I was thinking about the posiblities for networked multiplayer educational games in the classroom environment; elementry through highschool ages. I haven't been in school for a long time. I was wondering if there are games like these used in classrooms today or are they just using updated versions of games like carmen sandiago and oregon trail?

They teach computers in high school? My high school computer education consisted of the teacher blabbing about word processing while I ignored her and played on the internet.

I didn't mean for teaching computers, but for teaching other things. Like math games or word games.

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Original post by BobV I was wondering if there are games like these used in classrooms today or are they just using updated versions of games like carmen sandiago and oregon trail?

Over here, they aren't even using versions of those, updated or otherwise. The idea would be pretty much unthinkable for a highschool too I think. Primary school however, would probably be quite willing to trial something of this nature.

Most computers in schools/high schools are either used for computers courses, typing classes, typing up essay's/homework (outside the classroom), but i have yet to see any programs used for studying textbook information such as in math, language arts, or other courses not directly related to computers. There are some but they are mostly reserved for children who need special attention, and the programs they use are fairly basic. This could be for a number of reasons, private schools for all i know make much more extensive use of computers in their educational courses, but public schools budgets from what i've seen may simply be to tight to afford all the equipment needed to stock the classes, what with the need to purchase video camera's to keep the drug pushers out. >.>

Hello All,

First post jitter, but what a great topic to post on!

I've been working towards this goal for the last 3 years. 2 years I tried from Academia and I'm in my 1st year as an Full Indie and Entreaupenour.

The current working name is Project MMUSCLE which stands for Massively Muli User Synchronous Collaborative Learning Envirionment. I went public with it about a year ago on the 3DGS forums : http://www.coniserver.net/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=0&Board=UBB20&Number=339836&fpart=1&PHPSESSID=18fa9d1d34eb29ed697009a705f88611

That was a year ago. :)

(PS: I'll link the screenshots in a later post.)

My lab has been working on this for several years. We have had http://www.spellbee.org taken up in a nice number of elementary and middle schools. It is a multiplayer English literacy activity. We recently launched http://www.patternbee.org and http://www.moneybee.org which are geometry and algebra themed MPG's, still a bit in Beta. To play, you need to come in pairs or open two browsers and take two login names.

The broader AI and computer science community has been trying for 25 years to crack the mystery of why cool educational technologies - from CAI to Intelligent Tutors to Logo programming, even 'edutainment' never "catches" on broadly.
I think Schools are like a huge nand gate. If it is too commercial, too entertaining, teaches what teachers don't know, isn't related to today's curiculum, is too expensive, requires new computers, software installations, teacher training, etc, it will get expelled.

Our work is a java platform we hope to open it to other game developers someday.

Cheers,
Jordan