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When we heard the buzz surrounding the new role video games are playing in education, we had to throw our hat in the ring. Today, innovative educators are finding ways to incorporate Portal™ and Portal 2 into their classrooms-helping teach physics and critical-thinking skills. It's eye-opening to see how video games can be used in amazing and unexpected ways to help educate our next generation. In response we've created Teach with Portals and there you'll find the beginnings of an engaging set of lesson plans, created by teachers, using the Portal 2 Puzzle Maker. Teachers sign up for the Education Beta and get access to Portal 2 and the Portal 2 Puzzle Maker and a teacher-created collection of puzzles for as many students as they'd like - for free. Using interactive tools like the Puzzle Maker to draw students in makes physics, math, logic, spatial reasoning, probability, and problem-solving interesting, cool and fun, which gets us one step closer to our goal - engaged, thoughtful kids!

"Graphite is a free platform from Common Sense Education that saves you time by making it easy to discover the best apps, games, and websites for your classroom. With thousands of reviews of tools such as Edmodo, Kahoot, ClassDojo, and LightSail, our community of educators take the guesswork out of finding innovative ways to transform your teaching practice. Graphite is changing the way educators discover the best edtech tools by providing reviews written by teachers like you and experts in the field. On Graphite, you can learn best practices for teaching and connecting with our growing community of educators. Enjoy and expand your love of teaching with Graphite."

"Resources for creating your own educational games."

Apps have exploded on the scene, and while there are plenty of time wasting games available on the market, today's offerings also include a wide range of affordable apps that enrich learning and allow for quick on-the-go play. Whether your child is waiting for the doctor or relaxing on a long car ride, the following apps are some of the best games that pack an educational punch.

Gaming, wikis, blogs, social media, interactive polls and QR codes: just some of the technologies that teachers are bringing into the classroom. The dizzying pace of tech evolutions offers some challenges as teachers and administrators race to keep up with the latest tools. The research discussed here shows the payoff for schools that become "friends" with educational gaming.

The Teq Educator Resource Center contains SMART Board lessons, resources, and mixed reality 3D content. Download subject-specific SMART Board lessons, including STEM and PMI, plus game templates, SMART Response tests, and SMART Table activities. Many of our SMART Board lessons were created by educators during Teq's SMART Board User Certification.

As the The Gamification of Learning and Instruction Blog Book Tour has been underway, another interesting discussion has been occurring in the learning blogosphere. It was sparked by Ruth Clark's article "Why Games Don't Teach." The article kicked off a firestorm of debate, demands for proof and even name calling. Christy Tucker addresses the question in her post. There is a healthy discussion on the eLearning Guild's LinkedIn group. In Guy Wallace's post on the subject, he quotes Dr. Richard Clark talking about the "ideologically committed gamester." (ok, so its mild name calling, but still….)

Wiecking, HPA's energy lab director, said getting students away from games like Angry Birds and engaged in educational projects on their iPads isn't always easy. Getting there requires a teacher who is committed to using the devices as interactive educational tools for collaboration, research, and communication. "It's about students being engaged and on task," said Wiecking. "Simply purchasing the tools and handing them out is a lazy approach that doesn't work."

Edheads is an online educational resource that provides free science and math games and activities that promote critical thinking. Choose from Simple Machines, Virtual Knee Surgery or Stem Cell Heart Repair, among others. All activities meet state and national standards. We partner with corporations, universities, and school systems throughout the United States, which help us research, design, and test our activities every step of the way. Not only do teachers and students appreciate our free activities, Edheads has been recognized by almost every major award on the Web for our excellent educational content

"The potential magic of the smart phone when it comes to learning lies in its ability to provide instant access to facts and the ability to collaborate with others, as well as provide a fun, mobile platform for educational games."

"Engage the class using any device Socrative is a smart student response system that empowers teachers to engage their classrooms through a series of educational exercises and games via smartphones, laptops, and tablets."