Gamers have solved knotty problems in structural chemistry (chemotherapy, specifically) because of their enhanced 3D recognition and problem solving abilities.

So why not use technology to help teach the basics of Physics? All I ever had was free hand drawings of vectors… but now, “Puzzle Maker” enables teachers and students to bring lessons and puzzles to each other and craft solutions. Seems like “meh”, but it isn’t. In crafting solutions, students must learn the laws of mechanics, mass and weight, acceleration, momentum, gravity (a  form of acceleration), energy and more to bear while playing a video game.

Each player gets a “Portal gun” which shoots energy which opens portals in floors, walls and ceilings… so objects can enter and exit at the same speed and trajectory… many skills come into play.

“Critical thinking, spatial reasoning, problem solving, iteration, and collaboration skills come are all exercised in game play.

By joining Steam for Schools, teachers will gain more than an educational distraction for their students. The accompanying website Teach with Portals includes a number of shared physics and math lesson plans. Chemistry, game design, language arts, and more subject-specific hooks will be added as the program expands, Valve said. Teachers can also submit their own pertinent lesson plans, which go through a review process before being posted to Teach with Portals.” – PCMag

So, when the teacher signs up, they get to Valve Education Forum where sharing can occur. The game is “appropriate for all ages” without gender bias (females like energy weapons?) and requires no prior gaming experience. It has a PC and Mac versions.

Take a look:

So, what do you think?

Source:

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2406222,00.asp