Globaloria is a social network for learning. It engages youth in a college-level course in which they learn to create educational web-games for social change. East Austin College Prep Academy is the first charter school to integrate the Globaloria network and curriculum as a school-wide teaching and learning opportunity, and is leading the nation in offering this game-making course as core curriculum to all its students starting in the 6th grade.
The Globaloria platform and program was created by the World Wide Workshop and is supported at the East Austin College Prep Academy by Southwest Key Programs and the AMD Foundation. For more information about the program, contact Globaloria teachers Teresa Valdez at tvaldez@eaprep.org or Nyssa Arcos Evans a narcosevans@eaprep.org or call 512-287-5000.
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During the 2010-11 school year, 200 6th and 7th grade EACPA students are taking a daily, 90-minute Globaloria class, where they are developing original math and science games tackling urgent social issues such as poverty, homelessness, obesity, climate change, or recycling. The Globaloria EACPA program is also aligned with the Texas Content Standards (TEKs) for Mathematics, Science, ELA and Technology learning. Support for Globaloria at EACPA is provided by AMD, Southwest Key, the Caperton Fund and the World Wide Workshop Foundation.
In Globaloria, students work independently and in small teams to design and develop their original games from an idea to a finished product. They learn game design 'hands-on' through an online gaming and programming curriculum that uses Adobe Flash. They learn to use a wiki, make social profile pages and team game pages, produce and post interactive game content, prototype videos, simulations, graphics, music and sound effects, and write blogs about their gaming ideas and content research. They collaborate and receive feedback from classmates, educators and students at other schools, and professional game makers. This course is suitable for students at all levels (no prior web design or programming skills are needed).
Since 2006, the Globaloria Platform and Curriculum has been piloted at American University, New Orleans, and West Virginia schools and colleges. It has been customized for different grade-levels (middle school, high school, university) and applied to various topics and subjects (Mathematics, Social Studies, Biology, Language Arts, etc.) Comprehensive professional development summer training programs and ongoing training is support throughout the academic year are provided for participating educators, students, and interns.
