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.

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.