Challenge
Let’s Talk Science, a leader in engaging youth in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM), was looking for ways to blend elements of the well-loved Tomatosphere™ program with new learning opportunities for teachers and students in grades 4-10. The goal of this new learning experience is to educate students about extending the boundaries of human space travel beyond Earth’s orbit, focusing on lunar missions and Mars exploration. The challenge was to create an engaging Minecraft world that incorporates a user journey that brings the Tomatosphere™ program to life, allowing students to investigate the effects of outer space on seed germination. Minecraft was new to Let's Talk Science and this project was the first step to exploring how to design rich learning experiences within a Minecraft world.
Solution
In partnership with Let’s Talk Science and in collaboration with the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), Logics Academy created Tomatosphere™ Adventure. This space-themed Minecraft world included narrative, visuals and dialogue inspired by CSA’s participation in the Artemis II mission around the Moon and the Starliner-1 mission to the International Space Station. The world introduced avatars of two CSA astronauts, Joshua Kutryk and Jenni Gibbons, as non-playable characters (NPC’s). This educational journey is structured around three engaging science lab experiments, each offering “hands-on” opportunities to understand the essentials of plant biology and space science and is available to students and educators in both English and French.
Results
Logics delivered student co-teaching and educator training sessions between November and December of 2024, where over 300 educators and 8,500 youth engaged with the new Tomatosphere™ Adventure world. The successful launch and implementation of this latest innovative learning experience can be accessed here. See real life astronauts, Joshua Kutryk and Jenni Gibbons, share their excitement about Tomatosphere Adventure, here.
For more information, contact info@logicsacademy.com
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