SimCityEDU Bringing Video Game Learning Tools To Classrooms

Video games have finally been accepted as learning tools in the classroom! Electronic Arts has teamed up with SimCityEDU to bring tools that teachers can use in the classroom entitled STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). The Sim-City based lesson plans will be utilized by having students use their creative resources to think of ways to face the challenges of modern cities! How cool is that?

Electronic Arts Inc., in collaboration with GlassLab, today announced SimCityEDU is in development, an online educational community based on the award-winning SimCity 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.