To Bee or Not to Bee???

Hi, Everyone! Are we having fun yet?? Absolutely!
As I was preparing the post you see below, I dug a little deeper to find out who is making this stuff and why. Turns out it is from projects in the DEMO labs (Dynamical and Evolutionary Machine Organization), which are a collaboration of the department of computer science at Brandeis University near Boston, MA and various sponsors, including the Office of Naval Research, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Administration, and the National Science Foundation.

There is some fascinating stuff on the research they are doing into games theory and educational technology, including a Paradigm for One-on-One LearningWISH I had the time to read every word...but I did read quite a bit and urge you to take a look...it's well worth your time.

Anyway, here's the original post: Enjoy!

Here is a site I just ran across through a link from the monthly newsletter "On the Tapis" from Tapped In. There are five different online educational games for kids to play: (Three are up; the other two are in process.) Home Page: www.BEEweb.org


Turns out that SpellBEE is part of a huge research project by DEMO.


SpellBEE -
In SpellBee, your goal is to gain as many points as you can in seven rounds of a spelling activity. You can gain points in two different ways. First, when asked to spell a word, you will gain points if you spell it correctly. Second, you will be asked to choose a word for the other player to spell. You will also be able to gain points for this. The number of points will be based on which word you choose, and whether the other player spells that word correctly or not.
PatternBEE -
PatternBEE is a beeweb game where players create Patterns for each other out of unique geometric shapes. Once the players build their Patterns, they are sent across the Internet to each other to solve. Patternbee builds skills in the area of geometry, problem-solving, pattern recognition, spatial relationships, mental rotation, and constraint satisfaction. But it is also a lot of fun.

MoneyBEE -

MoneyBEE is an educational multiplayer environment where two players create "Money Problems" for each other to solve. A money problem (e.g. I'm thinking of 4 coins which sum up 30 cents) is a pre-algebra skill, involving number sense, arithmetic, problem solving and mental visualization.

Once you each create a problem, they are sent across the Internet to be solved.

In a BeeWeb game your goal is to gain as many points as you can in several rounds of game play. You can gain points in two different ways. First, when asked to solve a problem, you will gain points if you solve it correctly. Second, when you create a challenge for your partner, you will gets points based on how hard it is and whether they can solve it in time.

GeograBEE -
COMING SOON!

GeograBEE.org is a fun and fast website which lets students create geography quiz questions for each other. In the process, you can't help but learn your states and capitals!

Not up yet, but soon will be...


CalcuBEE -
COMING SOON!
CalcuBEE.org is a fun website where students use a virtual calculator to create a wide range of Cryptarithmetic problems for each other. Not only does this game challenge in arithmetic, but also logic, memory, and visual attention.
Not up yet, but soon will be...