Field Trap Internet Coach

PC version requires:
486, Windows 3.1, 95, NT, 16 MB RAM, No disk space required, 4X CD-ROM, 256 color, video adapter

Mac version requires:
68040 Processor or Power PC, System 7.1, 12 MB RAM (16 MB recommended), No disk space required, 4X CD-ROM drive, 13' 256 Color Monitor

Description:

A Social Studies adventure, Field Trap Internet Coach was designed for primary age children, grades 1-4.

PREMISE

The adventure begins as one class takes a field "trip" to the Immigration Museum to learn how people came from all over the world to start a new life in America. The children soon find themselves in a Field Trap when CryptoMax storms into the room and announces he has taken control of the Museum and has changed history, so no one ever came to the United States!

How did CryptoMax do this you ask? Well, it seems the Museum has web pages about things that our ancestors brought to the USA. CryptoMax has removed all the operating chips from those web pages so that the ancestors never existed. As if that's not enough, CryptoMax has zapped the kids' teacher, placing her in the Internet.

After CryptoMax leaves the room, mumbling something about renaming the country "New Robotia", their teacher appears on the Kiosk and informs the class that CryptoMax has hidden the operating chips in the floor of the museum. The kids must find the chips and put them back into the web pages to save the United States. One student announces that though it will be difficult, they must work together as a class and save their teacher and their country.

GAME

The game begins as the students try to find all the missing operating chips. By clicking on the Kiosk in the middle of the lobby, a web browser opens to the Oak Creek Museum Homepage. The child will begin his search for the operating chips by clicking on the "Unlock" icon and then clicking on the key and lock icon to unlock the door on the Museum Security page. Click on "Close Browser" to return to the Exhibit entrance.

The children must explore all eight exhibit halls: In The Beginning, The Journey to Ellis Island, From Africa to America-Freedom, Liberty, Neighborhoods, Ocean Travel, They Came from Near and Far, and Why. Each exhibit hall contains five rooms where the child must find a key, an operating chip and a gear, all of which are hidden underneath museum floor tiles. Some floor tiles are trap doors that will take the child back to the lobby. Some floor tiles uncover orb blasters that will destroy evil orbs in each room that take your chips. The sixth room in each exhibit is the Gear Room, where the child will find the last gear and chip needed in that wing. Every exhibit hall works the same. If the child cannot locate a key, chip, gear, etc. they may return to the Kiosk in the lobby and access the Map to locate missing objects.

Once the operating chips are recovered (48 in all) they may be reinstalled into the web by returning to the kiosk in the exhibits lobby, opening the web page and clicking on the Museum/Culture Map icon. The child will visit the Middle East, Pacific Rim, Asia, Europe, Africa, the Caribbean, North America and Central and South America and learn about different cultures as they replace the stolen chips by completing a number of different activities.

Once all the operating chips are replaced on the Museum Web page, CryptoMax's laboratory door will open and the children will go through a variety of twists and turns to enter through the labs "secret door", where they pull a red lever releasing their teacher and destroying CryptoMax!

BROWSER

Besides all the fun kids will have retrieving and reinstalling operating chips, the web browser offers other adventures kids can embark on. Click on the Famous Americans icon and learn about famous Americans from 27 different nationalities. The Why People Came to the USA icon invites kids to click on different flags to learn more about the cultural backgrounds of the field trip students. How People Came to the USA icon will have kids spinning a time wheel to learn how people traveled to the USA. If kids are not quite up to reading speed, they can click on the Sound icon for audio. There is also a Help icon for added game information. To utilize the web page like a real web page, forgo the icon clicking and use Back, Forward, and Home, located in the browser, to do your moving around.

Features:

• Cultural and geographic diversity
• Map reading
• National traditions and symbols
• History of US immigration
• Game Format
• Provides a safe environment to learn Internet skills
• Uses a creative format to capture students' interest
• Follows National Council for the Social Studies curriculum standards
• No need to be Web-connected
• Offers a Teacher's Guide packed with lesson plans and Web resources

Technical Aspects:

Report and Conclusions:

Though the program was designed for children ages 6-10, four and five year olds would also find it enjoyable with parental help. My four and a half year old gets around quite easily with a little help from mom and dad. His favorite part is locating the "Kaboomers" or the "Orbs" and ridding the exhibits of the evil orbs. He also enjoyed many of the cultural activities. The older the child, the less help that will be needed from adults during actual game play time.