A blog turning into a game

California’s new requirement that all 8^th graders complete algebra is very ambitious given the state’s current budget crisis. The mandate, which won’t go into effect until 2011, does have a positive outcome in that politicians are finally waking up to the fact that our schools are failing to keep kids interested in math. However, is a mandate the right way to go?

In a recent San Francisco Chronicle article titled “Algebra – it’s everywhere”, Jill Tucker writes about how our current math programs may be turning kids off. In her article, she quotes Stanford Mathematics Professor Keith Devlin as stating, “”Most of us who become mathematicians do so not because of our education but in spite of it,” Devlin said. “We’re turning kids off a subject that is useful and incredibly interesting and beautiful if taught correctly.”

The Science Journal’s July 25th article titled “Gender Similarities Characterize Math Performance” stated that US standardized test now show equality in math test scores between boys and girls.  Can we now put all opinions stating the contrary to rest now?   Hopefully, however we must acknowledge that we have a long way to go in terms of getting more females into traditionally male dominated careers such as engineering and science.

The first step is to help girls stay interested in math and science well into high school.  One possible opportunity to do so is with educational games focused on girls.  Educational games could help reinforce math concepts in an environment where girls can engage, discuss and explore math and science concepts with other girls who have similar interests.  Too often math and science concepts are presented in a context that favors the interests of boys more than girls.  Math games that appeal to the interest of girls could help keep them engaged and interested in math.

In general, to keep girls interested in math and science we need to focus on creating a learning environment that lets them explore and apply these concepts in a manner that is fun, safe and engaging.

Much has been written about the poor knowledge of geography of Americans.  For example, in a survey, 63% of respondents could not identify Iraq on a map.  Fewer than half could identify New York and Ohio.  If we really believe in the flattening of the world, then it is more important than over to ensure we (and our kids) are global citizens.

Today, at RamoGames.com we’re releasing a bunch of games to help improve our knowledge about geography.  They include games covering, Africa, Asia, India (we had to do this one given the origins of our name!), Europe, North America, and South America.  They are suitable for all ages, and we even predict that kids will do better than adults in some of them.

Let us know your high score in the comments and we look forward to hearing your feedback!

Hi -

Today, we are pleased to announce the launch of one of the most comprehensive directories of kids educational games at RamoGames.com.

We’ve cataloged hundreds of games on the Internet and placed them into categories like geography, math, logic, and word. We’ve added useful metadata about each game and given users a chance to comment and rate them.

We’ve even built some of our own games including the especially fun geography map game, Asia GeoQuest (can you get 10/10 countries right?).

When talking to teachers and parents the past few months, we realized that there is no good resource for finding good quality educational games on the Internet. So we decided to put one together.

We’re still going to be forging ahead with developing our own games for kids, but RamoGames.com is a taste of what’s ahead.

Of course, the site is in beta, so we’d appreciate any feedback you have, including suggestions on games that we are missing.

Gamasutra and the SF Chronicle today discuss the findings of a non-profit called HopeLab, founded in 2001, concluding that video games can help encourage young people with cancer to take their medications more consistently.  Dr. Steve Cole, who helped direct the study, wrote,

“We now know that games can induce positive changes in the way individuals manage their health.  The game not only motivates positive health behavior; it also gives players a greater sense of power and control over their disease — in fact, that seems to be its key ingredient.”

The game, called Re-Mission, and introduced in May 2006, is an open community for teenagers and young adults afflicted with cancer.  The study followed 375 teens and young adults with cancer at 34 medical centers in the United States, Canada, and Australia. The results were very promising: young people who played the game maintained higher blood levels of chemotherapy and showed higher rates of antibiotic utilization than those who did not.

Re-Mission is powerful because of its focus on a specific cause and the ability to combine interactivity with gameplay.  Here is a trailer of the game: