Web-based sound and music games with activities for STEM education

Abstract

It is widely believed that computer games have great potential as a compelling and effective tool for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education, particularly for younger students in grades K-12. In previous work we created several prototype games that allow students to use sound and acoustics simulations to explore general scientific concepts. These games were developed using Adobe Flash and are accessible through a standard web browser, making them particularly well-suited for education environments where custom software may be difficult to install. Pilot testing our games with local K-12 classrooms has demonstrated potential benefits in terms of captivating student interest, but has also revealed multiple avenues for improvement and refinement. We have recently developed a unified development platform that overcomes prior architectural limitations to enable dynamic sound processing and synthesis within Flash applications to improve responsiveness and create rich interactive experiences. Since they are constructed in ActionScript, the relatively straightforward scripting language of Flash, these games can be easily extended or adapted to target highly specific lessons and concepts. In this paper, we detail several specific lesson plans for mathematics and science education developed using customized versions of our previous games.