EA and GlassLab Announce SimCityEDU

This is very interesting. EA and GlassLab announced their plans for the upcoming SimCityEDU. The premise is teachers that create lessons within SimCity and use that as a teaching tool. They can setup certain lessons to drive students interest in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). While I normally dislike gimmicks, I honestly think this is an excellent idea. The fact that EA and GlassLab are working together to help unify this experience to create an educational platform is pretty amazing. They’ll be able to capture kids attention in a different manner and possibly open their minds up to aspects of life/learning through this simulation that normally textbook reading may not inspire.

“For decades, SimCity has been embraced by the educational community as an engaging videogame that also provides a powerful learning experience, teaching problem solving skills through imaginative civic gameplay,” said Lucy Bradshaw, Senior Vice President and General Manager of EA’s Maxis Label. “We want to up the ante of SimCity’s educational influence. Through our partnership with GlassLab, SimCity will become the foundation of a program to re-imagine learning in a way that will inspire today’s youth to get excited about STEM education and become the problem solvers of tomorrow.”

To learn more about forthcoming SimCityEDU project and about the SimCity videogame, which will be released worldwide from March 5, please visit www.SimCity.com.

 

 

 

Press Release

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: EA), in collaboration with GlassLab, today announced SimCityEDU is in development, an online educational community based on the award-winningSimCityTM videogame. SimCityEDU will serve as a resource for classroom teachers who have a strong interest in utilizing digital platforms as a learning tool to drive student interest in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) subjects*.

Educators will be able to create and share digital SimCity-based lesson plans that will encourage students to think critically about the challenges facing modern cities. In the classroom, SimCity will be more than a game – it will be a way for the next generation of leaders to hone their skills through urban planning, environmental management and socio-economic development.

“For decades, SimCity has been embraced by the educational community as an engaging videogame that also provides a powerful learning experience, teaching problem solving skills through imaginative civic gameplay,” said Lucy Bradshaw, Senior Vice President and General Manager of EA’s Maxis Label. “We want to up the ante of SimCity’s educational influence. Through our partnership with GlassLab, SimCity will become the foundation of a program to re-imagine learning in a way that will inspire today’s youth to get excited about STEM education and become the problem solvers of tomorrow.”

Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter hosted a panel today, titled “Learn. Build. Create.: Connected Learning Over the Next Four Years” at the United States Conference of Mayors in Washington, D.C. Featuring a diverse group of panelists including Special Assistant to the President for Education Policy Roberto Rodriguez, MacArthur Foundation Director of Education for U.S. Programs Constance Yowell, and musician and philanthropist John Legend, the group engaged in a discussion on the importance of community-centered, connected learning. The discussion focused on public-private partnerships with a goal to advance STEM education, including EA and GlassLab’s collaborative effort on SimCityEDU.

To learn more about forthcoming SimCityEDU project and about the SimCity videogame, which will be released worldwide from March 5, please visit www.SimCity.com.

* SimCityEDU’s curriculum and tools will be correlated to U.S. Common Core standards.

About SimCity

Throughout its history, SimCity has engaged actively with teachers, students and education organizations to inspire new ways of learning and change the way students see the world around them. These programs have inspired a generation of city planners, architects and mayors. With its return, SimCity will engage an entirely new generation of PC and Mac gamers as they take charge of their own customized cities and build a world that co-exists alongside friends. For the first time in SimCity franchise history, players’ decisions will have long-lasting repercussions that will extend beyond their city limits. Together, players will address real global challenges such as climate change, the search for renewable resources and natural disasters. It’s up to the players to decide whether to compete or collaborate to shape the world of tomorrow – for better or for worse.

SimCity is scheduled to release on March 5, 2013. To stay up-to-date on the latest regarding SimCity please visit http://www.SimCity.com.

 

 

 

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getamikeON
Author: getamikeON View all posts by
Managing Partner/Editor-in-chief and owner of GameGravy & NintendoFever – Mike spends most of his time working with the top brands in the Game industry & Advertising. Fun Factoid: he is also a musician and song writer. Google+ Author