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FableVision Studios’ Top Moments of 2021

Top Moments of 2021 Banner

It was the second year of the pandemic but in many ways 2021 brought us hope. Producing “stories that matter, stories that move” has never been more important. 

We’re so lucky to have our incredible staff, friends, partners, and clients who collaborated with us on amazing educational animation, videos, games, and interactive projects. We can’t wait to continue working with you (spoiler alert!) from our new space! As we look forward to FableVision’s new chapter in 2022, here’s a look back at our top moments from 2021.

1. Award Winners
We are honored to represent unique, creative, and educational projects. Thank you for your recognition!

2. Amazing Partners
We’re happy to work with current and new clients for immersive and educational collaborations. Here are just a few partnerships that we wanted to thank.

3. Thought Leadership
We love sharing our insights and learning from other experts at conferences. Here’s where we presented this year.

Peter H. Reynolds - Education Exchange Keynote

4. Newsworthy Collaborations
Here’s how more people had the chance to learn about our projects.

5. Seasonal Banners
We welcome each season with beautiful banners created by our artists. We hope you love them just as much as we do! Doesn’t our winter one help us end 2021 on an especially cozy note?

Spring banner designed by FableVision Production Designer Julie Oliveira

Summer banner designed by FableVision Production Designer Julie Oliveira

Fall banner designed by FableVision Lead Artist Christina Kelly

Winter banner designed by FableVision Production Designer Julie Oliveira

6. New Studio on Newbury Street!
As 2021 was FableVision’s 25th anniversary, we’re celebrating with the studio’s new location in one of Boston’s most iconic districts—Newbury Street! The original wood floors, vintage skylight, and spacious roof deck with beautiful Boston views will inspire us and give us that extra boost to continue creating wonderful projects together. We look forward to working with you and inviting you to our new home.

Thank you for following us in 2021. We can’t wait to make 2022 even better!

New Office

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In “Gasha Go!,” Numbers Just Make More Sense

For many kids, math can be a daunting subject. And many teachers agree: without fun, engaging tools to teach math, early learners—particularly students in Kindergarten to third grade—will struggle to understand the basic foundational concepts, leading to greater struggle grasping complicated theories down the road.

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This is precisely the problem that caught the attention of Georgia Public Broadcasting’s Vice President of Education and Digital Media, Andrew MacCartney and Director of Education, Laura Evans. Georgia educators expressed concern about their students struggling with the essential concept of “number sense”—the understanding of what numbers are and how they relate to one another. Their solution? Teaming up with FableVision Studios to create GASHA GO!, a colorful, engaging, and curriculum-based math game world!

GASHA GO! is the first in an expandable series of educational games and animation all set in a vibrant, cute, character-filled arcade. GASHA GO! features Mash, the mustachioed foreman, and his friends who need your help solving math problems to refill the toy capsules inside the gashapon machine.. The different modes of play let students use numbers in different contexts, such as word problems and counting. FableVision also created an original animated song arranged by Junior Joe about number sense and numeracy featuring the same lovable characters from GASHA GO! The video can be played separately or in tandem with the game.

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Feedback and user-testing were essential in building this game. Two K-3 math teachers consulted as GPB’s experts, and provided insight on how these standards are taught in the classroom—and how they felt technology could be used to convey the lessons. Georgia first and second graders voted on their favorite character designs and suggested names. While we couldn’t accept all suggestions (sorry, “Chicken Master” and “Mr. Taco”), getting feedback from the students ensured we made something they would enjoy playing.

With characters so cute, they had to play an instrumental role in the hit song, Numbers: They Make Sense!. To help both parents and children get a high-level view of number sense and help round out the toy world, FableVision cooked up a short, catchy animated music video and song that was bound to be on repeat in your head! Written by in-house FableVision lyricist and Creative Director, Leigh Hallisey, the words and images in the music video demonstrated the many places you might find numbers, and the different ways the same number might look. By embedding this content into an energetic, fun music video filled with cute, dancing characters, math that was once daunting and confusing became colorful and engaging.

The rest of the arcade is currently under construction, getting ready for more games to join the universe. But in the meantime, leave your flashcards at home. Grab your tokens and tickets instead!

For More On Immersive Learning,
Join GPB and FableVision at SXSW EDU! 

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Join FableVision’s Peter Stidwill and Georgia Public Broadcasting’s Andrew MacCartney and Laura Evans as they discuss the intricacies and production process behind the award-winning Georgia Race Through Time game at SXSW EDU!

What: Immersive Learning: Teaching History Through GBL
When: March 5 at 12:30 p.m.
Where: Room 17B, Austin Convention Center

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Postcards from Georgia

When my best friend Emily moved to Georgia to pursue a PhD in school psychology, I was excited for her and a little apprehensive—she was moving to a new state that I had never visited and didn’t know much about. So when FableVision Studios forged a partnership with Georgia Public Broadcasting (GPB) to create Georgia Race Through Time, a phenomenal new game-based learning tool that teaches 8th graders about Georgia history, I was beyond thrilled. Through Savannah, the talented antiques dealer and Georgia Race Through Time’s protagonist, and her trusty dog Peaches, I was able to learn more about my best friend’s new home and feel connected to a state I had never been to.

When GPB and FableVision launched Georgia Race Through Time, I immediately shared the game with Emily. Being both an educator and student, she instantly fell in love with it. Inspired by the game and whisked away by the charming postcards FableVision designed to show specific historic locations, Emily and I devised a plan to explore a portion of the Peach State with a road trip from Atlanta to Savannah. On June 23, Emily and I hit the road as we set off for the very same cities explored by Savannah and Peaches. With postcards from the game, allow me to give you a glimpse of our own Race-Through-Time-inspired trip!

Atlanta is Emily’s new home and the first stop on our trip. With Emily as tour guide, I was able to see the bustling city that emerged from the ashes of the Civil War. I visited Georgia State University where Emily works and goes to school, the massive Georgia Aquarium, and ate delicious southern BBQ. In the evening, I got a rooftop view of the State Capitol Building’s golden dome glistening against the night sky.

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Nestled in the heart of Georgia, not too far from the mountains or ocean, is the second stop on our trip. Macon is a city rich with history, landmarks, and incredible music. We spent an hour soaking up the place “where soul lives.” In Macon, there’s always an event or festival. To blend in with the locals, we explored a farmer’s market where we picked up Cajun boiled peanuts (an absolute road trip must!) and, of course, Georgia peaches! 

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You can’t visit the Georgia coast without visiting one of the Barrier Islands! With our sunglasses and picnic basket in tow, we set off for the beach on Tybee Island. From being a hot spot for pirates looking to hide their loot, to playing an important military role during the American Civil War, to being a popular beach town getaway for nearby residents, Tybee is the place to be if you want to escape the Georgia heat and humidity with cooling saltwater breezes.

The namesake of Georgia Race Through Time’s main character and the final destination of our trip, this coastal city is bursting with southern charm! A strategic port city during the American Revolution and American Civil War, Savannah is Georgia’s oldest city. We lunched at the famous Gryphon Tea Room, a converted apothecary across the street from the prestigious Savannah School of Art and Design (SCAD). Part of what gives Savannah its charm is the oak trees branches draped in Spanish moss that line the streets and public squares. We came across a series of these on Jones Street, voted one of the most beautiful streets in all of North America!

Emily and Mitul in Macon, Georgia

Emily and Mitul in Macon, Georgia

Georgia is a picturesque state dotted with vibrant cities that have rich stories to tell. There’s still much of the Peach State I have yet to explore and so much history I have yet to learn. With my pals Emily, Savannah, and Peaches continuing to foster my love for the state and all that it has to offer, I’m looking forward to having Georgia on my mind again soon.

Play the free game here and discover for yourself the history behind the glorious state of Georgia!

The adventure isn’t over! GPB and FableVision are hoping to bring our team of playful experts to SXSWedu 2018 to share how media developers, public broadcasters, and educators came together to pioneer Georgia Race Through Time and increase student engagement. We're hoping to bring our team of playful experts to SXSWedu 2018 in our session “Immersive Learning: Teaching History Through GBL.” But we need your help to get there—yes, you!

Session attendees will learn how to:

  • Reach the notoriously hard-to-engage adolescent audience and extend that engagement from the classroom to home and back again;
  • Receive tips or insights on how to successfully merge primary documents with modern technology for a unique game experience;
  • Leverage collaboration across disciplines to produce a game-based learning approach to improving students' learning performance.

Get the insider info to rock the power of your PanelPicker vote and help us get to Austin. Click here to read more about our session and vote! 

 

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