FULLERTON, Calif., May 09, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Fullerton School District (FSD) today announced a pilot program encouraging students to create their own augmented reality (AR) challenges for their peers. The School District has partnered with Agents of Discovery, a leading educational technology platform that specializes in web, mobile, and AR gaming.
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/a777e138-1469-4a6f-b262-65305a8be8a5
With the explosive trend of Pokemon GO evidencing the clear capacity of mobile gaming to get young people moving, forward-thinking educators are utilizing similar technological concepts to engage kids with everything from historical sites to flora and fauna in parks.
“FSD continuously works to empower students’ voice and choice, and the use of technology helps students work toward their goals,” said Superintendent, Dr. Robert Pletka. “As educators, we strive to find new resources and opportunities to reach students.”
Over the last month, three 8th grade science classes at Robert C. Fisler School have used the Agents of Discovery platform to create their own “Missions” with unique geo-triggered “Challenges” specific to West Coyote Hills in north Orange County. Today, these same students will head outdoors to play the Missions their peers have created.
“It’s been an amazing experience watching my students get excited about the curriculum and become species experts,” said Cynthia Rounds, 7th & 8th Grade Science Teacher, Robert C. Fisler School. “Game-based learning is incredibly effective, and I’m glad we are using it as another one of our tools to educate kids.”
Studies have shown that schools that use outdoor classrooms and other nature-based experiential education activities report significant gains in students’ academic performance (American Institutes for Research, 2005).
“What makes this platform ideal for schools is that it engages kids with active learning in the world around them,” said Mary Clark, CEO, Agents of Discovery. “It gives teachers a tool to easily deliver STEM curriculum in a way that’s fun for students.”
About Fullerton School District
The Fullerton School District is located in northern Orange County, California and serves 14,000 students in grades TK – 8th. The Fullerton School District includes 20 schools, 15 elementary schools, two K-8th grade schools, and 2 middle schools. The mission of the Fullerton School District is to work collaboratively with the community to provide an innovative, high-quality educational program for all students in a safe learning environment. The District motto, “Great Schools - Successful Kids” exemplifies the belief that all students will achieve academic excellence, acquire interpersonal skills, and develop technological expertise to contribute as productive citizens in a democratic society. For more information, call 714/447-7400 or visit www.fullertonsd.org.
About Agents of Discovery
Agents of Discovery, winner of the 2016 Best App-Based Game at the European Conference on Game Based Learning, is an innovative educational tech platform that utilizes web, mobile, and the latest in augmented reality technologies to get kids active and learning about the world around them. Agents of Discovery provides educators with a unique way to gamify STEM curriculum, incentivizing kids to be engaged in their education. The easy-to-use Mission Maker allows educators to pull Challenges from their extensive Agency Library or to create customized content specific to their site. Educators can then easily publish Missions for kids to complete on tablets or their own smart devices. For more information, please visit www.agentsofdiscovery.com.