Learning Tools
Washington District Pilots Math Gaming
Tacoma Public Schools in Washington has launched a pilot program to test educational gaming for math students.
Students in some of Tacoma's middles schools and one high school will use gaming as part of their algebra and pre-algebra classroom supplemental learning.
For the program, the district is using DimensionM from education software developer Tabula Digita. Teachers who will be using the software have completed training and will begin incorporating DimensionM into their teaching beginning this month, according to Tabula.
DimensionM is an immersive gaming environment focused on math for students in grades 3 through 12. It offers a 3D environment in which players carry out missions (lessons) in multi-player tournament-style games. Players face mathematical obstacles, which, when solved, allow them to advance and score points. DimensionM supports Mac OS X and Windows.
"I am impressed with the variety of math skills that are incorporated into the DimensionM games, and that they align with our state standards," said Andy Coons, instructional technology facilitator for Tacoma Public Schools, in a statement released Thursday. "We are always looking for new ways to make math learning relevant in the lives of our students. These are 21st century learners. They don't learn the same way we adults did. They thrive with being hands-on and respond to inquiry based learning."
Tacoma Public Schools serves some 29,000 K-12 students in 37 elementary schools, 10 middle schools, and eight high schools, as well as two alternative learning sites.