Edutainment is a new word that describes the fusion between education and entertainment. Games have historically been cast as having an adverse effect on childhood concentration and discipline. More recently, game-based education platforms have flipped these arguments and proved that games can increase focus and discipline in students. Games help kids think in a more organized and pointed manner.
Gamification motivates and engages kids as they learn by combining game theory and game mechanics in non-game contexts. The main goal is to motivate learners so they perform batter in a variety of tasks, and to help improve their problem-solving skills. Furthermore, gamification of eLearning has resulted in the development exciting technologies and innovative trends within the gaming industry. Soon, virtual and augmented reality platforms will deliver on their great potential to offer an even more realistic learning experience.
There is a strong link between today’s education trends and the gaming industry, culminating the fusion concept of edutainment. According to Microsoft, "Learning-by-doing in Minecraft teaches students independence and perseverance, giving them great satisfaction and a sense of accomplishment when they can validate their knowledge. And because Minecraft: Education Edition is a flexible platform for learning, educators can map student activities directly to specific learning outcomes and curriculum standards." While games have historically been cast in a poor light, game-based education platforms have begun to flip those arguments.
These concepts are applied in RoboGarden's programs, where programming concepts, physics, engineering, math, and even arts are embedded into a gamified curriculum that engages the students and helps them learn while having tons of fun. There is a strong link between today’s education trends and the gaming industry, and RoboGarden is at the forefront of that new trend.
Today, RoboGarden is bringing computer science edutainment to the market. Students can program and control Robo, RoboGarden's hero robot, as they move through different adventures while learning programming concepts along the way. As they continue to play, students also learn about physics, earth sciences, space sciences, math, life skills, and many other subjects covered in the K-12 curriculum. The moon world, for example, introduces concepts relating to earth and space sciences. Missions include tasks that promote play-based learning. These tasks appear throughout the missions, including as the shuttle is taking off and landing, and as Robo journeys to the moon and back.
Other journeys take place in different worlds like on a volcanic island or a golden mountain. In each of these cases, kids will learn about earth sciences as they play along with Robo’s adventures. This type of integrated learning can deliver powerful learning outcomes through what the child simply sees as a fun game.
If you want to get your children to play engaging games where they can learn tons of new information, try RoboGarden today.