Use of Educational Video Games to Be Highlighted at Florida Education Technology...

Use of Educational Video Games to Be Highlighted at Florida Education Technology Conf. (FETC) This Week

Presentations, Workshops and Educator Tournament Featuring Tabula
Digita's DimensionM Software to Be Featured
NEW YORK--(Business Wire)--Acceptance of educational gaming as a credible K-12 instructional
approach has so grown among researchers and educators that three
concurrent sessions of the Florida Education Technology Conference
(FETC) 2008, being held January 22-25 in Orlando, Fla., are dedicated
to the topic. In addition, two conference activities are focused on or
linked to the practice.

"While it's an interesting contradiction that fun and exciting
games are being discussed in an esteemed academic forum, it
nonetheless proves that educational gaming is a serious tool for
helping today's technology-savvy students," said Ntiedo Etuk, chief
executive officer and co-founder of Tabula Digita, an educational
gaming company. "The phenomenon has even gained attention from
national and international media such as CNET, USA Today and BBC News.
That's in addition to experts' myriad research papers and
presentations for institutions such as the Federation of American
Scientists and the Software & Information Industry Association."

During the nationally recognized FETC conference, sessions held on
Jan. 24 include University of Florida's Dr. Meredith DiPietro, Dr.
Richard E. Ferdig and Mr. Jeff Boyer, who will present "Using
Educational Games to Develop Student's Content Knowledge,"
highlighting instructional strategies associated with gaming. They
will also demonstrate a standards-based gaming environment for Algebra
and point out the benefits of specific elements. DiPietro will also
talk about game integration in relation to other content areas and
show attendees various examples they can use.

Later that day, in a session titled "Why Game Development
Matters," Boyer, Ferdig and DiPietro will speak on the
often-overlooked pedagogical basis for having students develop their
own video games. Attendees will learn about strategies, methods and
tools to promote game development.

On January 25, Etuk will speak on "Leading Digital Immigrants to
Teach Math to the Video Game Generation," offering insights into the
video game medium and showing how it can help teachers reach, engage
and communicate mathematics to today's digital natives.

In addition to these sessions, this year's FETC school site visit
is Orange County's Ocoee Middle School, an early adopter of Tabula
Digita's award-winning DimensionM(TM) Pre-Algebra and Algebra
software. Plus, educators will be able to compete in the inaugural
State Challenge Multiplayer Educational Games (MEG) Tournament.
Competing educators will go head-to-head as they represent their home
states in timed video game competitions which require more than just
gaming skills - more importantly - good Algebra skills. Interested
parties can sign up at the conference in the FETC Tournament Center
and also download a free copy of the tournament game called "Meltdown"
at www.DimensionM.com/demos to practice ahead of time. The Tabula
Digita booth at FETC is #237.

Session Information

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Session 2: Using Educational Games to Develop Student's Content
Knowledge
Date/Time: Thursday, January 24, 2008; 10:35 AM - 11:30 AM
Presenters: Meredith DiPietro with Richard E. Ferdig and Jeff Boyer
Location: Room 330D

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Session 4: Why Game Development Matters
Date/Time: Thursday, January 24, 2008; 1:50 PM - 2:45 PM
Presenters: Jeff Boyer with Rick Ferdig and Meredith DiPietro
Location: Room 230G

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Session 8: Leading Digital Immigrants to Teach Math to the Video Game
Generation
Date/Time: Friday, January 25, 2008; 10:35 AM - 11:30 AM
Presenter: Ntiedo Etuk
Location: Room 220B

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About Tabula Digita

Tabula Digita is an educational video game company focused on
delivering innovative and effective educational games to students and
institutions. Through its fusion of education and technology-based
immersive learning systems, Tabula Digita successfully offers
standards-based, high impact educational tools that engage middle and
high school students in learning and applying Pre-Algebra and Algebra
I concepts. For more information, please call 1-888-9-Tabula or
1-888-982-2852, or visit www.DimensionM.com.

Tabula Digita
Charlotte Andrist, 770-578-8007
Charlotte@EicherCommunications.com
or
Leslie Eicher, 314-965-1776
Leslie@EicherCommunications.com

Copyright Business Wire 2008