Math and science are no longer boring subjects for students thanks to Educade, a new interactive learning portal developed by GameDesk. Educade is a one-stop shop for K-12 teachers and parents, pairing a free lesson plan library with 21stcentury teaching tools. Funded by AT&T, this portal makes serious learning fun using tools such as apps, games and hands-on maker kits to engage students. Every lesson plan created or curated by GameDesk is aligned to Common Core for English language arts, math and science for maximum curriculum support. Incorporating creativity and play within the learning experience, students have a better chance at learning. For example, one web-based game teaches physics by having students build a virtual roller coaster and learn how height and the number of loops affect speed and performance. Another lesson plan teaches algebra through DragonBox, an app that conveys core mechanics derived from algebraic equations. Teachers and parents are already seeing improved learning; check it out for yourself.
Really, this site is not ready for prime time just yet. For instance, if you do a search for “Water Cycle” which is something common to all science curricula throughout the US, you will get back a hit for a frog dissection, a real estate simulator and two other things that have nothing to do with the water cycle. Even in quotes “water cycle” does not yield meaningful hits. A broader search for “Cycles” one of the big ideas of science is even less useful, as the frog dissection keeps coming up. Man, they really like that frog dissection!
This needs a little time to grow. It is not there yet.