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125-464: The Blaster Learning System is an educational video game series created by Davidson & Associates and later published by JumpStart (formerly Knowledge Adventure) after the two companies were acquired and merged by CUC Software . The games primarily focused on mathematics, later expanding into language arts and science, and spawned an animated children’s television series in 1999 called Blaster's Universe . Starting in 2011, development of

250-555: A DOS, and with Wozniak inexperienced in operating system design, Jobs approached Shepardson Microsystems with the project. On April 10, 1978, Apple signed a contract for $ 13,000 with Shepardson to develop the DOS. Even after disk drives made the cassette tape interfaces obsolete they were still used by enthusiasts as simple one-bit audio input-output ports. Ham radio operators used the cassette input to receive slow scan TV (single frame images). A commercial speech recognition Blackjack program

375-630: A breakout cable which connected to the back of the card, the user could attach up to two UniDisk or Apple 5.25 Drives , up to one UniDisk 3.5 drive , and a DE-9 Apple II joystick. Many of the LC's built-in Macintosh peripherals could also be "borrowed" by the card when in Apple II mode, including extra RAM, the Mac's internal 3.5-inch floppy drives, AppleTalk networking, any ProDOS-formatted hard disk partitions,

500-1080: A browser or mobile app rather than standalone game software. On June 13, 2023, JumpStart Games announced the closure of the company and end of support for Math Blaster on June 30, 2023. The company officially closed July 1, 2023 at 3am EST with servers and their website also shutting down. No reason for the closure was given. Apple II , Atari 8-Bit (1983) Commodore 64 , MS-DOS (1985) Apple II , Commodore 64 (1985) MS-DOS (1993) SNES , Genesis (1994) Windows (1995) Macintosh (1994) Windows (1995) Windows (1994) Macintosh (1996) Windows (1994) Macintosh (1995) Windows , Macintosh (1996) Windows , Macintosh (1996) Windows , Macintosh (1996) Windows , Macintosh (1997) Windows , Macintosh (1999) Windows , Macintosh (1999) iOS (2013) Windows , Macintosh (1996) Windows , Macintosh (1996) Windows , Macintosh (1996) Windows , Macintosh (1998) Windows , Macintosh (1999) Windows , Macintosh (1999) Windows , Macintosh (1999) Math: The original game

625-501: A built-in BASIC programming language. The motherboard holds eight expansion slots and an array of random access memory (RAM) sockets that can hold up to 48  kilobytes . Over the course of the Apple II series' life, an enormous amount of first- and third-party hardware was made available to extend the capabilities of the machine. The IIc was designed as a compact, portable unit, not intended to be disassembled, and cannot use most of

750-563: A built-in disk controller that could control external drives, composite video (NTSC or PAL), serial interfaces for modem and printer, and a port usable by either a joystick or mouse. Unlike previous Apple II models, the IIc had no internal expansion slots at all. Two different monochrome LC displays were sold for use with the IIc's video expansion port, although both were short-lived due to high cost and poor legibility. The IIc had an external power supply that converted AC power to 15 V DC, though

875-446: A built-in music synthesizer that far exceeded any other home computer. The Apple II GS evolved the platform while still maintaining near-complete backward compatibility. Its Mega II chip contains the functional equivalent of an entire Apple IIe computer (sans processor). This, combined with the 65816's ability to execute 65C02 code directly, provides full support for legacy software, while also supporting 16-bit software running under

1000-641: A classroom environment; instead of providing information over an extended class period, games provide small amounts of information at relevant stages. Playing video games helps students with metacognition ; strong metacognitive skills have been proven to help with developing academic skills and allows students to learn about their strengths and weaknesses as well as increase their academic performance. Video games that are used as objects of study in classroom can enable students to be skilled rhetorical readers by exposing literature and language from different discourse communities and by encouraging students to practice reading

1125-421: A control group. To measure adaptability, resourcefulness and communication, there were self-report instruments given to both groups. Children of all kinds thrive during play-based learning. Children with special needs, be it physical or cognitive, often require different materials to aide their education. Many schools strive for the inclusion of special educational needs students within the classroom and now, with

1250-412: A few of the motor skills enhanced. These engaging and interactive games have the ability to teach kids about the some physiological functions of the body. One example is that these games can help show kids how their heart reacts to different activities by using the heart rate monitor within the game. One study took the game Semideus to see if it could help to improve performance on rational number tasks,

1375-547: A medical degree. One argument for possible negative effects explains how kids are already spending too much time with technology outside the classroom. It explains that over seven and a half hours a day are being used by children eight to eighteen on media outside of school. With the large amount of time technology is being used by children, this argument claims that the time spent on screens may be replacing critical face to face communication may be negatively affecting children's face to face communication skills. To find out if this

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1500-419: A mission, while meeting certain criteria. As a result, video games train a systematic way of thinking as well as an understanding for how different variables affect each other. Furthermore, video games can constantly and automatically assess the learner's ability at any given moment due to the software-based nature of the medium; modular education structures tend to deliver assessments in large chunks and present

1625-411: A modern way that is relevant and known to them. This form of learning enables an intersection between entertainment and informational platforms, creating a hybridized form of engagement with content. When it comes to using multimedia learning, students are able to receive information in a different way compared to the traditional classroom setting. Multimedia learning allows students to be more active in

1750-532: A multitude of programs developed under the CP/M operating system, including the dBase II database and the WordStar word processor. There was also a third-party 6809 card that would allow OS-9 Level One to be run. Third-party sound cards greatly improved audio capabilities, allowing simple music synthesis and text-to-speech functions. Eventually, Apple II accelerator cards were created to double or quadruple

1875-843: A new OS. The OS eventually included a Macintosh-like graphical Finder for managing disks and files and opening documents and applications, along with desk accessories . Later, the II GS gained the ability to read and write Macintosh disks and, through third-party software, a multitasking Unix-like shell and TrueType font support. The GS includes a 32-voice Ensoniq 5503 DOC sample-based sound synthesizer chip with 64 KB dedicated RAM, 256 KB (or later 1.125 MB) of standard RAM, built-in peripheral ports (switchable between IIe-style card slots and IIc-style onboard controllers for disk drives, mouse, RGB video, and serial devices) and, built-in AppleTalk networking. The final Apple II model

2000-490: A point that in order to succeed in the game, is to know the information, which creates importance to the player. The game needs to be as motivating as possible and should pose a challenge. The primary activity of the game should be interacting and interesting to the students. Games are about decision making, where you see what the consequences are and what feedback you receive. Games teach students about rewards, but that it takes some work to receive those rewards. The actions within

2125-469: A range of skills in undergraduate students, such as communication, resourcefulness and adaptability. One study showed that using a video game as part of class discussions, as well as including timely and engaging exercises relating the game to class material, can improve student performance and engagement. Instructors assigned groups of students to play the video game SPORE in a freshman undergraduate biology course on evolution. The group of students that

2250-420: A relatively limited picture of student progress. Multiple research articles have suggested that this mode of learning can be more enjoyable and show positive outcomes on student motivation, finding game was equal or more effective than conventional instruction. Video games such as Minecraft and Portal have been suggested as platforms for teachers to experiment with their educational abilities. Minecraft

2375-545: A structured pedagogical approach, usually orientated towards literacy and numeracy skills. One of the prominent trends in online education today is online coloring websites, which help children develop creativity and practice fine motor skills. For example, the coloring book website provides hundreds of images for children to freely color online. This is a fun tool to help children relax and learn through art. According to research, play-based learning can improve children's thinking and creativity, encouraging children to explore

2500-508: A time, by turning them over and notching a hole for the write protect sensor. The first disk operating systems for the Apple II were DOS 3.1 and DOS 3.2, which stored 113.75 KB on each disk, organized into 35 tracks of 13 256-byte sectors each. After about two years, DOS 3.3 was introduced, storing 140 KB thanks to a minor firmware change on the disk controller that allowed it to store 16 sectors per track. (This upgrade

2625-609: A useful tool for teaching students. If not, the probability of teachers' using games decreases. Commercial video games in general, referred to as commercial off the shelf (COTS) games, have been suggested as having a potentially important role to assist learning in a range of crucial transferable skills. One example of this would be in first-person shooter games such as the Call of Duty franchise (although these games are violent by nature, and they have been subject to massive negative reception by parents with varying justification). While

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2750-410: A variety of social, historical and economic processes. Examples: The games have been enthusiastically received in some educational circles and are mentioned in academic literature. A new category was recently started by Bot Colony (2013). It can be used to practice English dialogue by conversing with intelligent robots as part of an adventure game. Many titles were developed and released from

2875-758: Is a sandbox game in which the user can create objects using the crafting system , while Portal is a physics game : the player uses the laws of physics , such as gravity and inertia , to advance through the game's series of test chambers. Critical thinking and problem solving are inherent in the latter game's design. Both Minecraft and Portal are adaptable to some learning environments; for instance, Minecraft has been used for young children while Portal has been used by high school physics teachers. Portal 2 has also been used to develop cognitive skills in older undergraduate students, however. A 2017 study found that games including Portal 2 , Borderlands 2 , Gone Home and Papers, Please may be used to develop

3000-410: Is also noted that educational video games offer more interaction, immediate feedback, to both student and teacher, and more student control. Educational video games that involve aspects of reality, provide students with opportunities to be involved in an interactive environment that they would not ordinarily be allowed to participate in but from the safety of a classroom.  As video games spread in

3125-421: Is critical of the research that has been done on the educational use of computer games, citing their biases and weaknesses in method, which cause their findings to lack scientific validity. Games provide structure to problem-solving. This allows a player to "fail up", meaning that with the combination of challenging and fun and identity-building, the student will want to continue to persist on that problem until it

3250-430: Is not clear. Another source studied teachers using Civilization III in high school history classrooms, both during and after school. In this study, not all students were in favor of using the game. Many students found it too difficult and tedious. Some students, particularly high-performing students, were concerned about how it could affect their studies; they felt that "Civilization III was insufficient preparation for

3375-437: Is set out for them using their tactical skills. This allows for the military to show their soldiers how to engage certain situations without the risk of injury. Games of all types have been shown to increase a different array of skills for players. Attempts have been made to show that arcade-style action and platforming games can be used to develop motor co-ordination, manual skills, and reflexes. Many authors have noted

3500-433: Is solved. It is a productive failure. This may take quite a few times before success is reached, but progress is obtained each time and so is knowledge on how to solve that problem. Iteration and discovery become two major aspects to learning through game playing. Many students have a "sweet spot" for gaming, which allows gaming in education to be successful in terms of grasping concepts, while this can be more difficult through

3625-459: Is that they enable learning from the simulation while having no danger associated with mistakes. For instance, the Air Force uses piloting simulations in order to teach their pilots how to fly the airplanes. These simulations are meant to prepare the training pilot for real-world flight conditions while at the same time preventing any damage or loss of life in the process. A pilot could crash in

3750-651: The Boston Phoenix reported that " edutainment " games were a new focus area for companies after end of growth of the Atari 2600 software market. In 1983, the term "edutainment" was used to describe a package of software games for the Oric 1 and Spectrum Microcomputers in the UK. Dubbed "arcade edutainment" an advertisement for the package can be found in various issues of "Your Computer" magazine from 1983. The software package

3875-537: The Total War franchise or the Age of Empires trilogy and an in-game encyclopaedia like Civilization . These games often integrate education without being explicitly educational. These are games which were originally developed for adults or older children and which have potential learning implications. For the most part, these games provide simulations of different kinds of human activities, allowing players to explore

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4000-629: The Apple II GS , was added in 1986. It remained compatible with earlier Apple II models, but the II GS has more in common with mid-1980s systems like the Atari ST , Amiga , and Acorn Archimedes . Despite the introduction of the Motorola 68000 -based Macintosh in 1984, the Apple II series still reportedly accounted for 85% of the company's hardware sales in the first quarter of fiscal 1985. Apple continued to sell Apple II systems alongside

4125-607: The Apple II J-Plus (Japan). In these models, Apple made the necessary hardware, software and firmware changes in order to comply to standards outside of the US. The Apple II Plus was followed in 1983 by the Apple IIe, a cost-reduced yet more powerful machine that used newer chips to reduce the component count and add new features, such as the display of upper and lowercase letters and a standard 64 KB of RAM. The IIe RAM

4250-587: The Apple II Plus , Apple IIe , Apple IIc , and Apple IIc Plus , with the 1983 IIe being the most popular. The name is trademarked with square brackets as Apple ][ , then, beginning with the IIe, as Apple // . The Apple II was a major advancement over its predecessor, the Apple I , in terms of ease of use, features, and expandability. It became one of several recognizable and successful computers during

4375-544: The CBS Saturday morning cartoon Blaster's Universe animated by the Canadian studio Nelvana . The Blasternaut and GC characters were altered to be 12-year-old earthlings and Spot was replaced with a robot dog named MEL ("Mechanically Enhanced Lapdog"). The changes also coincided with Knowledge Adventure's rebranding of the full series and switch to identifying games by grade levels instead of age ranges. This would be

4500-480: The Call of Duty franchise itself falls short of actual tactical strategy or realism in depth, there are many games in the same genre (first-person shooters) from which one can learn key skills from the games: they stimulate the player at the cognitive level as they move through the level, mission, or game as a whole. They also teach strategy, as players need to come up with ways to penetrate enemy lines, stealthily avoid

4625-1079: The University of Utah , Deakin University in Melbourne, Australia, 2009's Annual Review of Cybertherapy and Telemedicine , University of Washington , Visual Development Lab of Ontario's McMaster University , University of Rochester in New York, and North Carolina State University . The researchers from these universities found that video games are therapeutic for children with chronic illnesses , can improve preschoolers' motor skills, reduce stress and depression, provide relief from pain, improve vision, improve decision-making skills, and maintain happiness in old age as well. One study suggests that commercial video games can help players to improve in certain skills such as communication, resourcefulness, and adaptability. In this study undergraduate students were assigned at random to be in either an intervention or

4750-653: The 'game' of higher education." However, students who were failing in the traditional school setting often did significantly better in the game-based unit, and the game seemed to get their attention where traditional schooling did not. According to an article on interactive video games in physical education, many of these types of games are not just animated exercise. Many have different assessments and scores based on performance of skills. Some have heart rate monitors and estimate caloric expenditure. Others are designed with enhancing motor abilities in mind. Abilities such as balance, hand-eye coordination, agility and core strength are

4875-404: The 1979 release of the popular VisiCalc spreadsheet , made the computer especially popular with business users and families. The Apple II computers are based on the 6502 8-bit processor and can display text and two resolutions of color graphics. A software-controlled speaker provides one channel of low-fidelity audio. A model with more advanced graphics and sound and a 16-bit processor,

5000-455: The 1980s and early 1990s, although this was mainly limited to the US. It was aggressively marketed through volume discounts and manufacturing arrangements to educational institutions, which made it the first computer in widespread use in American secondary schools, displacing the early leader Commodore PET . The effort to develop educational and business software for the Apple II, including

5125-401: The 1980s, the educational potential of them was researched. Its findings showed that the visual and motor coordination of game players was better than that of non-players. Initial research also indicated the importance of electronic games for children who proved to have difficulty learning basic subjects and skills. It also found that: One common argument for the use of video games in education

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5250-541: The Apple II could boot into the CP/M operating system and run WordStar , dBase II , and other CP/M software. With the release of MousePaint in 1984 and the Apple II GS in 1986, the platform took on the look of the Macintosh user interface, including a mouse. Much commercial Apple II software shipped on self-booting disks and does not use standard DOS disk formats. This discouraged the copying or modifying of

5375-690: The Apple II series looked similar, featuring much clean white space and showing the Apple rainbow logo prominently. For several years up until the late 1980s, Apple used the Motter Tektura font for packaging, until changing to the Apple Garamond font. Apple ran the first advertisement for the Apple II, a two-page spread ad titled "Introducing Apple II", in BYTE in July 1977. The first brochure,

5500-642: The Apple logo on the casing was represented using rainbow stripes, which remained a part of Apple's corporate logo until early 1998. The earliest Apple IIs were assembled in Silicon Valley , and later in Texas; printed circuit boards were manufactured in Ireland and Singapore . An external 5 + 1 ⁄ 4 -inch floppy disk drive, the Disk II , attached via a controller card that plugged into one of

5625-810: The Blasternaut character but would still be marketed by Davidson as part of the Blaster series. The first reboot of the Davidson fundamentals line came in 1989. The original Math Blaster was written in Applesoft Basic and the Microsoft equivalent. Under the direction of Mike Albanese, the Davidson programming team used Fig Forth to make a cross-platform development system; it was the first of many Forth-based products that Davidson would make. The 1993 release Math Blaster Episode I: In Search of Spot

5750-524: The Disk II became available in 1978, tape-based Apple II software essentially disappeared from the market. The initial price of the Disk II drive and controller was US$ 595, although a $ 100 off coupon was available through the Apple newsletter "Contact". The controller could handle two drives and a second drive (without controller) retailed for $ 495. The Disk II single-sided floppy drive used 5.25-inch floppy disks ; double-sided disks could be used, one side at

5875-461: The Gross brothers of Knowledge Adventure (now JumpStart), led by Barton Listic. Knowledge Adventure countered with a simple grade-based sub-division with their JumpStart logo. Eventually, Knowledge Adventure and Davidson were acquired by CUC International to form CUC Software , and the company lines were merged. Educational video game Educational video games play a significant role in

6000-658: The IIc itself will accept between 12 V and 17 V DC, allowing third parties to offer battery packs and automobile power adapters that connected in place of the supplied AC adapter. The Apple II GS , released on September 15, 1986, is the penultimate and most advanced model in the Apple II series, and a radical departure from prior models. It uses a 16-bit microprocessor, the 65C816 operating at 2.8 MHz with 24-bit addressing, allowing expansion up to 8 MB of RAM. The graphics are significantly improved, with 4096 colors and new modes with resolutions of 320×200 and 640×400. The audio capabilities are vastly improved, with

6125-608: The Macintosh until terminating the II GS in December 1992 and the IIe in November 1993. The last II-series Apple in production, the IIe card for Macintoshes , was discontinued on October 15, 1993; having been one of the longest running mass-produced home computer series, the total Apple II sales of all of its models during its 16-year production run were about 6 million units (including about 1.25 million Apple II GS models) with

6250-710: The Platinum IIe and II GS . Unlike the IIe IIc and II GS , the IIc Plus came only in one version (American) and was not officially sold anywhere outside the US. The Apple IIc Plus ceased production in 1990, with its two-year production run being the shortest of all the Apple II computers. Although not an extension of the Apple II line, in 1990 the Apple IIe Card, an expansion card for the Macintosh LC ,

6375-524: The basic nature of education in video games. Success at these games requires the player to first fail multiple times – this is the only way to learn the proper actions. These games also provide real-time feedback on how well the player is doing, an area in which traditional educational systems are lacking. The main advantage with video games is that there is nothing to lose from failing, unlike in real life, where failing usually results in negative consequences. Games similar in nature to Animal Crossing give

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6500-498: The benefits of applying video games to the curriculum. Video games created excitement, not for learning, but for the games. While there are people who do not agree with the idea of using video games in the classroom, others are open- minded to the experiment. Video games are an interactive entertainment. They promote intellectual skills that support academic achievement. In supplying students with educational subject matter, they demonstrated further advantage. Making use of video games in

6625-644: The characters was introduced in the 1996 title Mega Math Blaster (later rebranded Math Blaster: Ages 6–9 ), which served as a remake of the activities from Episode I with a new storyline, although references to the previous games in the series implied a shared continuity. This redesign would carry over into Reading Blaster 2000 (also rebranded Reading Blaster: Ages 6–9 ), the Episode II remake Math Blaster: Ages 9–12 , and three "Junior" prequels for children ages 4-6 focused on math, reading, and science. The characters were redesigned again in 1999, coinciding with

6750-436: The classroom is simply another technique to engage with students. A study was conducted in a "3 week intervention with game- based learning activities in eight lower secondary classrooms." The study found that video games are a motivation to the students who do not find educational settings interesting. The purpose of the study was to increase engagement and participation of students. Class participation increases retention of

6875-424: The classroom, it can be a challenging task. In order for the game to show achievement in student learning, the games should hold certain qualities. The development of successful games to promote learning requires attention to opposing factors. Creativity and inventiveness is needed to help the outcome work well and run smoothly. Games should take the opposite approach of drill-and-practice principles, as this simplifies

7000-568: The computer's expansion slots (usually slot 6), was used for data storage and retrieval to replace cassettes. The Disk II interface, created by Steve Wozniak , was regarded as an engineering masterpiece for its economy of electronic components. Rather than having a dedicated sound-synthesis chip, the Apple II had a toggle circuit that could only emit a click through a built-in speaker; all other sounds (including two, three and, eventually, four-voice music and playback of audio samples and speech synthesis) were generated entirely by software that clicked

7125-716: The computer's speed. Rod Holt designed the Apple II's power supply. He employed a switched-mode power supply design, which was far smaller and generated less unwanted heat than the linear power supply some other home computers used. The original Apple II was discontinued at the start of 1981, superseded by the Apple II+ . The Apple II Plus, introduced in June 1979, included the Applesoft BASIC programming language in ROM. This Microsoft -authored dialect of BASIC, which

7250-402: The creation of " serious games " whose primary focus is to teach rather than entertain. Psychologist [Simon Egenfeldt-Nielsen] researched the educational use and potential of computer games and has written many articles on the subject. One paper dealing specifically with edutainment breaks it down into 3 general categories to separate the cognitive methods most predominantly used to teach. He

7375-622: The educational potential of games like The Sims (for its social simulation ) or the Civilization series (for its historical and strategy elements), concluding that video games as a whole promote intellectual development, and suggest that players can use them to develop knowledge strategies, practice problem-solving , and can improve spatial skills. While specific video games have been used, other study-type games were created specifically to aid students in studying for educational classes. Video games have been found to be more engaging in

7500-504: The end of the rail – and read and execute code from sector 0. The code contained in there would then pull in the rest of the operating system. DOS stored the disk's directory on track 17, smack in the middle of the 35-track disks, in order to reduce the average seek time to the frequently used directory track. The directory was fixed in size and could hold a maximum of 105 files. Subdirectories were not supported. Most game publishers did not include DOS on their floppy disks, since they needed

7625-533: The enemy, minimize casualties, and so on. Players can test their usage of these skills using the multiplayer aspect of these games. These games also allow players to enhance their peripheral vision , because they need to watch for movement on the screen and make quick decisions about whether it is a threat, to avoid wasting ammunition or harming allied players. Other games, such as the Guitar Hero and Rock Band franchises, have been used to provide insight to

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7750-442: The errors within the game. It was like a puzzle." However, because the game was accompanied by additional exercises and instructor attention, this study is not overwhelming evidence for the hypothesis that video games in isolation increase student engagement. Students who have played Europa Barbarorum had knowledge of historical geography beyond the scope taught during the basic ancient history course. They were able to identify

7875-419: The expansion hardware sold for the other machines in the series. The original Apple II has the operating system in ROM along with a BASIC variant called Integer BASIC . Apple eventually released Applesoft BASIC , a more advanced variant of the language which users can run instead of Integer BASIC. The Apple II series eventually supported over 1,500 software programs. When the Disk II floppy disk drive

8000-675: The features of the later model Apple IIc ) and the Apple IIe Platinum (a modernized case color to match other Apple products of the era, along with the addition of a numeric keypad ). Some of the feature of the IIe were carried over from the less successful Apple III , among them the ProDOS operating system. The Apple IIc was released in April 1984, billed as a portable Apple II because it could be easily carried due to its size and carrying handle, which could be flipped down to prop

8125-484: The first designed for elementary school students. In 1970 Abt published a book on the topic: "Serious games: The art and science of games that simulate life.". Educational games became more popular in the early 1980s due to a number of factors. The video game crash of 1983 caused the console market in the United States to collapse, displaced by the growing home computer market. Further, the arcade game market

8250-461: The five days did much better in reading facial emotion than the control group. Many teachers have reservations about using video games. One study asked teachers who had some experience using games in class why they didn't do it more often. Six general categories of factors were identified as problem areas: Some teachers were more concerned about some problems than others. Male teachers were less concerned about limited budgets, fixed class hours, and

8375-456: The game need to be relevant to life outside the game, so learning can occur. Focus can most successfully occur when one is learning by exploring, operating, or interacting. Teachers are using games more regularly that focus on a wide variety of objectives, while exposing students to more game genres and devices. There is much more structure, which makes it a lot easier for the teacher, and the students enjoy it. Students have become so fluent with

8500-443: The game. Players may experience an increase in comprehension, evaluation, and deliberate skills that are gained from playing this animated game that sends out messages about cultural, social, or political practices. A research project involving positive use of video games is outlined in an article that focuses on studies that suggest there are health benefits to playing video games. This article presents information from studies from

8625-407: The games and limits the domains of knowledge. The three factors to keep in mind when designing strong and successful games are integration, motivation, and focus. In order for the player to progress in the game, they must master the learning goals and objectives behind the game. The game should be integrated with learning goals. In the content that needs to be taught through the game, it should be made

8750-447: The help of technology, schools begin to close the gap and give children with disabilities equal opportunities to learn and communicate. Apple II Apple II ("apple two ") is a series of microcomputers manufactured by Apple Computer, Inc. from 1977 to 1993. The first Apple II model , that gave the series its name, was designed by Steve Wozniak , and was first sold on June 10, 1977. Its success led to it being followed by

8875-425: The increase in activity that occurs during multimedia learning can improve the way in which students learn. Several studies have attempted to answer, "How and to what extent are games used in the classroom?" In one study, fifty-three Swedish ESL teachers were surveyed; the outcome determined was that video games in the classroom were barely utilized. Although the teachers were open to the idea, they did not identify

9000-500: The lack of supporting materials than were female teachers. Inexperienced teachers would be more worried about fixed class schedules and the lack of supporting materials than were experienced teachers. When it comes to educational video games and higher education, a study was conducted to explore the relationship between teachers' perceptions of the games and their use in the classroom. In addition, researchers were interested in whether factors such as age and gender may have an influence on

9125-648: The last time games in the Reading Blaster sub-series were released. Math Blaster: Master the Basics was released in 2006, featuring another redesign of the Blasternaut character, comic book styled cutscenes, and 3D graphics in-game. This version of the character would also appear in the 2008 Nintendo DS title Math Blaster in the Prime Adventure . Starting in 2011, development of the series focused on an online version of Math Blaster played through

9250-462: The learning process. One example of this could be students changing information in a problem to see different results. However, this is not necessarily as simple as it sounds. For this type of learning to work, students must have enough background on the subject in order to continue to build knowledge. Otherwise, students are not able to use multimedia learning as effectively. When they do have this background information, results from one study showed that

9375-571: The lines of the Commodore Datasette was never produced; Apple recommended using the Panasonic RQ309 in some of its early printed documentation. The uses of common consumer cassette recorders and a standard video monitor or television set (with a third-party RF modulator ) made the total cost of owning an Apple II less expensive and helped contribute to the Apple II's success. Cassette storage may have been inexpensive, but it

9500-490: The machine up into a typing position. Unlike modern portables , it lacked a built-in display and battery. It was the first of three Apple II models to be made in the Snow White design language , and the only one that used its unique creamy off-white color. The Apple IIc was the first Apple II to use the 65C02 low-power variant of the 6502 processor, and featured a built-in 5.25-inch floppy drive and 128 KB RAM, with

9625-407: The material. Encouragement for student involvement in the classroom is distinctly recommended. Some teachers have attempted to use video games within a classroom setting. There is some evidence which shows that for young children, educational video games promote student engagement. Video games are inherently incentive-based systems with the player being rewarded for solving a problem or completing

9750-402: The mid-1990s onwards, aimed primarily at the home education of young children. Later iterations of these titles often began to link educational content to school curricula such as England 's National Curriculum . The design of educational games for home use has been influenced by gaming concepts – they are designed to be fun and educational. Examples of children's learning software which have

9875-560: The most important stages of civilization development in the case of states of the Hellenistic era and were very knowledgeable about military history and history of art . This knowledge was in large part derived from the comprehensive descriptions included in the game; students also admitted that after playing the game they were much more eager to turn to books dealing with the given historical period. However, Whether or not this intention materialized into more reading of historical periods

10000-414: The opportunity for its players to practice multiple life applicable skills such as time management, materialistic value, investing in payment plans, skill building, and more day to day neighborhood based activities. The value of the cutesy, animated, animal characters who each execute neighborliness in the video game foster a friendship value that primarily focuses on the social practices learned while playing

10125-566: The original II in terms of electronic functionality. There were small differences in the physical appearance and keyboard. RAM prices fell during 1980–81 and all II+ machines came from the factory with a full 48 KB of memory already installed. After the success of the first Apple II in the United States, Apple expanded its market to include Europe, Australia and the Far East in 1979, with the Apple II Europlus (Europe, Australia) and

10250-404: The peak occurring in 1983 when 1 million were sold. Unlike preceding home microcomputers, the Apple II was sold as a finished consumer appliance rather than as a kit (unassembled or preassembled). Apple marketed the Apple II as a durable product, including a 1981 ad in which an Apple II survived a fire started when a cat belonging to one early user knocked over a lamp. All the machines in

10375-496: The player to learn to think critically while gaining knowledge of the environment. The player learns to solve problems through trial and error. Players are able to learn by doing. They learn by experiencing things first-hand and role-playing. These virtual environments enable better learning, collaboration, and enhanced practical reasoning skills. In some disciplines, games are being specifically designed to enhance learning in challenging concepts, such as anatomy and physiology within

10500-403: The results actually showed that it does not matter whether or not teachers perceive using educational games as easy or not. Instead, teachers that perceived these games in a positive way were more likely to incorporate them into their curriculum. More specifically, this means that the most significant factor in regards to if teachers will use video games is whether or not they perceive them to be

10625-405: The results, which has already been found to play a role in the context of video games in a leisure setting as opposed to educational. While there were no indicators that gender and age had an effect, this study introduces the claim that training programs for teachers in higher education should not focus on the fact that using video games in the classroom is simple and uncomplicated. This is because

10750-464: The rounded "a" of the logotype echoed the "bite" in the logo. This logo was developed simultaneously with an advertisement and a brochure; the latter being produced for distribution initially at the first West Coast Computer Faire . Since the original Apple II, Apple has paid high attention to its quality of packaging, partly because of Steve Jobs ' personal preferences and opinions on packaging and final product appearance. All of Apple's packaging for

10875-515: The school curriculum for teachers who seek to deliver core lessons, reading and new skills. Gamification of education allows learners to take active roles in learning and develop technological skills that are needed for their academic and professional careers. Several recent studies have shown that video games, whether violent or not can help children in the development of intellectual and emotional skills that support their academic achievement (Chang et al., 2009). These findings have made teachers all over

11000-407: The screen, with NTSC composite video output suitable for display on a TV monitor, or on a regular TV set by way of a separate RF modulator . The original retail price of the computer was US$ 1,298 (equivalent to $ 6,500 in 2023) (with 4 KB of RAM) and US$ 2,638 (equivalent to $ 13,300 in 2023) (with the maximum 48 KB of RAM). To reflect the computer's color graphics capability,

11125-526: The serial ports, mouse, and real-time clock. The IIe card could not, however, run software intended for the 16-bit Apple II GS . Mike Markkula , a retired Intel marketing manager, provided the early critical funding for Apple Computer. From 1977 to 1981, Apple used the Regis McKenna agency for its advertisements and marketing. In 1981, Chiat-Day acquired Regis McKenna's advertising operations and Apple used Chiat-Day. At Regis McKenna Advertising,

11250-405: The series focused on an online version of Math Blaster played through a browser or mobile app rather than standalone game software. On June 13, 2023, JumpStart Games announced the closure of the company and that they would end support for Math Blaster on June 30, 2023. The series began with the 1983 title Math Blaster! released for the Apple II and Atari 8-bit computers . The initial game

11375-421: The series sold 5 million copies. After starting off with a huge boom and providing the base for the establishment of a very successful public corporation, the Blaster series eventually fell victim to marketing cuts. In an attempt to sell both up and down the age group added more, Blasters were designed with increasingly thin, fuzzy and overlapping target age groups. Finally, the line came under fierce attack from

11500-437: The series, except the IIc, share similar overall design elements. The plastic case was designed to look more like a home appliance than a piece of electronic equipment, and the case can be opened without the use of tools. All models in the Apple II series have a built-in keyboard, with the exception of the II GS which has a separate keyboard. Apple IIs have color and high-resolution graphics modes , sound capabilities and

11625-459: The simulation, learn from their mistake and then reset and try again. This process leads to distinct levels of mastery over the simulation and in turn the plane they will also be flying in the future. The military also utilizes games such as the ARMA and Socom franchises in their training. Games like these immerse the gamer into the realm of the game and will attempt to achieve whatever objective

11750-641: The software on the disks, and improved loading speed. The first Apple II computers went on sale on June 10, 1977 with a MOS Technology 6502 (later Synertek ) microprocessor running at 1.023  MHz , 4 KB of RAM , an audio cassette interface for loading programs and storing data, and the Integer BASIC programming language built into the ROMs . The video controller displayed 40 columns by 24 lines of monochrome, upper-case-only (the original character set matches ASCII characters 0x20 to 0x5F) text on

11875-530: The speaker at just the right times. The Apple II's multiple expansion slots permitted a wide variety of third-party devices, including Apple II peripheral cards such as serial controllers , display controllers, memory boards, hard disks, networking components, and real-time clocks . There were plug-in expansion cards – such as the Z-80 SoftCard – that permitted the Apple to use the Z80 processor and run

12000-474: The symbolic structure of inherently consumption-based video games. The use of video games in the classroom is a model that has been used for over a decade, regardless of it not being a widespread idea and procedure in every K-12 classroom. Multimedia learning includes various visualizations that can be used by students to engage with the material and analyze concepts in a differing way. Multimedia learning in this sense, allows students to engage with material in

12125-462: The team assigned to launch the Apple II consisted of Rob Janoff , art director, Chip Schafer, copywriter and Bill Kelley, account executive. Janoff came up with the Apple logo with a bite out of it. The design was originally an olive green with matching company logotype all in lowercase. Steve Jobs insisted on promoting the color capability of the Apple II by putting rainbow stripes on the Apple logo. In its letterhead and business card implementation,

12250-511: The traditional blackboard for the Smart Board , bringing technology into the classroom. As we move forward into the digital age, most schools provide lessons on computer literacy to ensure students are fluent when it comes to technology. Likewise, the use of well-designed educational video games delivers game based learning that can motivate students to participate more enthusiastically in subjects, including those that are often less popular. It

12375-424: The understanding of whole numbers and mathematical thinking in general. The study concluded if kids were introduced to games that have math well integrated into the gameplay then it kids then it will help them with their skills. The study recommended that the teacher be involved in the game based learning to improve its effectiveness in the students learning. According to journal article, simulation video games makes

12500-456: The use of a book. Students may not even realize that they are learning through a game. Games need to include novelty. Unexpected occurrences and challenging choices allow the player to want to keep playing. Having a story or narrative in the game is what can really suck a player into the game. It allows for continuous feedback and challenges at the right level of difficulty, while avoiding frustration. When developing successful learning games for

12625-451: The use of online tools. Learning data can be generated from the use of online games, which allow the teacher to have insight on the knowledge the children have obtained, and what needs improvement; this can then help a teacher with their curriculum and teaching. A nationwide study of 488 K–12 teachers in the United States found that, as of 2013, over half were using digital games in the classroom weekly. Most classrooms nowadays have replaced

12750-423: The world around them more naturally. Hirsh-Pasek is a famous researcher in the field of child psychology and education. She is one of the advocates of integrating learning through play into the curriculum, emphasizing that children learn better when participating in interesting and interactive activities . The early mainframe game The Sumerian Game (1964) was, while not the first resource management game ,

12875-511: The world recognize the numerous benefits of gaming and to include educational video game learning in their curricula. Educational video games can be categorized into two classes: Most educational and edutainment games are purposely developed for use within the classroom or at home to teach students. However, a number of core video games which were not purposely built for educational purposes have found use for education. Such games include strategy war games that include historical references, like

13000-509: Was also slow and unreliable. The Apple II's lack of a disk drive was "a glaring weakness" in what was otherwise intended to be a polished, professional product. Recognizing that the II needed a disk drive to be taken seriously, Apple set out to develop a disk drive and a DOS to run it. Wozniak spent the 1977 Christmas holidays designing a disk controller that reduced the number of chips used by a factor of 10 compared to existing controllers. Still lacking

13125-422: Was assigned to play SPORE and complete related exercises, in a total of five sessions throughout the semester, had average class scores about 4% higher than the non-gaming group. The game's inaccuracies helped to stimulate critical thinking in students; one student said it helped her understand "the fine parts of natural selection , artificial selection , survival of the fittest , and genetic diversity because of

13250-479: Was available from Telford ITEC a government-sponsored training program. The originator of the name was Chris Harvey who worked at ITEC at the time. Since then, many other computer games such as Electronic Arts 's Seven Cities of Gold , released in 1984, have also used edutainment as a descriptive term. Most edutainment games seek to teach players by employing a game-based learning approach. Criticism as to which video games can be considered educational has led to

13375-508: Was available, after some user-specific voice training it would recognize simple commands (Hit, stand). Bob Bishop's "Music Kaleidoscope" was a simple program that monitored the cassette input port and based on zero-crossings created color patterns on the screen, a predecessor to current audio visualization plug-ins for media players. Music Kaleidoscope was especially popular on projection TV sets in dance halls. Apple and many third-party developers made software available on tape at first, but after

13500-431: Was configured as if it were a 48 KB Apple II Plus with a language card. The machine had no slot 0, but instead had an auxiliary slot that could accept a 1 KB memory card to enable the 80-column display. This card contained only RAM; the hardware and firmware for the 80-column display was built into the Apple IIe. An "extended 80-column card" with more memory increased the machine's RAM to 128 KB. The Apple IIe

13625-491: Was entitled "Simplicity" and the copy in both the ad and brochure pioneered "demystifying" language intended to make the new idea of a home computer more "personal." The Apple II introduction ad was later run in the September 1977 issue of Scientific American . Apple later aired eight television commercials for the Apple II GS , emphasizing its benefits to education and students, along with some print ads. The Apple II

13750-527: Was frequently cloned, both in the United States and abroad, in a similar way to the IBM PC. According to some sources (see below), more than 190 different models of Apple II clones were manufactured. Most could not be legally imported into the United States. Apple sued and sought criminal charges against clone makers in more than a dozen countries. Originally the Apple II used Compact Cassette tapes for program and data storage. A dedicated tape recorder along

13875-419: Was partially affected by the crash, but also had become stigmatized by a new moral panic around video game arcades due to perceived connections to violence and video game addiction. Computer game developers looked to take advantage of the situation by creating education games for home computer systems which would not only satisfy children's entertainment but would please parents and educators. In September 1983

14000-529: Was ported to other platforms and received gradual improvements to graphics and sound, with "Plus" added to the title in 1987 and "New" in 1990. The initial release was a collection of four unrelated activities with a space theme, with later versions connecting the activities with a simple narrative and introducing the character Blasternaut. Spin-offs intended for older children included Alge-Blaster! in 1985 and Math Blaster Mystery in 1989. These titles, along with their 1990s remakes and sequels, would not follow

14125-473: Was possible for software developers to create a DOS 3.2 disk which would also boot on a system with DOS 3.3 firmware. Later, double-sided drives, with heads to read both sides of the disk, became available from third-party companies. (Apple only produced double-sided 5.25-inch disks for the Lisa 1 computer). On a DOS 3.x disk, tracks 0, 1, and most of track 2 were reserved to store the operating system. (It

14250-420: Was possible, with a special utility, to reclaim most of this space for data if a disk did not need to be bootable.) A short ROM program on the disk controller had the ability to seek to track zero – which it did without regard for the read/write head's current position, resulting in the characteristic "chattering" sound of a Disk II boot, which was the read/write head hitting the rubber stop block at

14375-493: Was praised by InfoWorld for its high resolution graphics, and considered it a standout title in the drill-and-practice edutainment video game genre. II Computing listed Math Blaster second on the magazine's list of top Apple II education software as of late 1985, based on sales and market-share data. New Math Blaster Plus was reviewed in the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Guide Book where it

14500-588: Was praised for its "arcade-quality graphics [making] drills snappy and entertaining". Math Blaster Episode I: In Search of Spot was rated as one of the top 100 CD-ROM games of 1994 in PC Magazine . Math Blaster Mystery: The Great Brain Robbery was given a 4 out of 4 star rating by the Home PC magazine adding that "most games aren't educational AND fun, but Math Blaster Mystery is both". By June 1997,

14625-502: Was previously available as an upgrade, supported floating-point arithmetic, and became the standard BASIC dialect on the Apple II series (though it ran at a noticeably slower speed than Steve Wozniak's Integer BASIC). Except for improved graphics and disk-booting support in the ROM, and the removal of the 2k 6502 assembler to make room for the floating point BASIC, the II+ was otherwise identical to

14750-417: Was released in 1978, a new operating system, Apple DOS , was commissioned from Shepardson Microsystems and developed by Paul Laughton, adding support for the disk drive. The final and most popular version of this software was Apple DOS 3.3. Apple DOS was superseded by ProDOS , which supported a hierarchical file-system and larger storage devices. With an optional third-party Z80 -based expansion card ,

14875-477: Was released. Essentially a miniaturized Apple IIe computer on a card (using the Mega II chip from the Apple II GS ), it allowed the Macintosh to run 8-bit Apple IIe software through hardware emulation , with an option to run at roughly double the speed of the original IIe (about 1.8 MHz). However, the video output was emulated in software, and, depending on how much of the screen the currently running program

15000-491: Was the Apple IIc Plus introduced in 1988. It was the same size and shape as the IIc that came before it, but the 5.25-inch floppy drive had been replaced with a 3 + 1 ⁄ 2 -inch drive, the power supply was moved inside the case, and the processor was a fast 4 MHz 65C02 processor that actually ran 8-bit Apple II software faster than the II GS . The IIc Plus also featured a new keyboard layout that matched

15125-526: Was the first in the series to feature a storyline told through animated cutscenes and voice acting. The version of Blasternaut seen in this game, as well as his robot companion Spot and supervisor Galactic Commander (GC), would become recurring characters seen in the 1994 sequels Reading Blaster: Invasion of the Word Snatchers and Math Blaster Episode II: Secret of the Lost City . A redesign of

15250-486: Was the most popular machine in the Apple II series. It has the distinction of being the longest-lived Apple computer of all time—it was manufactured and sold with only minor changes for nearly 11 years. The IIe was the last Apple II model to be sold, and was discontinued in November 1993. During its lifespan two variations were introduced: the Apple IIe Enhanced (four replacement chips to give it some of

15375-478: Was true or not an experiment was done where two groups were taken from the same school. One group went to a camp where they had many different bonding activities without access to a screen throughout the course of five days. While the second group remained at school and were allowed to use their screens how they normally do. To test their face to face communication skills both groups took pre and post tests for comparison. The results suggested that those who went away for

15500-524: Was trying to update in a single frame, performance could be much slower compared to a real IIe. This is due to the fact that writes from the 65C02 on the IIe Card to video memory were caught by the additional hardware on the card, so the video emulation software running on the Macintosh side could process that write and update the video display. But, while the Macintosh was processing video updates, execution of Apple II code would be temporarily halted. With

15625-470: Was user-installable as two PROMs on older controllers.) After the release of DOS 3.3, the user community discontinued use of DOS 3.2 except for running legacy software. Programs that required DOS 3.2 were fairly rare; however, as DOS 3.3 was not a major architectural change aside from the number of sectors per track, a program called MUFFIN was provided with DOS 3.3 to allow users to copy files from DOS 3.2 disks to DOS 3.3 disks. It

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