SBIR Phase I: Virtual-Worldizing ThinkMath: An Existing K-5 Math Curriculum Building Computational Fluency

这个小型企业创新研究(SBIR)第一阶段项目专注于在虚拟世界环境中设计和测试图形协作游戏，以支持小学生的数学学习。Numedeon公司是Whyville的创建者，这是一个面向8到15岁儿童的获奖教育虚拟世界。Whyville自1999年以来已经有700万用户参与了科学和数学探索，20万个月的独一无二的用户平均每次访问花费30分钟以上。Numedeon将其在创建协作、开放式学习游戏方面的经验带到了这个项目中，在ThinkMath的特定组件上构建在线游戏和体验！课程设置。ThinkMath！是由教育发展中心(EDC)在国家科学基金的支持下开发的一门创新的K-5数学课程。Numedeon汇集了EDC、WestEd和DaVinci Minds的顾问的专业知识，将解决在正规教育中有效使用游戏的三个基本挑战：在不影响游戏玩法和参与度的情况下提供支架和评估；利用协作和用户创建来促进深入理解；以及设计用于培训和支持教师的集成工具。由此产生的试点游戏以及教师工具和嵌入式评估将在怀维尔推出进行测试和评估。该项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力在于创建一种新的互动学习形式，在在线社交环境中将正式的基于课堂的教学与基于非正式游戏的学习相结合。随着美国62亿美元的教科书市场走向数字化，这个项目挑战了从纸质课程到数字教科书的盲目转换，以及基于练习的数学知识练习。同时满足国家提高数学能力的迫切需要。通过结合最好的课程开发(EDC)和最好的协作游戏学习(Numedeon)，将基于标准的数学课程带入成功的商业虚拟世界的努力是第一次。它将为深思熟虑地将课程与数字媒体结合起来设定一个标准，以创造一个高价值、高可见性的产品，超越死记硬背和钻研，建立心理基础设施和数学理解。此外，游戏教学的视觉特性将减少双语和有特殊需要的学生使用游戏的障碍。最后，教师专业发展和支助工具作为综合进程的一部分设计，而不是事后附加，将产生重大的教学影响和市场潜力。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project focuses on the design and testing of graphical, collaborative games within a virtual world environment to support math learning for elementary school students. Numedeon, Inc. is the creator of Whyville, the award winning educational virtual world for children ages 8 to 15. Whyville has engaged 7 million users in science and math explorations since 1999, with 200,000 monthly uniques spending 30+ minutes on average per visit. Numedeon brings its experience in creating collaborative, open-ended learning games to this project, building online games and experiences upon specific components of the ThinkMath! curriculum. ThinkMath! is an innovative K-5 mathematics curriculum developed by Education Development Center (EDC) with prior support from the National Science Foundation. Pooling expertise from consultants at EDC, WestEd, and DaVinci Minds, Numedeon will address three fundamental challenges in the effective use of games in formal education: providing scaffolding and assessment without compromising game play and engagement, leveraging collaboration and user creation to promote in-depth understanding, and designing integrated tools for training and supporting teachers. The resulting pilot games along with teacher tools and embedded assessment will be launched in Whyville for testing and evaluation.The broader impact/commercial potential of this project lies in creating a new form of interactive learning that integrates formal classroom-based instruction with informal game-based learning within an online social environment. As the $6.2 billion textbook market in the US goes digital, this project challenges the mindless conversion of print curriculum to digital textbooks and drill-based practice of ?math facts? while addressing a critical national need to promote mathematics competency. By combining the best in curriculum development (EDC) with the best in collaborative game-based learning (Numedeon), this effort to bring a standards-based mathematics curriculum into a successful commercial virtual world is first of its kind. It will set a standard for thoughtfully marrying curriculum with digital medium to create a high value, high visibility product that goes beyond rote memorization and drilling to building mental infrastructure and mathematical understanding. In addition, the visual nature of game-based instruction will reduce barriers to use for bilingual and special needs students. Finally, teacher professional development and support tools designed as part of an integrated process, as opposed to tacked-on as an afterthought, will have significant pedagogical impact and market potential.