Research
We’ve done a ton of research this semester – anything from tech and its capabilities to the different ways that kids learn with digital and technological devices! First, here’s a look from David Birchfield himself on the SMALLab!
After getting to meet with David, we looked at a lot of the SMALLab learning scenarios that already exist, figuring out which ones we liked and which ones we thought worked best. Check them out!
We also looked at different web-based games, such as Chicago Museum of Science and Industry’s Simple Machines game, and a color-mixing game, which was interesting because there’s already a color mixing SMALLab game! Here are a few other resources we looked at, specifically for math and critical thinking. We really like the fact that a lot of these games didn’t feel like ‘worksheets,’ rather that they felt like they tricked kids into learning by completing fun objectives with cute, fun characters!
We also looked at a few examples of spatial learning, and a Snibbe Interactive piece called Boundary Functions also stood out to us and really influenced our Living Fractions game!
Lastly, we also got a huge boost from the teachers and the resources they gave us from their curriculum to really zero in on the material we’d use, as well as finding more resources from the Common Core State Standards.