Students in the Lead: Game Design for Learning Earth Science

Games are increasingly used in classrooms to help inspire curiosity, creativity, collaboration and problem-solving skills. They can introduce real-world challenges and encourage systems thinking while learning Earth science content in non-traditional ways.

This presentation will introduce ways to help you create a design atmosphere in your classroom, how to get started in game design and potential game challenges that will excite and motivate your students to dig into the Earth sciences.

Peg Steffen started her education career teaching in Iowa for 25 years. She began her Federal service as an Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellow at NASA in 2000 and created the NASA Explorer Schools program. In 2006, she joined NOAA’s National Ocean Service where she led a development team that provided web-based products and professional development - including NOAA Planet Stewards, a program offering opportunities for professional development and community building. Peg has provided science education workshops for over 30 years to teachers in the United States and around the world. In 2014 she served as a U.S. Department of State Embassy Science Fellow at the American Embassy in Hanoi, Vietnam in climate education. She is now retired and working as a STEM program consultant.

---