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This section of the V4T Project portal provides administrative information for the project contractual partners and for the European Commission and it is password protected.

Games

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This Section provides access to an Online database of:
• The best educational Videogames and mobile apps available on the market
• The most suitable Videogames and Apps that, even if not specifically designed for educational purpose, can be used as teaching or learning tools with students

Videogames and apps are categorized, analyzed and assessed in order to provide the teachers with all the necessary information and hints to make full use of the Videogames and Apps in teaching contexts.

Partners' Institution
Hellenic Open University
Author
Vicky Maratou

APPS/VIDEOGAMES

Image source: http://www.idownloadblog.com/2016/01/21/marcopolo-ocean-for-free/
Product type
Leisure App with educational potential
Name of the videogame/app
MarcoPolo Ocean
Name of the producer
MarcoPolo Learning, Inc.
Year
2014
How to find it
Freemium
Direct link if available
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/marcopolo-ocean/id797157312?mt=8
Main technical requirements
Ios, Android
Native Virtual Reality Support
No
Single/Multiplayer
Single
Type
Puzzle
Target Audience
1-5 years
Augmented Reality
No
PEGI Clasification
3

Use in Educational contexts

Degree of required tutoring
Autonomous use by students
Subjects involved
Natural Sciences, Languages
Other
Marine biology
Special needs
Learning difficulties
Educational Potential
MarcoPolo Ocean is an educational interactive app for preschoolers. Children can learn about Earth’s oceans in two ways: through build & explore puzzles or free play.
There are five build & explore puzzles: 1. build a coral reef, 2. build marine animals, 3. build fish, 4. build a boat, and 5. build a submersible. Children add parts to each puzzle and learn the appropriate vocabulary, such as fish body parts, aquatic animal behavior and parts of a ship. The app offers voice explanations so no reading is required.
The option of free play allows children to do several things: explore the ocean from the shore to the sea bottom, see how different sea creatures live at different depths, steer their marine vehicles through ocean waters and coral reef, add fish and other sea creatures to the water to see how they interact with each other, etc.
MarcoPolo Ocean creates a fun environment for children to explore and learn about the sea that covers so much of the Earth's surface, the animals that live there and the vessels humans use to explore it.
Learning Object / Suggested activities with students
This app can be a fun, interactive supplement to any classroom studying the oceans and ocean life. It could be used with students individually or in pairs, but groups larger than that are too large. Also it works well with teacher using it with whole class. Teachers can add actual small vocabulary words that can show up on the screen to help students make connections between the submarine, boat, coral reef, whale, octopus, etc.
MarcoPolo Ocean includes the "More" section under the Parent icon on the main page which offers ideas for extra activities related to the app. In this section teachers can find ocean book suggestions that could be used in class, three hands-on activities, field trip ideas and questions to start discussion, all suitable for children in preschool and up.

Skills and competences

Skills and competences acquired
This app is good for exploration and theme-based learning. Travelling through the oceans, children view different ecosystems, learn science and engineering vocabulary.
To assess students' knowledge after plying the app, a discussion could start about why a boat stays on the surface of the water, but a submersible can travel deep below the surface.
Additionally, teachers could create numerous matching tests with pictures or screen captures of the fish, corals, marine vessels and sea creatures included in the app and ask students to solve them.
Soft skills
Critical thinking, Creativity

5 Comments


Partners' Institution
Hellenic Open University
Author of the comments
Tseke Xristina

MarcoPolo Ocean is a pleasant and educational interactive app for preschoolers. It improves visual perception as children match the pictures with their shadows. It can also develop vocabulary.
Partners' Institution
Hellenic Open University
Author of the comments
Efi Manioti
This game can be used in early childhood educational settings as well in primary education, as an interdiscipline educational resource. Teachers can promote and develop student
Partners' Institution
Hellenic Open University
Author of the comments
Apostolia Evr. Charmani
MarcoPolo is Ocean game for early ages and teaches children the aquatic Kingdom. The children are listening and reading new words through the spelling, develop their vocabulary. The game is feasible to be integrated into the lesson of biology and in particular in the thematic section of the aquatic world.
Partners' Institution
Hellenic Open University
Author of the comments
Vasiliki Kontogianni
Marcopolo ocean has an interesting interface and attractive graphics. It can be used for engaging children in subjects such as environment and child, environmental protection etc. It promotes problem solving and critical thinking.
Partners' Institution
Xano Channel
Author of the comments
Ignacio Pachés Giner
This Application is specially suitable for young children but it's so nice that most primary school students will love to give it a look and play with it. Although it's considered a educational or leisure app, it has several elements of interaction that are taken from games or fun apps (like dragging and dropping). These elements make it much more appealing and some kids may event see it as a game. The lovely voice that comments the actions performed by the user or player will focus and enhace the learning as a result.

The game revolves around sea and shore objects but it's not limited to animals, geological objects or any special realm of things. The app shows anything that is related with sea and children can comprehend, from animals to submarines, ships, etc. And they are depicted with quite detail but the gameplay never gets boring

It's a great app that I'd recommed to anyone.


This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This web site reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

The V4T - Videogames 4 Teachers project © 2018