Until a few weeks ago, I never realized my adult daughters were part of a cult. I found out when they heard of the resurrection of the Logical Journey of the Zoombinis. Apparently the Zoombinis enjoyed a cult-like following, selling 1 million copies 20 years ago. The story of their demise (overtaken by the edutainment industry) and subsequent rebirth (thanks to the nonprofit TERC) is explained in this article from USA Today.
But I digress. Let’s just say I was pleased to see the Zoombinis mentioned on the Games in Education wiki curated by Sylvia Martinez. As I looked critically at the game – okay, I’ve played it more than a few times myself - it has a lot to offer students in a highly engaging manner. Players escort little blue creatures through various puzzles, one group at a time.
As each group of creatures travels the puzzles change and increase in difficulty. Therefore each time kids play the game is different, and they will meet with new challenges. I love the fact that there are no instructions, players need to figure out what is required to solve each puzzle. (I confess to hitting the question mark button a few times, only to be met with a generic “figure it out yourself” type answer.) As
I read through some of the educator materials and articles. It is clear that many mathematical ideas are introduced and honed as students continue to play. Extensions and connections outside the game can offer further learning opportunities. The game requires organizing information, identifying patterns, problem solving and reasoning among other skills. Multiple attempts are necessary - and teaching kids that it is okay to fail is all the rage this year.
In terms of classroom use, the Logical Journey of the Zoombinis is a paid app, although school and volume purchase plans are available. I would have two students work together, with one driving and the other navigating, so they can learn from each other. Once all students have had an opportunity to play, whole class extensions could take place if desired. No reading is required for the game, so younger grades could try it. The difficulty advances pretty quickly so after the first trip or two through the journey 1st and 2nd graders may be out of their element.
Bitsbox has special apps and programming available for Hour of Code. Their original product is actually a monthly subscription service where subscribers receive a new project book and treats each month. They also provide information for teachers and free downloadable classroom materials or printed booklets to purchase. Bitsbox suggests ages 6-12 for their product. Students need to be able to read, and a little typing practice wouldn’t hurt. I’m going to try it with my 4th grade students first. Again, I suggest a 2 student per computer ratio. There are many apps for students to try, and as they start to learn the language of Javascript they can work on their own apps as well, all of which can actually be played on a tablet.
Both Bitsbox and the Zoombinis will engage students as they grow and learn. These examples allow students to learn something new each time they play and provide opportunities for elementary aged students learn and practice problem solving and critical thinking skills. Perhaps our students will still remember these experiences and what they learned 20 years from now.