Are you looking for a way to inspire curiosity, creativity, collaboration, optimism, and problem-solving skills in your students or youth group? Educational Game Jams do that and more! Games can help address real-world challenges, encourage systems thinking, and promote active engagement, making them particularly well suited to conservation education.
Game Jam 2021-2022
Game Jam for the 2021-2022 school year is a collaborative effort between ICEC, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Iowa Project WILD, and students from a University of Iowa College of Education class about applying biological and earth sciences concepts in an educational environment. These students are interested in the intersections between biological and earth sciences with social applications. The class is composed of pre-service teachers, scientists, and non-traditional educators. As a class, they worked with the ICEC Game Jam guru, Peg Steffen, to produce four new Game Jam topic resources: water pollution, endangered species, invasive species, and renewable energy. The students’ task was to create a resource where teachers could find support on rolling out Game Jams in their classrooms. Each topic includes instructions for the students and an activity guide on various environmental issues in modern-day society. In addition, there will be guides, external links, and resources for teachers to use along with or outside of the Game Jam activity.
Registration: January 3 – February 18, 2022 Registration form here!
Optional Q&A, Informational Webinar: February 2, 2022 at 4:00 p.m. Sign up here!
Video Submission Deadline: March 6, 2022
Virtual Award Announcement: April 6, 2022
Details for Game Jam on this dedicated site.
Thank you to our 2020-2021 sponsors, committee members, and judges!
The 2020-2021 Game Jam focused on soil. Teams were encouraged to incorporate field investigation data and observations, online data resources, and investigations in a new game idea.