Development Projects
Mat-Matics
Mat-Matics is an innovative video game designed to reinforce single-digit arithmetic. Many students struggle in mathematics because they lack basic mathematical skills and the motivation to practice the math they know. Mat-Matics is designed to address these issue by motivating players (students) to have fun with math. Players can choose operations: +, -, x, / and levels ranging from 1 to 10. They also have a choice of music. When the game starts, players see mathematical questions falling down the screen. Before the question reaches the bottom of the screen, players must input the correct answer using the dance pad. The dance pad limits uers imput, restricting them to the numbers: -1, +1, -5, +5, -10, +10. Players must combine these numbers to reach their answer. Players are rewarded fro accuracy, speed and efficiency. For example, to answer "5+3=?", players can use different key combinations such as (+1, +1, +1, +1, +1, +1, +1) or (+5, +1, +1, +1) or (+10, -1, -1). In this way the game encourages flexible thinking about mathematics. Players can try as many questions as time allows. When a player makes the right combination quickly and accurately s/he earns higher scores.
Puzzle Blocks
Puzzle Blocks is a a game-based virtual manipulative designed to introduce the concepts of multiplication. The in-game goal of PBs is to reveal a hidden scene by combining groups of blocks. For example, to create a group of six blocks, players build the group by adding two-blocks three times (2+2+2=6). While players move the blocks, they receive visual feedback about the value of the blocks and the sign of the operator. When the building of a group is complete, players are shown the underlying equation including both factors, the equal sign, and the product (e.g. 2x3=6). In addition to visual feedback, Puzzle Blocks can also provide auditory feedback. When present, the audio feedback is played at the same time as the visual feedback, providing a one-to-one reinforcement of the information shown visually. In other words, when a user touches a block of two, the word “2” is presented visually and a narrator says “two.” When a user moves a block of two repeatedly, the display shows a visual count of how many times the blocks have been moved while a narrator counts the moves aloud. Importantly, Puzzle Blocks is available as a computer desktop application and a iPad application.
