Get Your Classroom “Ready Now” for the School Year

The start of this school year has presented a unique set of complications and adjustments for classrooms around the world. And as with everything—creative educators and students have risen to the challenge. To ease the transition into a new era of classroom routines, FableVision joined a group of over 70 federally-funded researchers and developers to produce a series of guides to support in-class and remote teaching and learning.

The Guides to Education Technologies that are Ready Now cover topics in early learning, math, science and engineering, social studies, and special education. FableVision is proud to feature three resources: Cyberchase Fractions Quest (Mathematics Guide), Civics! An American Musical (Social Studies Guide), and FabMaker Studio (Science and Engineering Guide). All of our resources—and the other incredible resources from other organizations—were developed through an iterative process involving multiple rounds of testing and feedback from teachers and students. They are web-based and accessible on a number of devices, with a mix of free and paid content.

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Click the above image to download the guide.

Cyberchase Fractions Quest (free for a limited time)

Guide: Ready Now Math Tools
Age range: grades 3-4

CyberSpace is in trouble, and it’s up to your students to help defeat the villain Hacker! In Cyberchase Fractions Quest, students join the CyberSquad from the popular PBS KIDS series Cyberchase and play through a series of mini-games, picking up fractions knowledge and problem-solving skills along the way. Created in partnership with THIRTEEN and the Education Development Center’s Center for Children and Technology, this FableVision-developed math learning game combines an engaging storyline with a research-based approach to teaching and learning fractions that aligns with the Common Core Standards for Grade 3 and 4 mathematical structure. 

The game is a result of a 2.5-year-long research project as part of the IES Department of Education SBIR program. The beta version of Cyberchase Fractions Quest is free and available to play for a limited time on FableVision Games.

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Click the above image to download the guide.

Civics! An American Musical (free)

Guide: Social Studies Distance-Learning Resources
Age range: grades 6-7

What better way to teach middle school students U.S. history and the power of the everyday citizen in creating change than through producing their own hit Broadway musical? Created in partnership with Maryland Public Television, Maryland Humanities, and Tufts’ CIRCLE, Civics! An American Musical was inspired by Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton composition notebook and teaches civics as students analyze primary sources from the Library of Congress archives to adapt true events from U.S. history to the stage. Students select the subject matter for their musical from four different history topics—the desegregation of public schools, the National Parks, the FDA, and the Chinese Exclusion Act—and must observe, reflect, and question primary sources to ensure the historical accuracy of every aspect of the show, including scripts, costumes, and song lyrics.

Civics! An American Musical is a part of the Library of Congress’ Teaching with Primary Sources program and is available for free on FableVision Games.

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Click the above image to download the guide.

FabMaker Studio ($200 classroom subscription)

Guide: Ready Now: Science and Engineering
Age Range: grades K-8

Turn any classroom or learning environment into a maker space—and you won’t even need a 3D printer! Inspire engineering in your classroom with FabMaker Studio, a web-based fabrication tool specifically designed for the classroom. With this affordable, research-based online tool, students can engineer, design, and fabricate any project, including designing their own Operation game board, a paper city that lights up, popup cards, and more.

The tool was developed by FableVision and the Reynolds Center for Teaching, Learning and Creativity, with initial funding in 2010 by ED/IES SBIR. To purchase your copy now and to learn more tips on how to use FabMaker with distance learning, visit FableVision Learning’s website.

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For more details and to learn more about the other resources in the guides, check out the Institute of Education Sciences (IES)’s blog.

Libraries Got Game: Empowering Communities Through Education and Play

Libraries and librarians have a powerful impact. They offer a welcoming and accessible space for the community to explore their passions and be creative. As longtime supporters of libraries and their roles in their communities, FableVision was proud to co-host the Libraries, Games, and Play Conference alongside American University and the Institute of Museum and Library Services. We’re also grateful to all the conference organizers, including Bob Hone, Lindsay Grace, and J Collins, who were the lead conference organizers of the event.  

The conference took place in April in Washington D.C. and welcomed attendees from the library and educational gaming fields. We heard from librarians, educators, and more about how library resources helped further the goals of their students, as well as their own goals in technology and game design. 

The day was filled with amazing speakers who spoke about the unique ways in which libraries have touched their lives as educators and their students’ lives. 

Throughout the day, FableVision and the Reynolds Center for Teaching, Learning, and Creativity showcased Fab@School Maker Studio, which introduces students to 2D and 3D printing and modeling. This tool allows students to get more comfortable with digital design and fabrication tools. FableVision Studios also shared some recent projects such as CyberChase Fractions Quest, which engages students in fraction learning, and Project Here Games, which promotes substance use prevention and healthy decision making skills.. 

To close out the conference, FableVision and Reynolds Center CEO  Paul Reynolds discussed the ways that libraries shape the minds of future generations, as well as how they encourage creativity and play. He also touched on his personal experiences and how teachers and libraries have inspired and motivated him throughout his life.

With the inaugural Libraries, Games, and Play Conference behind us, the studio created a series of case studies that highlight four speakers at the conference—Lindsay Grace, Erin Walter-Lerman, Juan Rivera, and Kenneth Nero—and each of their unique connections to libraries and games. Each speaker was deliberately chosen  to showcase different perspectives and connections to gameplay and game design in libraries. The vignettes bring attention to the mission and importance of the conference.

First, our team created scripts for the case studies based on what the speakers discussed in their respective talks. The illustrations for each case study were presented in a slideshow style with key figures emphasized through strategic zooms. Audio was recorded to go along with each case study, voiced either by the speaker or an approved voice actor.    

These spotlights show how libraries can provide a space for exploration and accessibility, and they effectively illustrate the important roles these centers have in communities. All four of the case studies are now available on the Libraries, Games, and Play Conference website. You can watch the vignettes here!