Online Game on How Earth's Moon Formed Nabs Honors | Space.com - 0 views
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An online game that allows players to build their own moon and sculpt its features has won big praise in science art competition
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"Selene: A Lunar Construction GaME,"
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measures how and when players learn as they discover more about how the Earth's moon formed
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by extension, the solar system.
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received an honorable mention in the 2012 International Science & Engineering Visualization Challenge
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When they look at the moon, players are seeing what actually created those features
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It makes moon observations more meaningful
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Named for the Greek goddess of the moon, Selene works in two parts
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In the first round, players aim asteroids of varying sizes, densities, and radiations so that they collide with one an
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Too much force, and the rocks ricochet off one another
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even if you overshoot your target, the gravity of the growing moon may tug just enough to pull the new piece into the pack
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participants a chance to watch accretion in action
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developing moon is constantly compared to the real-life one, and players strive to make as close a match as possible
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After all of the small asteroids have melted together to form a smooth new moon, it's time to scratch up the surface
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Players can aim asteroids of varying sizes at the body, and select areas where lava breaks through the crust
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Because the accretion and surface-sculpting processes for the moon echo that of the rest of the planets, players also develop an understanding of how the early solar system formed
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kids ages nine and up engage in the game, they build concrete knowledge that can be applied into any learning environment that they later experience, a process that serves to make learning more intuitive
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Though the game is effective for high school and college students, and slanted to match the national standards for those age ranges
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was more attractive to middle school students
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One of the primary goals of Selene is to allow
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team to analyze the learning process
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means the game requires a login, and for minors, parental permission must be given.
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analyzation takes time
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able to provide a quick overview of my game play
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can tell from looking at your data what your experiences were
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That under-the-hood ability to study learning is why the project was so attractive in terms of funding to NASA and the National Science Foundation
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d a prototype of the game was developed by CyGaMEs in May of 2007.
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first version was released in 2010. But the game is constantly being improved as the understanding of the learning process grows
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also looking at expanding it to mobile platforms in the near future.
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recognition is of course a great honor and encouragement — but more importantly, may drive more players to the website so that we can collect more data
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More players, of course, means more information that can be gathered about how participants learn
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At the same time, more people can learn about how the moon formed, growing their understanding of the nearest celestial body.
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http://selene.cet.edu/