Introducing PlayMaker: The 21st Century School Of The Future
Get out your Legos, plug in your gaming consoles, and save the date! On September 6th, GameDesk is ringing the bell on PlayMaker, our brand new school model designed to prepare kids for 21st century success and fulfillment. It’s no secret, folks. The future is now. PlayMaker’s inaugural class consists of 65 incoming 6th graders at New Roads Middle School in Santa Monica, CA, led by three inspiring teachers by the names of Joe Wise, Tedd Wakeman and AJ Webster.
PlayMaker is a universe of magical kingdoms, of ancient inventions, of roller coasters, flight simulations, and treasure maps leading to unlimited pathways of adventure. At GameDesk, we are devoted to empowering students to create meaningful relationships with knowledge. PlayMaker is a creatively charged reflection of our devotion, providing a guided educational framework for students to learn through:
- Playing—interacting and experimenting within challenge-driven and fun scenarios;
- Making—hands-on building, architecting, desconstructing, rebuilding and tinkering;
- Discovering & Inquiring—investigating big ideas and creating true meaning;
- Interest-Driven Designing—encouraging students to pursue learning through their own interests, helping them discover their talents, and finding ways for them to contribute to their communities.
PlayMaker teacher AJ Webster says PlayMaker students will have greater access to information and technology than ever in history. “They need to know how to be in charge of their own learning,” he declared. ” The classroom model where one person talks at the front of the class, and the students sit quietly and write down the delivered wisdom is outdated. We want to create engaged, enthusiastic life-long learners.”
In essence, PlayMaker is a “choose your own adventure” story brought to life. Our 6th graders will be presented with their own Adventure Maps, featuring multiple pathways to learning objectives. Each student will chart their individual journeys. From the Emerald Forest of Media Arts to the Cave of Physics, rich and fully realized educational gaming opportunities await each student as they discover their own interests at their own pace.
“Some of our best learning occurs through play,” shared AJ. ”A state of flow where people are at their most engaged and productive is often a product of play. Consider that most mammals learn by playing; why should our children be educated differently?”
PlayMaker also encourages its educators to imagine and push creative boundaries. Our DreamLab is devoted to assuring that professional development and curriculum creation capture the same vibrant, playful, and constantly evolving culture that we provide for students.
We hope you join us on this great adventure and keep dreaming with us!
This sounds amazing! I work for an educational software company, and I couldn’t agree more — when children are engaged in their learning environment, even if it’s through play, they retain information so much better!
[...] on http://www.gamedesk.org Share this:TwitterFacebookLike this:LikeBe the first to like this. Comments RSS [...]