Established by the World Wide Workshop Foundation in the spring of 2006, the Globaloria Program prepares young people ages 12 and up to create educational games and interactive simulations, for their own personal and professional development, and for the social and economic benefit of their communities.
Globaloria students work independently or in small teams to develop their own original games from idea to finished product. They learn game design and programming through a hands-on online curriculum that teaches Adobe Flash.
Students 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 receive feedback and support from their classmates, Globaloria 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.
Educators, principals, and superintendents receive extensive training and ongoing professional development, in the form of summer training programs, monthly webinars, on-line resources, weekly check-ins by fellow educator-mentors, and on-demand programming help, available every school day.
Globaloria is an engaging, student-centered delivery mechanism to teach STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). Along the way, students also learn game design, programming, wiki formatting, writing, and multimedia production skills.
Hailed by national education leaders as an innovative college-prep and STEM career-prep course, Globaloria is designed to cultivate engagement in learning and problem solving among all students, with a special emphasis on girls and low-income rural and inner-city communities. Preliminary research indicates that Globaloria is increasing contemporary learning abilities and self-confidence among learners, and improving their academic performance on statewide tests that measure mastery of core subjects like math, science, reading and writing.
The largest Globaloria pilot is in West Virginia (est. 2007), where educators in 41 middle schools, high schools, community colleges and universities offer Globaloria as a game-design elective or as a vehicle for teaching core subjects (such as Biology, English, and Civics). Globaloria educators customize and align the curriculum with the West Virginia Department of Education (WVDE)’s Content Standards and Objectives (CSOs) and 21st-Century Skills (Global21).
Support for Globaloria WV is provided by Governor and First Lady Manchin, the WVDE, the WV Department of Education and the Arts, Benedum Foundation, Verizon WV, Knight Foundation, Caperton Fund, and the World Wide Workshop Foundation.
East Austin College Prep Academy (EACPA) in Austin, Texas is the first school to apply Globaloria as a school-wide teaching and learning opportunity. During the 2010-11 school year, all 6th and 7th grade EACPA students are taking a daily, 90 minute Globaloria class, where they are developing original math games. The Globaloria EACPA curriculum is aligned with the Texas Content Standards for Mathematics (TEKs), ELA and Technology Learning. Support for Globaloria at EACPA is provided by AMD, Southwest Key, the Caperton Fund and the World Wide Workshop Foundation.
Please contact us at info at worldwideworkshop.org if you are interested in making donations of tutorials, games or simulations or becoming a Globaloria partner community.
