Genomics Digital Lab (GDL), an interactive online gaming program from Toronto-based Spongelab Interactive that was designed for high school and college-level biology and science students. What's unique about GDL is that it turns cell biology into a progressive learning world full of battle scenarios, puzzles, and races against time. In other words, it makes learning fun.
The germination of the whole idea came during his studies when he realized complex cells comprise a 3D dynamic system that simply can't be taught easily in a two-dimensional setting.
A key to GDL's success is the fact that it can be delivered via a web browser, so no matter how rich the content, it can be used in class, at home or anywhere else one might have access to the internet.
With games, if you don't succeed at a level you try again. It's not about testing. It's about learning to try to learn different things to achieve a goal.
This is a nice follow-up to Kasthuri's post from the 60 Minutes segment. A Toronto teacher who works with special needs students says Apple's iPad has become an important tool in helping her students communicate and learn. Stacie Carroll, a teacher at Toronto's Beverly Public School, told Metro Morning host Matt Galloway the iPad has helped teachers connect with students - including those with autism - who often struggle to communicate.
The trend: They already help teach kids the alphabet, sentence construction and how to graph equations. Now, iPads are being studied as a tool for students with autism and physical disabilities. University of Toronto professor Rhonda McEwen is researching how students at Toronto's Beverley School - which teaches special needs kids from kindergarten to Grade 8 - learn with iPad apps and games that require touch.
In addition, the link from the smartboard section of the article, leads to a very interesting TED Talk about how to make smartboards.