Unity3D 2.5 for Windows released so now I can share my games as works in progress.
I am up to level 5 and welcome any and all feedback.  The download may be large so you
may wait a while for it to load the first time. There are some bugs so reload if it acts strange.

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Our first game released and created in one evening on the just released Unity3D for windows. Click on the buttons or press those buttons on the keyboard to play the instrument. Enjoy.

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In case anybody is interested. I am sharing my thoughts for each of the 26 levels in the Alphabet Puzzle online.  People can edit the database freely.  I will track changes to avoid inappropriate behavior.  Here it is.

A while ago we were searching web tools and mashup capabilities. By simply linking a delicious.com account with 6pli.com under the worldlearningtree id with bookmarks to educational websites we created the following prototype here with no coding required.

Recently, we found a great tool by the name of GameBucket by the Institute of Play.  The advantage is they built this tool on their own and populated it with much larger content.

Compare them on your own and let us know what you think about them.

Geogebra is powerful free mathematics visualization software I have used for a while but realized I never posted an article on it.  I used a 3D capable version but it has a few bugs so only search for it and use it if absolutely necessary.

Here is a demonstration of it’s usefulness.

Recently we submitted our suggestions on how to revolutionalize online education to Google’s “Project10ToThe100” contest.  For a Strategy class we framed the idea into a one page description which we include here.

“Schoogle”

Summary: 

“Schoogle” is a free entertaining online education website which can track a user’s progress and the community can add educational content.

Strategy:

Use the resources and technical competencies of Google to expand from an information provider to an education provider. “Schoogle the world”

Idea:

Google can use the concept of providing an online education system (“Schoogle”) to bring together many of its products and technologies in support of a common goal. This will solidify the Google brand and expand their market.

1.  Efficiency - A less expensive way to build an online education system is to spend resources on providing a powerful framework and toolset which allows for users to create and add educational content to it.  This would be similar in concept to a “Wikipedia” of which Google has created “Knol” but advancing the system to support the interactive training modules.  User ratings could be added to help select which content is best to use.
2. Retention - For added “Stickiness”, tracking the status of a user’s educational history (with testing methods built in) would provide incentive to continue to use “Schoogle”. Users could be rewarded as they progress and see their overall history.  This could be similar to leveling up characters in online role playing games. (Level 6 Math Wizard)  Google tracks vast amounts of user information and has key technologies to scale and distribute processing and storage.
3. Value - To increase value of the education, social networking should be built into the site (Google has worked on “Lively”, a 3D chat interface).  People can be motivated to provide assistance to others as they play the educational games with each other.
4. Unlimited - Concepts such as “mashups” should be used to provide simple style game play with a large number of game variations (see PhotoSoup as an example of a dynamic limitless word search game).  Reference Google’s “Searchmash”(Google discontinued this) to see just one example of how they have used mashups to enhance search results.
5. Seed - Google also has acquired video game companies and can use them to provide a minimal set of valuable base content (the seed).  If they could target K-12 education they can hook a set of customers (children) with the goal of expanding the content prior to when these users need more.  This will help to secure the “Schoogle” and therefore “Google” brand as kids develop.  (The goal would be to create another verb.  Google is to search as Schoogle is to learn.

Additional References (Use these as search terms in Google):

Worldlearningtree, Unity3D, Red Interactive Agency, Kongregate, Colr Pickr, Phun, Dimenxion, Thinkmap,  App Engine, Gears.

Dabbleboard is a great new collaborative instant whiteboard application.

This is a fantastic Physics emulator. Powerful and educational.

PHUN at http://www.phun.at/

We have been working with the Pima County JTED on a database implementation project in conjuction with a Enterprise Data Management class taught by Dr. Sudha Ram’s MIS class as an elective for the Eller MBA program at the University of Arizona. Here is an example of the current list of schools that offer JTED programs as listed on JTED’s website which was created using DabbleDB.

The JTED mission is to provide the delivery of premier, rigorous career and technical education programs for all eligible students. In conjunction with business and industry, these programs will be focused upon both the educational and employment needs of Pima County.