ItzaBitza—Microsoft's new learning game for kids

Microsoft (and Sabi games) has made an interesting game that teaches kids reading comprehension as they play the game. This game utilizes multi-touch interfaces like tablet PCs.

The story in the game evolves as the kids use their fingers or a stylus to draw things like houses and other things to crack puzzles and win challenges. The interesting part is the "Living Ink" technology used in the game that recognizes the shapes and that objects that the kids draw and makes them into a part of the game.

This way the young players are constantly playing and creating a unique game experience for themselves.

Here are some links where you can see a little more of how this game works:

• "ItzaBitza" Game Demo
• The ItzaBitza Game Trailer
• Download a demo version here
• Sabi's website where you can learn about the variants of this game
• Download videos for your media player here
• A mom blogging about testing the game with here kids
  
  

UK Government seems to recognize that learners work differently

Although we hear more about the US education system, it seems that the UK government is building policy that recognizes that children learn using different mediums and in different ways.

Here is an interesting article about how UK proposes to teach children how to Twitter, use Wikipedia, and how to blog as a learning process. All that in primary schools.

Have a look at:

http://uk.techcrunch.com/2009/03/25/please-sir-how-do-you-re-tweet-twitter-to-be-taught-in-uk-primary-schools/

Once such collaboration is taught at primary schools it will rapidly change how an entire generation learns.