Game On: Florida Virtual School

Storytelling has long been an effective teaching tool. But the ability to pull students into the drama and make them active participants is an even more powerful way to engage them. Forward-thinking public schools like Florida Virtual School are putting pupils at the center of the action by making online video games a part of the K-12 curriculum.

Engaging Students through Interactivity

Florida Virtual School offers a course in American history taught in the form of a 3D online game called "Conspiracy Code." Students adopt the persona of a secret agent and try to stop an underground cell from toppling the government and derailing the course of U.S. history.

At the end of the day, I know my students are becoming excited about history.

The game is structured in 10 stages and taught over two semesters. To progress through the game and make it to the next level, students must build their knowledge of American History. By immersing themselves in historical events, students are able to develop a deeper, more real, connection to the content and achieve a higher level of understanding.

"Conspiracy Code is everything I would have liked to do in my brick-and-mortar classroom but didn't have the time or resources to accomplish," says David Wilson, American History teacher at Florida Virtual School. "It engages kids through game play, but challenges them to interact with history in the most creative, research-based methods available. At the end of the day, I know my students are becoming excited about history."

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