Posts on “ contests ”

Globaloria, established by the World Wide Workshop, is a program that teaches students how to create web-based educational games and interactive simulations.  Each year, the program hosts the Globeys, a game design competition in which hundreds of Globaloria students participate.  Celebrating excellence in the game design process, the Globeys are launched in the fall, giving students most of the school year to work on their projects before the spring submission deadline. On August 10th, Globaloria proudly announced the names of the following West Virginia STEM and Civics Globey winners, as well as the Educator Inspiration Award winners. WV STEM Globey Winner: Power Supply, by Dylan Sturgeon WV Civics Globey Winners: Cause and Effect the Daniel Calwell, Story, by Caitlin Moore & Austin Susman Globaloria Educator Award Winners: Nyssa Arcos Evans (Best Returning Educator) and Diane White (Best Educator Mentor) These winners were recognized for their hard work and creativity at the special Globey Award ceremony in Charleston, WV and received certificates, awards, and prizes, including subscriptions to BrainPOP.  Congratulations!  

This spring, we told you about a national math challenge for middle schoolers run by The MIT Education Arcade and supported by BrainPOP. Between April 1st and June 15th, nearly 1,000 teachers and other adult mentors enrolled more than 30,000 students in the Labyrinth Challenge, centered on the educational game Lure of the Labyrinth. Over the course of the 10 weeks, students collectively spent half a trillion minutes (that’s more than 950 years!) collaborating on the solving of mathematical puzzles to save pets from the “Tasti-Pet Factory.” In addition to gaining problem-solving confidence and bragging rights, students earned chances to win some amazing prizes. Those who worked together with their teammates to reach certain levels in the game were entered into a drawing for a complimentary home subscription to BrainPOP, animation software from FableVision, and Lenovo ThinkPad Tablets. Teachers also had chances to win by completing pre- and post-Challenge surveys. In total, 20 teachers and nearly 100 students were awarded prizes for their participation. “Our partnerships with BrainPOP and Lenovo were critical to recruiting so many players to participate in the Labyrinth Challenge,” said Carole Urbano, Outreach Director for The MIT Education Arcade. “Offering prizes provided that extra incentive to… Read the Rest»

Filament Games, the developers of GameUp games You Make Me Sick, Cell Command, and Crazy Plant Shop, is hosting a lesson plan contest!  They are looking for educators who are supporters of game-based learning and who have created innovative lesson plans for You Make Me Sick.  The best lesson designer will receive a full classroom set of Cell Command, You Make Me Sick, Crazy Plant Shop, and Prisoner of Echo.  Additionally, two runner-ups will receive a full classroom set of the game of their choice from the collection of the four games. Judged by educational consultant, Andrew Miller, and a group of master educators, the lesson plans will be assessed using the following criteria: The game is used as a sound pedagogical tool to perform an intentional function in the classroom learning experience. The lesson presents the game as an innovative and engaging tool to learn. The lesson is aligned to key content standards and/or 21st century skills. The lesson includes clear, coherent directions and useful materials. Be sure to submit your lesson plans by September 7th!  The winners will be notified on October 1st.  

Are you still looking for more way to implement BrainPOP and mobile devices in your classroom?  Well take a look through the over 100 submissions to the BrianPOP and INTEL Lesson Plan Contest hosted by We Are Teachers! While you’re at it, be sure to vote on the best one, and help choose the idea most deserving of the $200 cash prize and flip camera.  By vetting and voting on the lesson plans, you’ll be honoring your fellow professional educators, and getting a few good ideas in the process.   Have a lesson plan idea of your own?  Submit them directly to us, you might even get a coveted BrainPOP T-shirt in the process  

  This is the homestretch: submissions for the lesson plan contest we’re sponsoring with Intel are due May 22nd! Implemented through We Are Teachers, the contest invites educators to submit lesson plans showcasing the use of our resources on mobile devices. Grand prizes include $200 (put it to use at ISTE, perhaps?!) plus a Flip cam you can use to film your creative ideas in action. We’ll also feature the winners right here on BrainPOP Educators. To help get your creative juices flowing, We Are Teachers has put together a few tips for pairing digital resources with mobile devices. Show a clip to introduce a lesson. Have partners watch together on a Slate or Netbook. Challenge them to tackle any related activities together, and ask them to brainstorm questions they have about what they’ve just seen. Then, use their questions to jumpstart your class discussion. Invite fast finishers to tune in. Allow fast finishers to don headphones and watch relevant movies on a Smartphone or Slate. Use video to differentiate your lessons. Video and movies are great tools for reaching a broad range of learners. Show a movie that ties in to what you’re teaching. Students who are still struggling with the concepts… Read the Rest»

The Microsoft Partners in Learning 2012 US Forum is Microsoft’s premier educator recognition program open to all K-12 educators. The Forum seeks to find and showcase examples of innovation happening in classrooms and schools. It is easy to apply, and if accepted, Microsoft pays expenses for you to come to a unique 2-day professional learning experience that will include project exhibitions, professional development and the ability to collaborate with like-minded colleagues from around the country. Finalists from the US Forum will go on to represent the U.S. at the 2012 Global Forum in Athens, Greece. Learn more and apply: http://bit.ly/US_Forum Final application deadline is 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time May 15, 2012.  

If you missed the chance to venture into the Arctic with IMAX, we’ve got you covered!  In our April 25th webinar, we were joined by filmmaker Shaun MacGillivray and WWF’s polar bear expert, Geoff York, while we discussed the changing Arctic region and IMAX’s newest movie, To The Arctic.  Shaun and Geoff shared some fascinating facts about the making of the film, as well as some valuable resources you can use while teaching your students about the threatened Arctic wilderness. The Adventures of Charlie Mac is a fabulous picture book teachers can integrate into their class’s study about the Arctic and give students the opportunity to view the region through the eyes of a child.  The film’s companion book is another wonderful resource that offers beautiful pictures of a region that most people will never see and can give students a better understanding of the rapidly changing environment.  The U.S. Global Change Research Program offers some excellent educator resources to guide teachers in building lessons focused on climate change.  Additionally, IMAX has created a cross-curricular educator’s guide with activities and lesson ideas for teachers to use in the classroom. The Arctic is in need of your help!  To find out… Read the Rest»

Do you and your students use BrainPOP’s resources in the classroom … and beyond?  We’ve partnered with Intel to sponsor a lesson plan contest and we want to hear how you’re taking BrainPOP to go!  Implemented through We Are Teachers, the contest invites educators to submit lesson plans that showcase the use of BrainPOP’s interactive resources on mobile devices.  Submit by May 22nd! Voting is open to the public; weigh in on what you consider the best submissions between May 24th and June 7th.  Winners will be announced on June 11th, and grand prizes include $200 cash and a Flip cam – ideal for filming all your creative ideas in action!  We’ll even feature the winners on BrainPOP Educators.  We can’t wait to see what you come up with! Get the details and great ideas here.  

Wednesday, April 25 4:30PM ET: Venture into the Arctic with IMAX® and BrainPOP Celebrate Earth Awareness Month with IMAX and BrainPOP!  Joined by Shaun MacGillivray, filmmaker of the new IMAX® film To the Arctic, we’ll discuss the changing Arctic wilderness, its effect on the polar bear’s ability to thrive, and what you and your students can do to help protect their habitat.  Free educational materials inspired by the film along with BrainPOP movies will help you further in classroom teaching and learning.  We’ll also share details of the To the Arctic contest in which you can enter to win the ultimate prize pack from BrainPOP and IMAX!  Look for To the Arctic exclusively at select IMAX® 3D and IMAX theaters.  Want an opportunity to see To the Arctic with your students?  Enter the BrainPOP To the Arctic lesson plan contest and get a chance to win tickets!

If you joined us for either of our recent Play Seriously: The MIT Education Arcade webinars, you already know a bit about The Labyrinth Challenge.  For those of you who may have missed the webinars or need a little refresher, we want to take a moment to share the details of this exciting opportunity. It’s a national math challenge for middle school students, centering on the educational game Lure of the Labyrinth. Teachers, coaches, and youth leaders, enroll teams of your students for free through June 15th.   You know that it’s not always easy to engage middle schoolers. But couching key lessons in game play is a great way to reach them: advancing from one level to another in “Lure of the Labyrinth” requires students to apply their understanding of various mathematical concepts. Plus, the game meets Common Core standards and allows teachers to assess student understanding through the game’s built-in assessment tools. With data and reports that are automatically generated through game play, teachers can document student progress and guide math instruction in the classroom.   Head on over to our very own GameUp for a sampling of some Lure of the Labyrinth puzzles.  Students and educators who… Read the Rest»