids was saying, to re-create the human body so they can test diseases on it. There are really just limitless possibilities.” From gadget to garbage: tackling the problem of discarded technology By Orange County Register, adapted by Newsela Jan. 13, 2014 Grade level: 8 Old computer keyboards fill a box as EXPC employee Diego Cuellar walks through the company's warehouse on Dec. 17, 2013, in Santa Ana, Calif. In California, e-waste is recycled with funds paid by consumers as a fee when they purchase electronics. Photo: Mindy Schauer/Orange County Register/MCT
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