Hello HN !<p>Thanks to the nice comments here. Very appreciated!<p>To add a bit to the discussion: we made 3 games so far, 2 versions of our algebra game and one about geometry (Euclidian geometry proof really).<p>We also co-organized Algebra Challenges with our research partner the University of Washington. As an example, one of those events, in Norway last year, gathered 36k students from ages 7 to 16. They solved almost 8 million equations in under a week.<p>We are not just app makers, we are more focused on providing tools and social innovations.<p>We would like to do coding one day, but first things first! Our next games are targeting younger kids and number sense.<p>Feel free to ask questions, or take contact!<p>Jerome, head-nerd @ WWTK :)
I expect I'm too late to the party for this comment to be noticed, but I thought I'd add something.<p>Some three years ago when a Wired article about this was submitted[0] I wrote an extended comment[1] expressing some concerns about this. The Wired article has since gone missing, but the HN discussion remains.<p>Let me say from the get-go that <i>anything</i> that helps get over the barrier for playing with, experimenting with, and generally messing about with algebra type stuff is a Good Thing(tm). I'm really pleased to see this here and doing well.<p>There is a comment here[2] that gives an instance of exactly the sort of thing I'm worried about. Kids could play the game for a bit, decide they've had enough, and then move on. The question is: will the things they've done in playing the game have a positive effect?<p>I can envisaged the possibility that kids that have played DragonBox and then moved on with get introduced to "proper" algebra later and not even bother trying too hard, because they'll think "I've done this, I don't care any more."<p>So let me say that I think it's important that these things exist, and I think it's great that they are being developed, and I really want them to succeed in their own right. But having said that, I'd be reluctant to herald games like this as the future of teaching math.<p>I'll finish here by quoting the last paragraph of my previous lengthy reply[1]:<p><pre><code> ... I think this is a wonderful tool, and it has the
potential to be a fantastic aid to learning. I am
deeply uneasy about the further divorcing of algebraic
manipulation from any sense of meaning, but I look
forward with interest to see if it can be used in a
meaningful way.
</code></pre>
[0] <a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4105397" rel="nofollow">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4105397</a><p>[1] <a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4106567" rel="nofollow">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4106567</a><p>[2] <a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9472466" rel="nofollow">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9472466</a>
I don't know about this particular software, but I'm not too sure about this whole "giving my kid an advantage in life early on" business.<p>I think there was a study done [1] that showed that love and security and the availability of parents and family mixed with a certain degree of freedom were more crucial to success later in life than skills such as math. It allowed children to explore the world on their own, but if anything bad happened they could always rely on parents to be there for them. To tell them things would be fine, or to put a band-aid on their wounds. This allows children to develop trust in others, self-confidence and a positive outlook in life. While at the same time motivating them to explore the world.<p>However, another very important thing was allowing the kids to join in when the family (or other kids) were solving a problem. This could be anything from helping with cooking, fixing something in the house or collecting firewood. I assume the benefit of this was not only practice of problem-solving and social skills, but also allowing them to develop a sense of self-worth.<p>(The problem is, I guess, that our modern world is solving all our problems for us. We don't repair, we replace. We buy solutions for things that we'd had better dealt with ourselves. And so forth. And that we put so much emphasis on self-reliance, which seems to be a good thing but in reality has serious disadvantages. I believe this is one of the big (root-) problems of our modern civilisation that nobody seems to be talking about, but I might be wrong.)<p>Furthermore, the ability to work on a specific problem _with others_ is a different from being able to do maths alone. It teaches all the right things in life.<p>So I guess the point is: If you want your kid to succeed, be there for and allow it to take part in life the way he or she choses to (all within reasonable limits of course, you still need raise your kids to be decent etc.), especially with others.<p>[1] wish I had a link.. :/
Is there something like this but for code?<p>I can imagine having some visual blocks and wires to get a wanted output image, and then gradually it could use symbols or function names instead of the pictures, or you could even go deeper into the blocks to get down to more lower level instructions...<p>Like Blueprints in UE4 : <a href="https://docs.unrealengine.com/latest/INT/Engine/Blueprints/GettingStarted/index.html" rel="nofollow">https://docs.unrealengine.com/latest/INT/Engine/Blueprints/G...</a>
Dragonbox isn't just for kids! My sister was studying for the GRE and struggling with the math section. For people who aren't as into math, there are a lot of things you forgot, and probably a few you just never learned right (for her it was fractions/division). She gives DragonBox a lot of credit for helping her boost her score, and she still plays with it from time to time just because it's fun.
DragonBox is the best. I have bought literally everything this company has created... and I will continue to do so.<p>Take a look at this video: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLA-fde2eR0" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLA-fde2eR0</a><p>That is the typical response to the game... My own boys were solving equations within a few hours... This is clearly how math should be taught...
There was an interview with the guy who made it on Quartz this week: <a href="http://qz.com/390854/the-video-game-that-teaches-algebra-to-4-year-olds/" rel="nofollow">http://qz.com/390854/the-video-game-that-teaches-algebra-to-...</a>
Funny coincidence - I was just reading about DragonBox this morning in The Game Believes in You (a new book by Greg Toppo about educational games) and here it is on HN! The book is a good read (so far) if you're interested in this sort of stuff.
Wow, I am working on something very similar... still in beta... it's here: <a href="http://magako.com/exercise/symbolic/eng" rel="nofollow">http://magako.com/exercise/symbolic/eng</a>
I have used this game with my 5 yo (now 6), and I can say that it is done really well, and kept him engaged. YMMV, but this seems like the right approach for math/edu apps.
I interned with these guys back in 2012 when I was a student. They are a really great team with an inspiring vision. So glad to see them here on the front page!
This looks awesome, but unfortunately I made a rule in my house that says "You can't play a video game in this house unless you are the one that invented it", so now I am quite conflicted...