EDucation ToGoBox

A relatively young Finnish computing science student (@PetriPurho)was inspired by the traditional tale of “Harold and the Purple Crayon” Rather than write the sequel, he created a fascinating web application: Crayon Physics Deluxe.

Presented on a wrinkled-paper background, players navigate a ball to strike intentionally placed stars. The catch is that every object, blocks, platforms, balls and rockets will all succumb to Newton’s friend, gravity!

The most exciting component of Crayon Physics is it’s seventy levels, many of which can be mastered by a pre-schooler! A tech teacher friend, Bill Witt, introduced this to me and I embarrassed myself in front of 20 fourth-graders. Of course the ball would roll right off the side of the platform since I neglected to draw color a ramp to re-direct it.

The free demo is full of levels and choices. The upgrade buys you new islands and access to a “playground” where you can share user-created challenges. An i-phone app was released one year and ten days ago. Michaela’s favorite game by Purho is World of Goo.

ads? No.

membership/cost? Demo is free. Deluxe is $20 (PayPal accepted). Download by Kloonigames necessary. Not for Mac yet.

navigation? Very precise. Excellent classroom tool for IWB.

Bloggers love to add images to their posts, but pictures of students using tech is hard to come by. If you Google “EdTech” you’ll find thousands of images of conference speakers preaching technology integration.

As we share ideas online, we can share a library of media that will help get the “picture” across to readers. If you have a picture to share, email us by clicking on the email button at column right. View PhotoBucket Album here.

Remember that these images are labeled as “free for reuse” as long as you don’t benefit financially from their use. To protect yourself from free image license changes, visit ImageStamper….gratis @educ8ter.

Midway through a unit of study on rainforests, my daughter was given an assignment to find out what side a farmer would take on deforestation. That night, I was feverishly catching up on emails, twitter and facebook when I saw Michaela (MT) peering at me through the glass doors, with the confidence to tell me to get off the computer because she had homework that needed to be done online.

Momentarily, her step-dad, my very own Mike Brady (MB), began a long, drawn-out Socratic session on what her assignment really entailed.

What is the question that you are being asked to answer?

Did your teacher specifically say that you needed to use the computer?

After Michaela fessed up that she wasn’t really asked to “Google It“, but rather come prepared to discuss her position on deforestation as a farmer, the air was cleared. I had infinite time to stay glued to the computer and Michaela got to enlist in a very productive session of Critical Thinking 101. Children tend to jump for the computer before thinking about what they already know and what they need the computer for.

MB: So, Michaela, what do you know about farmers?

MT: Well, they grow things for a living.

MB: Ok. And what resources do they need to farm?

MT: Hmmm. Machines or people. And water. And land.

MB: Right. Now, can farmers grow crops in a rain forest?

MT: Sure.

MB: Really? Don’t your typical food-producing crops need lots of sunlight?

MT: You’re right. And they wouldn’t want so many animals living amongst their crops.

MB: Getting closer. And, if you were a farmer, would you sell your crops to endangered monkeys and rare birds?

MT: No. I would want to farm near where people live and buy food. The rain forests would be in the way. I would need to cut down the trees to grow my crops and for roads to be built to connect me to my buyers. Now I know what side I need to take.

MB: Please go check online to see if you are right. And remember to think about what your opponents will say during your discussion tomorrow. Can you Google: poor farmer rainforest -save -donate?

At that instance, I realized the value of using the internet as a forum for sharing information, learning, and researching. But I realized that parents and teachers can help build critical thinking skills through conversation and asking questions to lead children to the place they need to be BEFORE they google. Had Michaela searched “rainforests” only, she would have reveled in opportunities to donate money, read sad stories and inspect every species of beetle known to mine the soil. By conversing about her search goal and practicing patience, all were happy. And Mr. Brady took the trophy for most patient.

To learn more about how Google is supporting young internet surfers, read this New York Times article dated December 25th, 2009. “Helping Children Find What They Need on the Internet”.

If your child is studying the rain forests, read my previous post on The Prince’s Rainforest Project.