Group items tagged

Exploration/Tinkering Exploratory play is about asking questions: "What happens when I do this?" "What if I did it this way?" Experimenting with materials and pushing their limits encourages us to consider a wide range of possibilities when problem-solving. Playing around with objects and ideas helps us see that there may be more than one solution. Some inventors have a goal in mind and work persistently toward it. Others stumble across solutions to problems they weren't trying to solve.

Play me a story? Welcome to Playfic, the online community that lets you write, remix, share, and play interactive text-based games with the world.

Virtual Apple ][ is a site which will take you back to the 1980's through its collection of more than 1250 game disks online. Play and enjoy old Apple ][ (Apple2) and Apple IIgs games and other disks through your Internet web browser. You will find games like Oregon Trail and Number Munchers which many of you played as kids, as well as games like Tetris, Battle Chess, Leisure Suit Larry, Choplifter, Archon II and Kings Quest.

via Jackie Gerstein

"Branches of Power lets you play all three branches of government, collectively charged with a critical goal: to build new laws! As President, choose issues you think are important and rally the people around them. As a legislator, craft bills around your constituents' values. As a Justice, uphold the law or strike down unconstitutional legislation. Only through using all three branches cooperatively can you construct towering laws upon the issue foundations that dot the landscape." via http://ilearntechnology.com/?p=2672

Web 2.0 too. Play math and spelling games. Teachers can even creat accounts for their students.

"Welcome to Math Chimp! We collect free online math games and organize them by the common core standards. We're glad you've come to play cool math games here... they're free and always will be!"

Now supports ePub books from the library!!!! "Download OverDrive Media Console v2.0 for Android or iPhone today! * Read Adobe® EPUB eBooks. * Find libraries using the new 'Get Books' feature. * Listen to MP3 Audiobooks. Choose OverDrive Media Console for your computer or mobile device… * Download content on your Android, BlackBerry, iPhone, or Windows Mobile device. * Play audiobooks on Mac & Windows (plus music & video on Windows). * Burn audio to CD on Windows & Mac. * Transfer titles from Windows & Mac to most devices."

kidsmenu avoids some of the complexity and danger introduced by the standard windows shell (explorer) when put in front of young children. for example, as there's no start menu, hitting the windows key accidently while playing a game won't show the start menu.

DiskAid is a tool (freeware) for PC and Mac which enables to use your iPhone or iPod Touch as external Disk. With DiskAid you can transfer files and folders via USB between your device and your Computer. New ! In conjunction with FileAid, DiskAid let's you copy files to your device and then view them or play them. FileAid is an application for iPhone and iPod Touch available on the App Store.

The MakeSweet mission is to help you "taste" the creative possibilities of great free software you might not have tried yet. For example, our picture mixer lets you play with 3D designs made in Blender 3D, and if you decide you want to learn more about this software we'll help you on your way.

via http://freetech4teachers.blogspot.com/2008/12/secret-builders-virtual-world-for-ages.html SecretBuilders is a virtual world for children 5 to 14 years old powered by a web 2.0 community of children, parents, educators, writers, artists and game developers. On SecretBuilders, children will explore virtual lands, undertake quests, play games, maintain a home, nurture a pet, and interact with their friends. Three features which form the backdrop for SecretBuilders distinguish it from other online worlds: * Children learn through immersing themselves in the stories, themes, and concepts from the best in literature, arts and humanities. They will interact with famous historical and fictional figures and be introduced to content and characters from world civilization and the great thoughts and ideas of human creativity. * Children will create this site, not just consume it. They are directly involved in creating this world with their ideas, critiques and contributions on virtually every aspect of the site and many of their ideas will be implemented! * Children publish their works - writings, art, videos - making SecretBuilders their own personal store of creativity. They can invite friends and family to view their works, and comment upon them. Seeing their works published and enjoyed by others instills tremendous for self-confidence as well as motivation to do more.

This is still in Beta. It offers free web storage and sharing services - some ads unless you "upgrade." It is currently accessible from inside the firewall and has a Terms of Use policy consistent with APS' filter. I haven't played around with it a whole lot, a friend recommended it...

This allows you to create a customized jeopardy template without PowerPoint. The games you make can be played online from anywhere in the world.

"I Need My Teachers To Learn was Written and Performed by Kevin Honeycutt and produced by Charlie Mahoney (who also played percussion, bass, and Piano). This has gone through many incarnations, but after hooking up some good mics and recording equipment, I think we have a keeper. This recording includes background vocals from the Turning Point Learning Center Choir, which is composed of our virtual and face-2-face students. http://kevinhoneycutt.org http://artsnacks.org"

via Dean Mantz

via http://ilearntechnology.com/?p=2409

Play JamParty is for all ages, all abilities, and all levels - beginner to advanced. It is a musical sandbox where even beginners can discover their own musical creativity. Create Create your own original music for multimedia projects, poetry, lyrics, dance routines, and much more. Share Turn your original music into an mp3 with a click of a button, use a screen recorder to record a video of your jam, and share your jam on a social network. Learn Learn about musical/sound awareness, rhythm, song structure, etc. and More: See how other educators plan to use JamParty at school.

WordSift is a tool that was created primarily for teachers. Mainly, think of it playfully - as a toy in a linguistic playground that is available to instantly capture and display the vocabulary structure of texts, and to help create an opportunity to talk and play with language.