Friday, June 26, 2009
Cool Game Contest - Connected to ExerLearning
Recently a team of 6th graders from Bend, Oregon entered a state-wide game design contest for grades 6-12. They came in second.While their game was really cool - they got a LOT of points for their creativer user-interface. They played the game using a FootPOWR peripheral. Horray for the team! And their creative coach Sarah C.Here is a chance for you to do a similar thing. Once you have a FootPOWR you can re-invent the game play of any game that uses a mouse or select keyboard input. Learn more here.Please share your stories after you enter this contest at the Learning Games Network.(This is from Henry Jenkins' blog) From the Learning Games Network (LGN) comes an interesting inspiration for user-generated content. A recently established 501(c) (3) non-profit organization, established by former MIT CMS Director of Special Projects Alex Chisholm, the MIT Education Arcade's Eric Klopfer and Scot Osterweil, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Kurt Squire, LGN was formed to spark innovation in the design and use of video games for learning. In addition to bringing together an integrated network of educators, designers, media producers, and academic researchers who all have a hand in creating and distributing games for learning, they're also bringing forth opportunities for youth to contribute to conversations, research, and development. It's a no brainer for today's students to share their perspectives in a more participatory role as the future of education is shaped.The first of two efforts is a video contest, notable in its invitation to students to help inform educators and designers with their own thoughts on video games as tools for learning. Requiring entrants to create their own two-to-three minute YouTube videos, the contest offers two themes from which students can choose.(1) The first challenge asks them to describe an "aha moment" they've personally encountered: "If you've experienced that spark of realization, that moment of epiphany between an idea from a game and something you learned -- at school, at home, or anywhere else -- tell us about it in your video."(2) The second puts students in the role of teacher or coach, asking them to describe anidea for a learning game they would employ to help others learn: "What kind of game would it be? What would it help players learn? Why would your video game be a better way to learn something? In your video, tell us what challenges players would face and how they would learn from them."Contest rules can be found at http://http://www.aha-moment.org/. Students must be 13 years old and above to enter; there are separate categories for middle school, high school, and post-secondary students. Thanks to sponsorship by AMD, the first place prize for each category is a 16-inch HP Pavilion dv6 series notebook, powered by an AMD Turion™ X2 Ultra Dual-Core Mobile Processor. Deadline for submissions is midnight on July 31, 2009.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Canada Connects Physical Activity to Academic Success
We understand the busy nature of life at school and at home. These days everyone seems overscheduled - and "screen time" rates a high priority for learning, leisure, fun and games. Meanwhile the team at Exerlearning is working hard to let everyone know that the FootPOWR peripheral is a plug and play strategy that lets everyone win! Here's more evidence that supports our ground-breaking work.
According to the 2009 Active Healthy Kids Canada Report Card on PhysicalActivity for Children and Youth, children who are physically active perform better in school than those who are not. Interestingly, academic performance improves even when academic learning time is reduced to allow time for physical activity. "Schools and parents who replace children's physical activity time with academic study to improve their academic performance should think again," says Dr. Mark Tremblay, Chief Scientific Officer, Active Healthy Kids Canada, and director at CHEO-HALO. "Time spent getting active can improve learning in the classroom." The Report Card notes that by improving memory, concentration and attention span, physical activity positively impacts children's achievement in math, reading, grades, perceptual skill and overall academic readiness.Physical activity has also been shown to increase a child's self-confidence,self-esteem, self-image and connection to school.
We are thrilled to hear this new report from Canada. We welcome your inquiries about how Exerlearning can help. For a video, take a look at what some teachers have to say.
Physical activity builds strong, smart kids. Strong, smart kids are thefoundation of a strong, smart society that we need in tough times - and will lead us to better times.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Exerlearning and Footgaming-Overview
Check out this ExerLearning and FootGaming SlideShare Presentation:
Exerlearning and Footgaming-Overview
View more OpenOffice presentations from J Shasek.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Exerlearning - Not Just for Kids!
New research shows that in addition to causing the release of chemicals called endorphins — well-documented as the source of the "runner's high" — exercise may contribute to the formation of new connections among nerve cells in the brain and even to the growth of new cells. Other research has underscored the strong correlation between exercise and higher mental function.
At Princeton University, research showed the number of new brain cells produced per day more than doubled (to 7,000) in adult monkeys who regularly participated in exercises that used motor and decision-making skills. The results indicate the possibility that the structure of the adult mammalian brain can be profoundly altered by a stimulating environment.
A study by researchers at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology at the University of Illinois found that previously sedentary people over age 60 who walk rapidly for 45 minutes three days a week can significantly improve mental-processing abilities that otherwise decline with age. Neurons flashing signals through the brain undergo a dramatic change as the mind learns behavioral habits, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have found.
The surprise is that the rate at which new cells are being born in the brain are regulated by, among other things, your interaction with your environment," neurobiologist Fred H. Gage says. And exercise seems to be a key to that interaction.
"One of the things that happens with exercise is an increase in the micro blood vessels in the brain," he says. Those blood vessels are associated with the birth of new cells. "So there is a physiological link between exercise and neurogenesis," he says.
When you exercise, muscles begin to use oxygen at a higher rate, and the heart pumps more oxygenated blood through the carotid artery to the brain. In fact, the brain uses about 25 percent of the oxygen that you take in. Because exercise creates endorphins, people who exercise regularly have more energy, feel alert and have an increased sense of well-being and better memory retention. For more see this article in DISCOVERY HEALTH by T.A. Sloane
At Princeton University, research showed the number of new brain cells produced per day more than doubled (to 7,000) in adult monkeys who regularly participated in exercises that used motor and decision-making skills. The results indicate the possibility that the structure of the adult mammalian brain can be profoundly altered by a stimulating environment.
A study by researchers at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology at the University of Illinois found that previously sedentary people over age 60 who walk rapidly for 45 minutes three days a week can significantly improve mental-processing abilities that otherwise decline with age. Neurons flashing signals through the brain undergo a dramatic change as the mind learns behavioral habits, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have found.
The surprise is that the rate at which new cells are being born in the brain are regulated by, among other things, your interaction with your environment," neurobiologist Fred H. Gage says. And exercise seems to be a key to that interaction.
"One of the things that happens with exercise is an increase in the micro blood vessels in the brain," he says. Those blood vessels are associated with the birth of new cells. "So there is a physiological link between exercise and neurogenesis," he says.
When you exercise, muscles begin to use oxygen at a higher rate, and the heart pumps more oxygenated blood through the carotid artery to the brain. In fact, the brain uses about 25 percent of the oxygen that you take in. Because exercise creates endorphins, people who exercise regularly have more energy, feel alert and have an increased sense of well-being and better memory retention. For more see this article in DISCOVERY HEALTH by T.A. Sloane
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Trade in Study Hall for Heart Rate Monitor
We began Generation FIT with the initial goal to impact youth fitness and help with childhood obesity by adding 10-30+ minutes of technology delivered physical activity in a grade 3-12 classroom. Blostering activity in schools where PE had been reduced or eliminated had to be delivered in an easy and time-effective manner that didn't disrupt the learning or burden busy teachers. To our (woohoo) surprise, academic and behavioral progress soon followed. Others were doing similar things, capturing the attention of neuroscientists, who in the past few years have explained the link between exercise and cognitive function.
Daily, strenuous physical-education classes maximize brain power, according to a Harvard researcher who says cardiovascular fitness improves academic achievement and reduces school discipline problems.
Choosing between P.E. or academics sets up "a false debate, because our moving brain is our thinking brain. The same ... cells that we move with ... are the ones we use to think. When we move, we activate them," said Dr. John J. Ratey, an associate clinical professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and the author of "Spark: The Revolutionary Science of Exercise and the Brain."
Choosing between P.E. or academics sets up "a false debate, because our moving brain is our thinking brain. The same ... cells that we move with ... are the ones we use to think. When we move, we activate them," said Dr. John J. Ratey, an associate clinical professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and the author of "Spark: The Revolutionary Science of Exercise and the Brain."
Doing something physically challenging that also requires complex thinking is best, Ratey said. We were inspired to develop the FootPOWR peripheral for exactly that reason. What's that? Take a look at the FootGaming blog and website to see how a unique computer peripheral can seamlessly combine complex thinking tasks (computer games and software) with physical activity that gets the heart pumping.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Benefits of FootGaming in the Classroom and Computer Lab (and at home)
Our bodies are very much a part of all our learning and learning is not an isolated "brain" function. Every nerve and cell is a network contributing to our intelligence and our learning capability. Exercise triggers the release of BDNF a brain-derived neurotropic factor that enables one neuron to communicate with another. Students who sit for longer than twenty minutes experience a decrease in the flow of BDNF. FootGaming is one way students can trigger sharper learning skills. ExerLearning can save you time and FootGaming delivers ExerLearning without adding additional lesson plans or time burdens.
Crossing the midline integrates brain hemispheres to enable the brain to organize itself. When students perform cross lateral activities via use of FootPOWR peripherals, blood flow is increased in all parts of the brain making it more alert and energized for stronger, more cohesive learning. Fun- always a motivator, we can easily add student-incentive and fun to your learning environment.
Examples of how FootGaming via a FootPOWR peripheral connected to a classroom PC can increase both physical activity, fitness and academic success are as follows:
Bilateral movement; Opposition; Spatial Awareness; Movement in different levels; Proprioception; Jumping and Landing; Dynamic balance; Patterning; Spatial concepts These concepts aid the brain in placing words on a page, reading words from left to right, and writing patterns in sequence.
Coordination of the auditory, visual, and kinesthetic senses; Eye tracking for visual-motor control; Development of core muscles to strengthen neural pathways; Sequencing of complex motor skills; Patterning; Problem solving; Directionality. These concepts aid the brain in following the flow of words, sequencing patterns in math and reading, solving problems, and sorting information.
Vestibular Development: Development of inner ear to coordinate of the auditory, visual, and kinesthetic senses; Spatial Awareness; Body control; Dynamic balance; Locomotor skill development; These concepts aid the brain in putting numbers or letters in sequence, discriminating different sounds, placing letters and words in a page, and writing letters in proper proportion.
Tracking of a moving object; Eye-hand and eye-foot coordination; Development of visual fields; Cross lateralization; Patterning; Targets; Joint compression; Dynamic balance; Sequencing of patterns; These concepts aid the brain in processing thought, organizing thoughts in sequence, discriminating likenesses and differences, discriminating sounds, and advancing to higher level thinking.
Higher level of dynamic balance; Complex motor control; Practice and reinforcement of academic content while balancing and moving actively-whole body. Theses concepts aid the brain in anchoring information and improved memory retrieval, preparing the brain to take a test, and combining many skills for higher level thinking.
Crossing the midline integrates brain hemispheres to enable the brain to organize itself. When students perform cross lateral activities via use of FootPOWR peripherals, blood flow is increased in all parts of the brain making it more alert and energized for stronger, more cohesive learning. Fun- always a motivator, we can easily add student-incentive and fun to your learning environment.
Examples of how FootGaming via a FootPOWR peripheral connected to a classroom PC can increase both physical activity, fitness and academic success are as follows:
Bilateral movement; Opposition; Spatial Awareness; Movement in different levels; Proprioception; Jumping and Landing; Dynamic balance; Patterning; Spatial concepts These concepts aid the brain in placing words on a page, reading words from left to right, and writing patterns in sequence.
Coordination of the auditory, visual, and kinesthetic senses; Eye tracking for visual-motor control; Development of core muscles to strengthen neural pathways; Sequencing of complex motor skills; Patterning; Problem solving; Directionality. These concepts aid the brain in following the flow of words, sequencing patterns in math and reading, solving problems, and sorting information.
Vestibular Development: Development of inner ear to coordinate of the auditory, visual, and kinesthetic senses; Spatial Awareness; Body control; Dynamic balance; Locomotor skill development; These concepts aid the brain in putting numbers or letters in sequence, discriminating different sounds, placing letters and words in a page, and writing letters in proper proportion.
Tracking of a moving object; Eye-hand and eye-foot coordination; Development of visual fields; Cross lateralization; Patterning; Targets; Joint compression; Dynamic balance; Sequencing of patterns; These concepts aid the brain in processing thought, organizing thoughts in sequence, discriminating likenesses and differences, discriminating sounds, and advancing to higher level thinking.
Higher level of dynamic balance; Complex motor control; Practice and reinforcement of academic content while balancing and moving actively-whole body. Theses concepts aid the brain in anchoring information and improved memory retrieval, preparing the brain to take a test, and combining many skills for higher level thinking.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
PE Mandates and FIT Students: Easy with Exerlearning
We are all familiar with NCLB and the ever-growing need to "teach to the test." Most schools have dedicated additional class time to ensure their students gain higher scores and they avoid being labeled "failing schools." As a result, time devoted to electives such as art, music and P.E. plummeted.
"The thing in education is: What gets measured is what gets done," says Ginny Ehrlich, the executive director of the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, a non-profit organization working to battle child obesity. (read more at full article) We at ExerLearning and FootGaming have decades of experience with that dilemma. There is only so much time in a day. Our solution is to use technology to simultaneously deliver the physical activity our students (and teachers) need and want along with the learning outcomes currently being measured. ExerLearning can do exactly that.
In 44 states, a PE Mandate has been made. It requires 150-225 physical activity minutes every WEEK. That would be considerable progress, except that virtually nobody can meet the mandate demand because the states are provided no additional funding. So, it's a mandate in name only.
What are the repercussions if a school or District does not meet the PE Mandate? "None," says Dr. Toni Yancey, a professor in the UCLA School of Public Health and an expert in the area of physical activity among kids. "… If a school doesn't improve, if it's below average in its reading tests scores or its math test scores, then there are consequences for that school. They may be put on probation. They may have the state come in and take over -- lots of things they don't want to happen. If they don't adhere to the number of minutes for P.E., there are no consequences."
Conceivably, that could change soon. Last week, several members of Congress called for passage of the FIT Kids Act, a bill that would amend NCLB to add P.E. as a core subject and require schools to report on the state of their programs. Although there still would be no tangible repercussions for not making progress, advocates of the bill say accountability should put pressure on schools to improve.
Still, nobody is identifying where the money would come from to do things like increase time, decrease ballooning class sizes and ensure that elementary school teachers are credentialed to teach P.E. We offer the ExerLearning opportunity. Please check our teacher resources at Footgaming.com to see how something as easy as plugging a new type of peripheral in to a computer can be one solution for adding 10-30 activity minutes per student per day – at exactly the same time and at the same place that computer-delivered learning occurs already.
"The thing in education is: What gets measured is what gets done," says Ginny Ehrlich, the executive director of the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, a non-profit organization working to battle child obesity. (read more at full article) We at ExerLearning and FootGaming have decades of experience with that dilemma. There is only so much time in a day. Our solution is to use technology to simultaneously deliver the physical activity our students (and teachers) need and want along with the learning outcomes currently being measured. ExerLearning can do exactly that.
In 44 states, a PE Mandate has been made. It requires 150-225 physical activity minutes every WEEK. That would be considerable progress, except that virtually nobody can meet the mandate demand because the states are provided no additional funding. So, it's a mandate in name only.
What are the repercussions if a school or District does not meet the PE Mandate? "None," says Dr. Toni Yancey, a professor in the UCLA School of Public Health and an expert in the area of physical activity among kids. "… If a school doesn't improve, if it's below average in its reading tests scores or its math test scores, then there are consequences for that school. They may be put on probation. They may have the state come in and take over -- lots of things they don't want to happen. If they don't adhere to the number of minutes for P.E., there are no consequences."
Conceivably, that could change soon. Last week, several members of Congress called for passage of the FIT Kids Act, a bill that would amend NCLB to add P.E. as a core subject and require schools to report on the state of their programs. Although there still would be no tangible repercussions for not making progress, advocates of the bill say accountability should put pressure on schools to improve.
Still, nobody is identifying where the money would come from to do things like increase time, decrease ballooning class sizes and ensure that elementary school teachers are credentialed to teach P.E. We offer the ExerLearning opportunity. Please check our teacher resources at Footgaming.com to see how something as easy as plugging a new type of peripheral in to a computer can be one solution for adding 10-30 activity minutes per student per day – at exactly the same time and at the same place that computer-delivered learning occurs already.
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