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Last month, the Offices of Educational Technology and of Science and Technology invited Classcraft to participate in discussions at the White House. The focus was around the use of games in education, specifically for assessment.
Going to the White House for the first time was an incredible experience. The history and grandeur of the buildings emphasized that we were at the heart of the nation. However, the real excitement for us was the openness and willingness of government to embrace games as an innovative solution to many problems in education.
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Indeed, the Every Student Succeeds Act was being signed while we were there, representing a new shift in how the United States moves forward with education. The ESSA incorporates many provisions to help accelerate innovation, and the talks we had highlighted a practical approach for doing so.
Along with 20 or so other companies in the games and education space, we engaged in dynamic discussions on how to further the use of games across the country, carry out credible research on the matter, and identify the technical roadblocks that schools face in implementing educational games. In the spirit of partnership, we looked at how we could come together to help the Department of Education proceed with their plans.
In the evening, we attended the Ed Games Expo at 1776. The event featured many games that had been supported by SBIR grants and was an opportunity for publishers to share their work with the public. Some of our favorites included Code Spark, Happy Atoms by Schell Games, Eco by Strange Loop Games, Reach for the Sun by Filament Games, Quit It by Muzzy Lane, Aegis by Tietronix, Saga by Smart Information Flow Technologies (SIFT), and MinecraftEdu by TeacherGaming. It was super energizing to meet other folks who believe in the power of games for good and to see all the amazing work they’re doing.
We’d like to extend a big thank you specifically to Erik Martin, Joseph South, and Edward Metz for all the hard work they do on a daily basis to foster and support innovation and progress in education. We look forward to continuing the work we’ve started together!
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