This weekend we had the pleasure of hosting a field trip from the Pittsburgh Association for the Education of Young Children’s “Game On” UnConference.  About two dozen starry-eyed and sharp-minded educators descended on the IKS Titan to see how we blend STEAM curriculum and 21st century learning into unforgettable adventures.

Rather than simply tell them our tales, we let them experience the magic firsthand by assigning them roles and then dropping them into the middle of some of our missions.  Everyone had a good time, and I daresay they even learned something new!

Kara Eckert introducing the IKS Titan and the Shaler Area School District’s changing culture of learning

PAEYC conference attendees: a broad cross-section of early childhood educators

Kara Eckert, Assistant Superintendent at Shaler Area School District, was honored by the Allegheny Intermediate Unit for her use of technology in learning.  One of the notable examples of her work was bringing the IKS Titan simulator to Shaler Area Elementary School.  Congratulations Kara!

Full article

We’re thrilled to unveil a new video about Dream Flight Adventures and the IKS Titan created by Remake Learning and Matthew Day.

Check it out here, or on our Video page with all our other videos.

Today we were featured in Pop City’s article “Pittsburgh schools take students on wild rides through science, teach video game design.”  The article mistakenly mentions Shaler High School instead of Shaler Area Elementary School, but aside from that it does a nice job at showcasing our work.  Our simulator installations work well in just about any school setting.  Check it out when you get a chance!

Hello troops, it’s been a quiet past couple of months here on the blog, but things have been anything but quiet behind the scenes here at Dream Flight Adventures.  We have a whole bunch of exciting things to tell you about, but tonight I just have a quick update that our latest Dream Weaver Challenge has been posted.

Our topics this time are:

Science, Technology, Engineering, & Math

1. Water
2. Bees
3. Magnetism
4. Solar Energy

Last week I had the pleasure of visiting an incredible history site:  the world’s first atom smasher (particle accelerator).  Many years ago the labs were used by Marie Curie (pioneer in radioactivity), Frank Conrad (pioneer in radio broadcasting), and even Albert Einstein (I can’t remember offhand what he did, but it was famous!)  😉

I’d driven past these labs countless times and never even knew they existed.  They’re nestled up on a hill behind a tall wall of trees, and it’s been decades since they were last used.  But now, a local school district hopes to partner with Westinghouse and Dream Flight Adventures to transform these historic labs into an interactive experience like no other.  We can take kids back in time to the Cold War to work on the Manhattan Project, grapple with the Red Scare, and consider firsthand the incredible implications of Mutually Assured Destruction.  And beyond that, we can dive into the nucleus of atoms, explore radioactivity, and play with the very building blocks of matter!  Anything is possible with Dream Flight Adventures!

When and how will it happen?  It’s all too early to tell, but you can get the first scoop in a recent newspaper article about our schemings.

Hello troops, today we’re delighted to unveil our latest addition to our mission library!  Have you ever wanted to dive deep underground, explore subterranean wonders, or brave the brutal heat of a live volcano?  Well now you can, in Vesuvius!

Here’s the sneak peak:

Krafft Island, with its fertile volcanic soil and crystal blue bays, is a luxury destination for the rich and the powerful.  Everyone loves it—except for one man.  Dr. Ash Tephra, the world’s most renowned volcanologist, has long been outspoken against settlements on the island.

Using his own special research methods known as “underground volcanology,” Dr. Tephra has warned the government that a massive eruption is about to occur and that the island must be evacuated!  Fellow volcanologists using more traditional methods, however, do not agree.

A similar situation occurred two years ago.  Dr. Tephra predicted an eruption of massive proportions and the island was evacuated, but the eruption never occurred.  Angry citizens lodged complaints against the government for economic loss.  Dr. Tephra was humiliated and his reputation took a severe hit, but now he is making the same prediction:  an eruption is imminent!

The government is concerned for its citizens’ safety, but even so it does not want a needless evacuation.  To clear matters up the government has called upon the Infinity Knights—the renowned protectors of peace and justice throughout the universe—to help.  They must travel beneath the surface of Krafft Island, explore its volcanic conduits, and determine whether an evacuation is necessary—before it’s too late!

But wait, there’s more!  We’ll be play-testing this brand new mission at the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh this coming Saturday, July 13th from 10am-noon.  If you’re in the area and want to be the first to test drive this new mission please swing on by for the adventure of a lifetime!

Attention all educational revolutionaries, trailblazers, and pioneers!  Dream Flight Adventures will be at the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) conference this coming week:  Monday June 24 through Thursday June 27.  We’ll be hitting the workshops, covering the exhibit floor, and tweeting our adventures as they unfold.

Will you be at ISTE too?  If so, drop us a line and we’ll try to meet up with you there.  No sense in sweating to death in San Antonio on your own.  🙂