Catch FableVision's 2021 Summer Tour!

Summer is almost here, and we’re just getting warmed up for all of the exciting events we have on the horizon. You’re all invited to make a splash with us at a number of virtual conferences and events throughout the season. Don’t miss out on the fun—keep reading for more details on how to catch us along our virtual summer road trip!

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BostonFIG Talks and Learns (May 29 - 30)

BostonFIG Talks and Learns are back, and we’re gearing up for two days of sharing, learning, and networking! FableVision is proud to sponsor this year’s conferences, featuring industry experts, educators, students, and more. Industry professionals and aspiring students or hobbyists are welcome to join us on May 29 for BostonFIG Talks, an annual game-creators conference that will include expert talks on game design, methodology, technology, and more. And come back the day after talks on hands-on learning games, academic research, classroom topics, and more at the annual Learns conference. Learns is perfect for educators, students, and professionals interested in the learning games space.

When: May 29, 30
Click here to register for free.

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ED Games Expo (June 1 - 5)

Next stop is the ED Games Expo! The expo is the Department of Education’s annual showcase of game-changing education technology. At this year’s conference, FableVision will showcase three of our learning games and tools. Join us at the expo to learn more about Cyberchase Fractions Quest, our award-winning fractions learning game based on the popular PBS KIDS show Cyberchase, Civics! An American Musical, our civics learning game that invites middle school students to produce their own hit musicals based on United States history, and FabMaker Studio, FableVision Learning’s digital fabrication software tool that inspires STEM and STEAM learning in the classroom! 

Check out the FableVision Learning website now to learn more about the products and how you can access all three for free through the month of June.

When: June 1-5
Click here to access the events.

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Tech + Social Studies LIVE! (June 5)

While you’re at the ED Games Expo, stop by the Tech + Social Studies LIVE! free virtual conference for innovative civics and social studies teaching resources and techniques. Whether you teach online, in person, or a hybrid, the demos and talks featured at this conference will show you new ways to engage your students. And join us later in the day to hear from FableVision communications director Sarah Ditkoff, Maryland Public Television director of PreK-12 learning design Karla Thompson, and educator Joshua Pleasant as they present on how you can use Civics! An American Musical to encourage creativity and primary source analysis in your classrooms.

Civic Action through Primary Sources in "Civics! An American Musical"
When: June 5 at 5:20 p.m. EST
Click here to register for free.

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Learning Ideas Conference (June 14 - 18)

Next, FableVision is headed to the Learning Ideas Conference to catch up on international innovations in learning and technology for the workplace and higher education. The Learning Ideas Conference brings together researchers and practitioners interested in using technology to improve education and workplace learning.

Join FableVision Vice President of Strategic Partnerships and Product Solutions Shelby Marshall for his workshop on June 16. This session will cover ways in which online simulations can support and extend learning in higher education and corporate training. In his talk, Shelby will explore examples at different levels of complexity that have been developed by the studio, including interactives created in partnership with the Smithsonian Science Education Center, Noodle Partners, and Pearson Higher Education. You won’t want to miss it!

Using Online Simulations to Explore Complex Topics and Apply Systems Thinking
When: June 16 at 4:30 p.m. EST
Click here to register.

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Carly & Adam’s Heart of STEM Teacher’s Summit (June 21 - 23)

FableVision Learning is excited to join the Carly & Adam’s Heart of STEM Teacher’s Summit on June 21-23. During this virtual event, attendees will explore connections between STEAM, real-world problems, kindness, and social-emotional learning. Learn from FableVision Learning’s Peter H. Reynolds, Paul Reynolds, Sara Smith, and Andrea Calvin.

Keynote: The Hope of STEM with Peter H. Reynolds, Georgie Badiel-Liberty, and Susan Verde
The creative team behind The Water Princess storybook will be kicking off the three-day summit with their Keynote: The Hope of STEM. With new troubling problems challenging the world every day, it’s important to empower the next generation with creative problem-solving skills and hope to make a positive impact across the globe. 

When: June 21

Exploring Creativity with Fabrication and Animation with Andrea Calvin
Andrea Calvin will share her experiences about working with students and educators across the country to implement fabrication and animation tools into their classrooms. Attendees will create bravely by using Animation-ish and FabMaker Studio.

When: June 21

Keynote: Create Bravely - Self Design for a Purposeful Life with Paul Reynolds
Paul Reynolds will share his insights on the power of storytelling and foster your life’s journey purpose with a growth mindset. Educators will learn how stories and creative tools can help students discover their talents and strengths, and how to apply them in life. With courage and perseverance, we can make a change by using our creativity.

When: June 22

The Element of Surprise with Sara Smith
In this session, Sara Smith will discuss the benefits of using the element of surprise in STEM and SEL. Educators will learn how the brain engages with surprises in learning and why surprises help humans during hard times. 

When: June 22

Click here to register.

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The Creativity Symposium 

FableVision Learning and Eduscape have partnered this summer to offer the Creativity Symposium, where educators across the country discover ways to foster creativity into their classrooms. During the three half-day sessions, in June or July, educators will use collaboration techniques to develop practical, achievable, and scalable solutions to challenges. 

When: June or July
Click here to register.

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Serious Play Conference (June 23 - 25)

If you’re serious about serious games, you’ll also want to join FableVision at this year’s Serious Play Conference. The conference features expert changemakers and thought leaders who are reshaping the educational gaming and education technology industries. Don’t forget to check out FableVision’s panel at the conference on accessibility and game-based learning. FableVision lead UX/UI designer Loren Lee-Flynn will join experts from WNET and Bridge Multimedia to discuss how we created Echo Explorers, a born-accessible learning game based on the award-winning PBS KIDS show Cyberchase and designed for children of all abilities to learn about echolocation and coordinate-mapping. The panelists will also share suggestions for game developers to incorporate accessibility into their own games.

Cyberchase Echo Explorers: Exploring Accessible Game Design for All Children
When: June 25 at 1:45 p.m. EST
Click here to register.

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Connected Learning Summit (July)

And if you’re unable to attend our panel at the Serious Play Conference in June, have no fear! You will still have the opportunity to learn more about Echo Explorers and designing games with accessibility at the forefront of the development process at the Connected Learning Summit. Be sure to catch our expert panel, as well as other influential talks from leaders and innovators at the intersection of innovation, education, technology, and play. The summit aims to support and empower innovators who are using emerging technology to increase access to creative and playful learning. It will feature engaging presentations and workshops all month long.

Cyberchase Echo Explorers: Exploring Accessible Game Design for All Children
Click here to register.

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ASU+GSV Summit (August 9 - 11)

Last stop on our tour is ASU+GSV—and this time it’s in person! The summit connects leading minds focused on transforming society and business around learning and work, and their north star is that ALL people have equal access to the future. The Summit is a leading platform of innovation and ingenuity that offers a tangible look at the EdTech industry, with groundbreaking research and insights. FableVision’s Shelby Marshall is headed to San Diego to network with and learn from researchers, educators, and practitioners from around the globe. Make sure to connect with Shelby if you plan to attend as well.

Click here to register.

“Zoombinis” Connected Learning Summer Spotlight with EdGE at TERC Director Jodi Asbell-Clarke and TERC Chief Technology Officer David Libby

In just a few weeks, a who’s who of edtech professionals and industry thought leaders will gather at the MIT Media Lab on August 1-3 for the first-ever Connected Learning Summit (CLS). The Summit’s tagline of “Create. Play. Mobilize.” elicits a call to action that commands and underscores the importance of educational media. FableVision and our partners at TERC are proud sponsors of this inaugural CLS, and I’m looking forward to moderating the Zoombinis panel on August 1. During this event, key personnel will share the story of how they reimagined the beloved educational game, and they’ll also share an update on their game-based research.

The original Zoombinis was released in 1996 and quickly became the golden standard among fans of educational games. Then in 2015, FableVision, Learning Games Network, TERC, and EdGE at TERC worked closely with creator Scot Osterweil to reimagine and remaster the original game for modern devices and audiences. Two additional key members of that development team were Dr. Jodi Asbell-Clarke and David Libby. As the director and co-founder of Educational Gaming Environment (EdGE) at TERC, Jodi has spent 20 years designing and researching curriculum and professional development. David is TERC’s Chief Technology Officer and served as overall project manager for the revamped Zoombinis. We sat down with Jodi and David for a special sneak peek of what we’ll be discussing at the Connected Learning Summit.

Read on for a short preview of our CLS panel. We can’t wait to answer your questions and reintroduce you to our favorite blue friends as they help us bridge formal and informal learning – and change the world of education for the better.

The Logical Journey of Reimagining Zoombinis: Adventure, Research, and Computational Thinking
Wednesday, August 1 at 2:30 p.m.

• Jodi Asbell-Clarke, Director, EdGE at TERC
• David Libby, Chief Technology Officer, TERC
• Scot Osterweil, Creative Director, MIT Education Arcade and Zoombinis creator
• Peter Stidwill, Executive Producer at FableVision Studios

Will you be there? Tweet us at @FVStudioBoston with #CLS2018.

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David, Jodi, tell us more about your respective roles. What is the focus of EdGE’s research, and how does it fit into TERC’s overall mission?
Jodi: EdGE is the Educational Gaming Environments group at TERC. As part of TERC’s mission to reach a broad and diverse audience of learners with innovative STEM learning opportunities, EdGE examines how digital games can be used as assessments to measure learning that might not be revealed by ordinary tests and schoolwork.

STEM education is all the rage now, but TERC has been focusing on math and science learning since the early 1970s! What makes the math/science education space so exciting to be working in these days? 
Jodi: Some things have changed dramatically in the past few decades, and some things feel like they haven’t changed at all. What is exciting about right now is that people are realizing, on a large scale, that learning is not just what happens in the classroom and it isn’t all about direct instruction. Project-based learning, game-based learning, and other forms of interest-driven learning experiences no longer seem so marginalized, or fringe. I believe that providing these experiences is the only way to ensure inclusivity for learners who have cognitive differences, such as executive function disorders. I have seen so much talent within kids who have cognitive differences; we have to find good ways to tap into their strengths as opposed to remediating  their weaknesses. Computational Thinking (CT) is such a rich arena for this pursuit. Many diverse learners seem well-inclined to CT practices, so we are trying to leverage that in our Zoombinis research.

FableVision had a blast partnering with TERC (along with the Learning Games Network) to remaster Zoombinis in 2015. Why did TERC decide to revisit this classic game from 1996?
David: TERC’s focus is on improving STEM education for all. We’ve produced a variety of content over the years, but Zoombinis was always special to us and remains one of our most successful projects in terms of the number of kids (and adults) reached. We heard from multiple original Zoombinis fans from the ‘90s that Zoombinis is what led them to pursue careers in computer science and other STEM fields! The love for the game was incredible. However, the original version was not being updated for current operating systems and popular devices like the iPad and Android tablets; some teachers were even keeping old Macs and PCs in the back of their classrooms just to play Zoombinis. After some discussion, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt was kind enough to return the rights to us, and with funding from our Board and with the help of a Kickstarter, we and our partners were thrilled to relaunch Zoombinis for a new generation!

David, you were the project lead for the Zoombinis remaster. What was it like overseeing such a large, multifaceted production with multiple partners?
It was challenging, fun, and a great learning experience. FableVision, Learning Games Network, The Game Agency, and Tinsley PR were such a pleasure to work with, and everyone had such appreciation and love for the game that really shows in the final product. I have to include the fans as one of our partners too, especially our fan advisory board; their input and support was invaluable in shaping the new version, and they really helped us stay true to the original model while also adapting to today’s gaming environment. The vision for the game, the gameplay, the art, music (from the original), and build quality were key, but so was the marketing and press to make people aware that Zoombinis was back! The plush characters and pins we made as part of the Kickstarter rewards were a huge staff favorite…nothing like having several hundred plush Zoombinis sitting in your office.

Scot's original Zoombinis character sketch.

What was it like working with Scot Osterweil, creator of Zoombinis, on the reboot?
David: Scot is always an inspiration to work with. I still remember an observation he and co-Zoombinis creator Chris Hancock made on his game and good game design back in 1996: “In effect we found the ‘game in the math’ rather than putting math in a game.” In other words: don’t just add game features on top of educational content, but find the fun core to the learning itself. That’s an easy principle to state, but a hard one to follow! Scot was the “keeper of the game’s philosophy” during many of our discussions and exemplified through the game’s restrictions;   you can’t always get a perfect score (i.e. get all 16 Zoombinis past a particular challenge) because you have to try out different approaches to gain the information to proceed. It’s just as the game’s narrator says: “Yes, some Zoombinis were lost, but the knowledge was gained.” That’s the way scientific exploration and data gathering works in the real world – you have to try different things and fail before you understand. Scot held us true to that, and  also added a few little tweaks to make some of the challenges a little harder! The fourth level of Fleens, for instance, has a new twist…

Jodi, you recently finished overseeing a three-year research study of how Zoombinis can improve students’ computational thinking skills. What are some of your major takeaways from this study?
We studied nearly 50 classrooms who used Zoombinis along with a set of Bridge materials we designed to help teachers bridge the game-based learning to CT in the classroom. For each class we collected:

• Data logs of learners’ gameplay (a digital log of all their activity in the game)
• External pre/post assessments of learners’ CT (Problem Decomposition, Pattern Recognition, Abstraction, and Algorithm Design)
• Teacher ratings of each learners’ CT practices
• Information from teachers about their CT instructional activities
• Artifacts from coding activities (when possible)

We are currently conducting human labeling of extensive samples of gameplay observations to identify common patterns of gameplay that are consistent with CT. This lays the groundwork for defining the features we need to build automated detectors of CT learning within gameplay logs. We already have great inter-rater reliability on the human-labeling for two Zoombinis puzzles (“Pizza Pass” and “Mudball Wall”) and we are working on two more (“Allergic Cliffs” and “Bubble Wonder”).

We are also continuing to build the automated detectors that will measure CT automatically in Zoombinis, and are excited by the prospect that we might measure CT in learners who may not exhibit strong skills in other forms of assessments. Many Zoombinis teachers reported that students who typically struggle academically were becoming leaders in Zoombinis activities, and whom others went to for support. This game has the potential to change the dynamic of the classroom and the relationships among the learners in extraordinary  ways; we hope to provide this information to teachers in real-time, while their students are playing the game. By revealing  when a student is excelling or struggling, a Zoombinis puzzle will help educators connect that individual student’s  learning to CT in other aspects of life and school.

We’re excited to join you at the Connected Learning Summit featuring our Zoombinis team to talk about the development process and hear about the research component of the project. What we can expect from this session?
Jodi: We are excited to tell the logical journey of how Zoombinis not only made a comeback from hibernation as an edutainment game, but how it is actively changing how we think about learning today. The re-release of Zoombinis hit just when CT was taking education by storm, and we are fortunate to have the opportunity to study how it all happens.

Empower young changemakers with Ashoka, City Awake, and FableVision

Celebrate changemakers and young changemakers-to-be! Kindred spirits will gather to share ideas, collaborate, and be inspired at the Young Changemakers Expo on Dec. 7, from 3-5 p.m at the Boston Children's Museum. Co-hosted by Ashoka, City Awake Boston, and FableVision, the afternoon will empower young changemakers to share their stories, and prompt them to dream up their mission.

We recently chatted with Fernande Raine, Senior Changeleader, Northeast Director of Ashoka and the brainpower behind this event. She shared what’s inspired her to unite young changemakers from the Boston area. 

Fernande Raine of Ashoka.

Tell us a little bit about your role at Ashoka and the work the organization does.
Ashoka is a unique organization—it’s part talent scout, investing great social entrepreneurs, part think tank, looking for patterns in the innovations we find around the world, and part movement, working towards a world in which everyone is a changemaker. We believe that in the rapidly changing world we are in, new rules apply. It’s not about hierarchy and silos, it’s about many leaders and fluid adaptation. We have not only the opportunity but the obligation to ensure that everyone has the skills they need to participate and succeed. Social entrepreneurs are still part of our work as great role models for empowering others, but we also work with schools, universities, entrepreneurs, and multinational corporations to help them lead in this new game. 

As for my role, like most Ashoka people, I have had several roles, since we all are hired to be entrepreneurs within the organization. I’ve launched two country programs and designed the organization’s global People Team. I am now working on a global strategy for how to help cities develop as ecosystems for changemaking. 

How did Ashoka’s path happen to cross with FableVision’s?
I was being given a tour of Citizen Schools, a wonderful organization housed in the same building, and my guide pointed out FableVision’s offices. The creative energy was radiating out of the door into the hallway, and I felt an immediate desire to plug into the source. I went home and wrote them an email asking for a chance to meet Paul and Peter H. Reynolds, FableVision’s co-founders. We immediately felt a deep kindred spirit connection, and we have been looking for an excuse to collaborate on something concrete ever since. 

What is a changemaker?
I think of a changemaker as an individual driven to help solve the world's most pressing problems, either locally, or on a large scale. Changemakers create or join teams and enable others to join in. They have empathy for the needs of others, and translate that into an idea that they execute effectively. They feel, practice, and develop their power to make the world better.

Were you a changemaker as a child? Do you have a memory that stands out from when you did a positive action to evoke change?
I was an enthusiastic, but unsuccessful changemaker as a child. My father was always very encouraging of our efforts to take on causes you care about, but beyond carrying out fake wars in the playground, I didn’t find much to fight for. When I was in seventh grade, I moved from New York City to Duesseldorf, Germany. I spent a large portion of my middle and high school years trying to recreate things I had loved and missed about my old school, like a drama club, chamber music society, and year book. The drama club failed, and the chamber music group was terrible, but the year book happened, and I came out of high school with a sense that if you have an idea, you can make anything happen. Otherwise, I channeled my changemaking energy into being a serial class-president and advocating for students. What I also took with me was a really deep understanding of history. I have always had amazing history teachers who opened my eyes to the power of humans to create both progress and misery, and helped me see my obligation to society to care, think, and act as a force of good for all mankind.

What prompted you to want to organize the first Young Changemakers Expo?
We had been dreaming up a festival of young changemakers since last fall, but without the resources or concrete vision to follow through. Then, a few weeks back, a group of young entrepreneurs—including Katie Schulz and Justin Kang—approached me about their City Awake festival project and asked whether Ashoka would be able to host an event. My first question was: how are you showcasing kids as changemakers? And this idea was born. The vision was clear from the first moment: in the Boston Children’s Museum, with FableVision. Paul immediately jumped on board and gave his unconditional support, bringing along the Children’s Museum as well.

How does Ashoka work with City Awake? Any other events on the horizon?
Ashoka is a partner of the festival, and a particularly enthusiastic cheerleader of the founding team. We fully embrace the mission and vision of the festival, and are thrilled at its genesis and ambition. We are hosting a fabulous event with five of our most amazing fellows (leading social entrepreneurs) on Dec. 6 at District Hall at 6 p.m., in which we will engage them in a conversation about how to think big. This isn’t about celebrating them as heroes, it’s about hearing about the role of empathy in their work, how they empower others, and how they think about systems change. 

What youth-led projects should people expect to see at the Changemakers Expo? 
We are still collecting presenters, but there will be everything from a fifth grader mobilizing volunteers across the city, to a youth group spreading environmental awareness, with everything in between.

How can people participate?
Everyone can participate in the movement to build a world of empathy and changemaking. If you’re a parent, you should value those skills as much as you value math and science, because they will be key to your kid’s success in the future. If you’re a young person, be brave, care, and come up with ideas for how to make things better. 

In terms of this event, anyone can come and learn from the kids who are showcasing their work: how they got started, what drives them, and what we can do to support them. Young people who have a project going on can showcase it (please send us your application before December 1!) and are encouraged to use the ideation space in the expo to work on formulating their own passion and ideas. Contact me if you have any questions!