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Content archived on 2024-05-18
Application of new technology to increase access to the cultural heritage of St Albans

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Education becomes serious fun

Gaming technology incorporated with educational facilities is both an interesting and effective platform for bringing subject material to life. Not all students thrive in a strict classroom environment, requiring constant stimulation in order to assimilate the lessons in class. Newly developed technologies bring entertainment to the forefront of education.

The game, the lesson and the know-how to make it all happen are the focal points of technology developed by a British company. In an effort to make education, in this case the history of St. Albans, more dynamic and appealing, they've developed a game about St. Albans based on Flash and Macromedia Flash MX technologies. Students go through four eras as the game progresses namely Roman, Saxon and Viking, Medieval and finally Tudor and Victorian, a time period spanning almost 2000 years. During these times, they learn a variety of information ranging from medical ailments and treatments to transportation methods and historical adversaries. This multi-player facility can be played online from anywhere in the world and has an intuitive interface that can be utilised by children as young as six years old. 'Edutainment' is a fledgling enterprise, but given the success of interactive entertainment on line, they should see more exiting developments in the foreseeable future. As such the team developing this 'edutainment' feature look forward to expanding the game with more advanced features. Widely tested in schools, the game has received encouraging results from both educators and students alike. Result trials are available for demonstration and the developers are looking for further research and development support.

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