Semantris

I’ve been looking for ways to explore ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE with my middle school Computer Science classees. I just happened upon this gem that mixes AI (aka machine learning) with vocabulary, keyboarding and mousing support features in a pretty cool way.

In Semantris, a project by Google AI, there are two types of games. One where the user types in clue words in an attempt to remove blocks that highlight like-words on the page. There is no time limit to come up with the clue, so you can take your time and be creative. Once typed, the program will match it with other words and remove them from play. It’s learning meanings or matching what users would associate with other words. 

The other game is a bit more intense. It’s an arcade game where you type clues to match the highlighted words on a list. The faster you type, the more points to win in a quest to earn a spot on the leader board. This one is fun as well, but you have to think and type pretty fast, in a rapid-fire manner, to keep up.

I would rate this site for 2nd grade all the way up the ladder. It was easy to access and easy to play. 

Artificial Intelligence, or machine learning, has become so popular in learning circles. This app demonstrates well to younger users just how the technology works. 

https://research.google.com/semantris 

Bloxels....YES!

Clearly, one of the newest, neatest edtech tools to come on the market....Bloxels - by Pixel Press Technologies is... "A hands-on platform for kids to build, collaborate, and tell stories through video game creation." This addictive game does all of this and more - it brings out imagination, excitement and in the end, success! A starter kit comes with 360-400 pixel blocks, a creation board, a colorful & detailed instruction guide to get started, posters, stickers...and....the Free App - available for both iPad and iPhone users. Students in our Lab caught on very quickly to how it all works - working in layers, essentially, you're creating the video game with the pixel blocks on the game board. The iPad or iPhone, within the app, takes a picture that then becomes part of the interactive video. Using the in-app controls, the characters and actions come to life!  I'm talking coooool!

I'm also a fan of the website, which is separated in two - one for kids to explore and have fun and the other side for the rest of us to get more information, make purchases and more. (Kid's site: http://kids.bloxelsbuilder.com/ - Everybody Else: http://www.bloxelsbuilder.com/home)

Nicely done Pixel Press...nicely done! 

PokémonGo & Me!

The new craze, PokémonGo, (Pokémon GO by Niantic, Inc. https://appsto.re/us/XnIpbb.i) is really quite something.  It's an augmented reality genius firestorm with a geocaching flare.  I have to admit, I resisted the hoopla until so many of my parent friends were getting into it & seeing their fun posts of game accomplishments was catching. Their kids would tweet humorously about their folks and...well...Ok, I'm in! 

This was the first app I've come across that you sign in with a Google email account (specifically), instead of the typical Facebook, Twitter or generic email account. Once in, I created this keechie avatar and away I go.

A few outages made the experience rough at first, but when an app has hundreds of millions globally downloading and playing, at any given time, it's understandable, I suppose.  

Essentially, the app uses your smartphone's GPS as you walk and try to locate the Pokémon along your path. Clever way to get me moving!  Once a Pokémon is spotted, you swipe your screen to launch a poké ball to capture it. With injuries, plenty of warnings have come out to keep an eye on the landscape for safety, or even more humorously, cautioning not to drive and use the app! Indeed! It's easy to get carried away. There are in-App purchases for a variety things from more poké balls to other what-nots and range from .99¢ to $100s (oh my). 

For the most part, I have had fun but several things swayed me otherwise:  the app uses quite a bit of your data plan and really drains a battery...big eye-roll. The overwhelming negative, for me, was how intrusive it is.  With my gmail account and use of my GPS, it's getting a bit too close for my liking. On the other hand, I'm getting out with family and walking - the other day, over five miles!  Felt great and leveled-up while seeing new sights in our community.  That's the other thing, you're able to see things that you may never of know existed.  The local paper, in an article about the app, said it was drawing people downtown to see and experience the area.  Great job!  Makes me want to check it out for my self.

I give the app 9 out of 10 stars.  Thanks again for getting me moving!

Updated 8/3/2016

360 + Field Trip = A very cool VR Experience!

A total 'hot' topic these days is Virtual Reality (VR),  and why not? VR can take you to places all over the earth, stars and even transport you back in time.  Consider seeing Mars, viewing the inside of a space shuttle, seeing the Leaning Tower of Pisa, take a road trip up the Appalachian Trail or wander back to 1255 and see the Tower of London and get a true sense of it's culture. For fun, take a virtual roller coaster ride, walk among dinosaurs, experience a real-feel ghost story or be in the midst of a world class soccer tournament.  All these are possible with a viewer, an app and a sense of adventure.

Viewers are aplenty these days. Google Cardboard (https://www.google.com/get/cardboard/), the re-emergence of ViewMaster (http://www.view-master.com/en-us) and many others are very affordable options. Since a phone, iPod Touch or other such devices are used, I like the viewers that enclose the device for total protection versus those that simply hold it in place, but this is a personal preference.

There are also many Apps for the journey or for fun game time as well.  And many are Free!  Here's a few of my favorites:

Google Cardboard (https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/google-cardboard/id987962261?mt=8)

Google Street View (https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/google-street-view/id904418768?mt=8)

TimeLooper (https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/timelooper/id1017923978?mt=8)

VR World (https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/vr-world-for-google-cardboard/id1073478129?mt=8) 

VR Roller Coaster for Google Cardboard (https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/vr-roller-coaster-for-google/id1076483949?mt=8) 

Wish: I would like a complete package with a great viewer, a device and amazing apps, at an affordable price, for a class set of 30! It seems these days, they come separate where each item is very costly.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

Checkmate!

I'm totally into the game of Chess! My Dad was the Master and my oldest brother, a very aggressive opponent!  I used to love watching them play their very heated games!

ChessKid.com (www.chesskid.com) has proven to be a great source for Students to learn the dynamics of the game, strategies, rules and more. 

Setting up a 'Teacher' account and a "Class" account, with 30 Students, was fairly easy.  I decided to choose a 3rd Grade Class, whose Teacher is totally into the game, to test drive this program.  To get started, once they launch the program, they must go through a tutorial with 20 levels that detail each piece and the moves it can make.  As well they learn mechanics and strategies of the game. The instruction is pretty thorough and easy for them to understand.  Once completed, they can choose to play games or solve puzzles.  I particularly like how the program walks the user step-by-step through each move and explains wrong moves or gives suggestions along the way.

It does become social, whereas the Students can 'Friend' each other to play a game.  I found this to be, yet another great opportunity to tie in the discussion of digital citizenship. We talk about communicating online, accepting friendship requests from only those people we know and touch on other proper netiquette tips as well. 

This program is not only online, but also comes in an iPad & iPhone app, as well.  I rate this program for 3rd Grade and up.

This is an impressive program...very well thought out!  Nicely done!

Game Making Apps

Staff ask for programs Students can use to create their own games. This is a hot question, especially since we have a whole-School Genius Hour initiative going on. Here's a look at my favorites:

For the iPad:

• Scratch Jr. (https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/scratchjr/id895485086?mt=8) (K&1^st-2^nd) – “kid-brother/sister” to Scratch.  Easy to drag & drop blocky style, lets you create games & stories.  Change colors, texts, pictures, you-name-it. (Looking for an amazing storytelling app...this is it!)
• Hopscotch – (https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/hopscotch-make-games!-learn/id617098629?mt=8) (Upper 1^st, def 2^nd & up) top rated with super reviews.  It has video how-to’s.  It accepts basic blocky commands that are easy to snap together. Press play and away you go. This app also lets the user create movies, games, and so much more.  I really like these folks!

Online (links in Student Links)

• Code.org – in the Code Studio - (https://studio.code.org/ - at bottom of page....Flappy Bird, etc.) it has several game/story programs to try.  This is more for 2^nd & up, but 1^st can give it a try.  All other gaming & coding experiences in this program are wonderful as well.  Students should be encouraged to tinker about.
• Tynker – (https://www.tynker.com/programming-for-kids/explore/elementary.html) Definitely for 3^rd & up. Sign-up required for Students to create their own games, etc. Students will signup for an account and are given a ‘name’.  They will need an adult approval, which allows the parent the ability to get updates as to their progress (which might be a nice feature to make certain they’re doing what they need to do). The link takes you to basic games that do not require a login to get a feel as to how it works.
• Scratch (online & program on Macs) - 4th & up.  There are books and online resources that go step by step how to use the program.  Essentially, it is a blocky style programming. Kids really like this and why not?...it's really well put together.  This is another 'tinkerable' program, that's why I rate it for 4th & up.  As much as we've used this program, I don't think we've come close to scratching the outer limits of it...there is so much potential here.

Happy Tinkering!