If you love Claude the albino alligator, the mascot of the California Academy of Sciences, and you own an Apple iPhone or iPad, you need these new iMessage add-on "Swamp Life." You get a set of twenty text-able cartoons of your favorite Alligator mississipiensis to entertain and annoy everyone in your SMS list. My favorite: Claude in a tutu. …
The 2015 Digital Media and Learning Conference I feared was going to be the last. With the announcement by the MacArthur Foundation in August 2015 that they were ending funding of the field of digital learning, including the DML conference, it seemed like the writing was on the wall. DML Los Angeles felt to me …
I can't love enough this picture of several of the Global Kids program directors and staff from the Online Leadership Program all together for the first time. This is from the Digital Media and Learning conference at UC Irvine that took place October 5-7. Pictured left to right: Sara Vogel, Ariam Mogos, Juan Rubio, Rik Panganiban, …
On Wednesday, I am giving a talk “87 Tips on Running A Successful Serious Game Jam,” for the Digital Media and Learning conference in Irvine, California. I was being a bit facetious in my title. But upon reflection, it was not hard to come up with 87 actual tips, based on my experience organizing game …
On Friday, the youth programs team was invited to participate in a fun outing with the public programs team from the Cal Academy. About 20 of us from both sections met up in Tiburon, California for a sunset cruise around the San Francisco Bay. It was a spectacular trip reminding me of the incredible natural …
Why are these bison so gassy? What's hurting the chestnut trees? What's turning the coral white? In MicroRangers, a new augmented reality game at the American Museum of Natural History, you get to shrink down to the microscopic-level to investigate these mysteries and more. On Monday, I got to try out MicroRangers for the first time, …
This weekend, I caught one of the last showings of the Strandbeest at the Exploratorium, along with some work colleagues. A series of “kinetic sculptures” created by Theo Jansen since the 1990s, the Strandbeests combine his interests in science and art. Here’s a video of the Strandbeests in their native environment, the beach. As you …
I'm very excited to share the news that the California Academy of Sciences has added a new online game to our Flipside Science modules called "Cornucopia." This fast-paced, fun strategy game puts you in charge of a virtual farm, where you have to fulfill different food orders before time runs out. Keep an eye on …
Google has released stunning virtual reality tours of five national parks, as part of the celebration of the 100th annniversary of the National Park System. From the Kenai Fjords of Alaska to the Dry Tortugas of Florida and deep into the Carlsbad Caverns of New Mexico, you can go on a guided tour with a …
The California Academy of Sciences released a whole new set of Flipside Science videos, short explorations of different environmental topics. This series deals with the important topic of ENERGY, and stars Bay Area teens that volunteer at the Academy. Check out all the videos below. Learn more about Flipside Science …