Sector 33 Classroom Edition
Mindprint Rating
Tags
Skills
Mindprint Expert Review
Pros
- App has the authentic feel of an air traffic control monitor.
- Students are intuitively using important skills like abstract reasoning, spatial perception, and working memory in an enjoyable activity.
- Students can adjust the rate of the game depending on their needs, either making it move slowly in regular time up to 4x speed, so processing speed should not be a factor even though there is a timer.
Considerations
- Some students might not find the game play sufficiently interesting or engaging.
- Students with weaker spatial perception or visual skills could feel visual overload with the busy screen and moving circles.
- The feedback is limited and students will need to be good at evaluating and make adjustments on their own or might get frustrated.
Mindprint Expert Review
This unusual free app from NASA has players using visual reasoning skills to act as the air controller guiding multiple airplanes to a safe landing. Players monitor planes flying on different paths making sure they land safely within the allotted time and without flying too close to each other. They can make adjustments to the planes' speed or flight path to ensure they land safely and on time. The app has the authentic feel of a control tower, with tick marked lines and circles tracking the planes, the planes' flight numbers and speed, storm clouds where the planes cannot fly, and occasional voice-over that sounds like the tower. While some students might find the app dull and slow-paced, others might love the authenticity and the challenge of judging how fast the planes are approaching each other and how much they can reduce a plane's speed and still land on time. While students will not need to do any formal math, they will need to intuitively look at the tick marks and judge distance and speed. Overall, a unique and realistic application that can be a great problem solving activity for students who enjoy airplanes, space or visual puzzles.
Fun
Engaging for the Mindprint recommended age range
- Appropriate for a broad age range to use and enjoy
- Subject matter and problems are relevant, interesting and authentic to students
- Visually appealing to children in the target age range
- Provides virtual rewards or incentives after meeting specified goals or objectives
- Provides a "break activity" between academic problem sets
- Offers ongoing, progressive challenge
- Overall - Enjoyable. Given the option, students would choose this option
Easy to Use
Understandable for children in the Mindprint recommended age range
- Has a free or trial version
- Provides teaching guidance for adults to support the child and set appropriate goals
- Provides an age-appropriate tutorial/first time users can work independently
- Student should be able to use independently after first use
- Has a multi-player option to foster in-person collaboration or cooperation
- Multiple users can save a profile
- Student graduates to the next level or topic only after meeting a benchmark
- Can play without sound and not distract others
- Students can save work between sessions
- Can effectively understand and monitor student's progress (email report or in product)
- Provides options to play in languages other than English/Good for ELL
- Presents information in multiple formats (voice over, pictures and text, etc.)
- Overall - Easy to use
Cognitive Concerns
May not be advisable for students with the following cognitive needs
- Abstract Reasoning
- Directions may be confusing for students using independently
- Turn or quiz abruptly ends when timer runs out
- Attention
- Directions may be confusing for students using independently
- Visually distracting with too many pictures, problems or moving objects
- Flexible Thinking
- Directions may be confusing for students using independently
- Organization
- Directions may be confusing for students using independently
- Spatial Perception
- Requires scanning in multiple places for words, objects or numbers
- Visual Discrimination
- Requires scanning in multiple places for words, objects or numbers
- Words used during activity can be too small or difficult to read
- Visually distracting with too many pictures, problems or moving objects
- Visual Motor Speed
- Timer cannot be hidden
- Turn or quiz abruptly ends when timer runs out
- Working Memory
- Requires scanning in multiple places for words, objects or numbers
- Directions may be confusing for students using independently
- Turn or quiz abruptly ends when timer runs out
Manufacturer Description
It’s a stormy Friday evening in Northern California as the evening rush of air traffic quickly descends upon the San Francisco Bay Area. All flights approaching San Francisco International Airport from the east pass through “Sector 33” – your sector of airspace.
As the lead air traffic controller for Sector 33, you must merge the arriving planes into a single stream of traffic as they pass over Modesto, CA and line up for their final approach to San Francisco. Safety and efficiency are of greatest importance. The planes must be properly separated 3 nautical miles apart as they exit the western edge of your sector, and they must never violate the minimum spacing requirements. Yet time is of the essence! During the evening rush, planes must pass through your sector as quickly as possible as delaying one plane will cause a delay for all other planes trailing behind it. Can YOU handle Sector 33?
The “Sector 33 Classroom” air traffic control simulator mobile app is part of the greater NASA Smart Skies LineUp With Math educational product. Student workbooks and other supporting teacher materials are housed on the Smart Skies website at www.smartskies.nasa.gov.
Features:
- 42 problems
- 2 to 5 airplanes
- Speed and route controls
- Weather obstacles
- End-of-problem performance feedback
- Strategy review mode
- Create your own problem mode
- Extras: introduction, help, and videos