Mindprint Toolbox

Search Results

Please wait...

Bloxels Builder

Mindprint Rating

Tags

^Music, Art and Makerspaces ^21st Century Skills Social-Emotional Learning K-8 iOS App

Skills

Flexible Thinking Organization Working Memory Abstract Reasoning Spatial Perception

Mindprint Expert Review

Pros

  • Students can effectively produce, play and share their own uniquely-designed video games.
  • Design is through hands-on blocks on the board which will be preferable for students who sometimes need help with spatial perception or working memory.

Considerations

  • The app navigation is not intuitive, and not all students will be sufficiently motivated to watch the videos to learn what to do.
  • Students with weaker fine motor skills might need help with the small blocks or correctly positioning the iPad camera to screenshot the board.
  • Students who are not interested in video games might not choose to do this independently.

Mindprint Expert Review

Bloxels is a unique drag-and-drop video game creator that effectively combines digital and hands-on applications. The app is free but users must purchase the Bloxel Builder board if they want to create their own characters and scenes. The board is a 13x13 grid that fits different colored cubes which symbolize different elements in the game (e.g. green for grass/land, blue for water, etc.). The student creates avatars, scenes, etc. on the board, takes a picture of the board within the Bloxels app, and then is able to use the avatar, scene, etc. to create a unique video game. Users can animate the characters and make iterations on the scenes to build longer and longer games. Students will find that designing is more intuitive and easier to iterate when using hand-held blocks rather than traditional on-screen drag-and-drop programming tools, particularly those students who are not always comfortable with visual-spatial activities or remembering multiple step tasks. Yet students will still learn the same design principles as they develop and expand upon their creations. They are well rewarded by playing their own game designs and sharing them with others on the "Infinity Wall."

The app navigation and functionality is not intuitive, but there are links to clear, relatively short instructional videos when a student is confused. However, not all users will want to learn from the videos and they might need a lot of adult support until they understand the functionality and/or they might lose interest. Overall, an excellent hands-on tool to engage students in computer programming, but it will require a lot of initial adult support and encouragement for many students and those that are not video game enthusiasts might not want to invest the effort.

Academic Benefits

Improves academic skills

  • Provides sufficient and varied types of practice problems to maximize understanding and generalization of the targeted skill/concept
  • Manufacturer claims alignment with Common Core/Known Standards
  • Presents educational concepts accurately
  • Explains answers so students can learn from mistakes
  • Better for teaching the skill to new or struggling learners
  • Better for practicing or refreshing the skill
  • Skills are practiced through authentic, meaningful problems (not just rote practice)

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
    • Requires remembering and completing a sequence of visual steps
    • Students might need support with navigation
  • Fine Motor Skills
    • Requires challenging finger movements, motor precision or physical manipulation
  • Organization
    • Directions may be confusing for students using independently
    • Requires remembering and completing a sequence of visual steps
    • Students might need support with navigation
  • Spatial Perception
    • Requires remembering and completing a sequence of visual steps
  • Visual Memory
    • Requires remembering and completing a sequence of visual steps
    • Students might need support with navigation
  • Working Memory
    • Directions may be confusing for students using independently
    • Requires remembering and completing a sequence of visual steps
    • Students might need support with navigation

Manufacturer Description

Bloxels is a hands-on platform to build, play and share your own video games!

Take advantage of exclusive features including the new “Brainboards” with the Bloxels Video Game Builder Starter Kit, available at www.bloxelsbuilder.com and at major retailers starting October 1st!

OVERVIEW

Build your own video games with Bloxels! The innovative video game creation platform makes concepting and execution easy. Watch your game world come to life as you create and animate play spaces, characters and objects because you are the artist, game designer, storyteller, programmer, publisher AND player!

HOW TO BUILD GAMES WITH BLOXELS

The physical pieces in the Bloxels game set work with this Bloxels Builder app to digitize your creations, put them on-screen and make them playable. Use the 13 x 13 Gameboard and colored blocks to design a room, create the art for game elements and bring your heroes and villains to life.

When creating game rooms, each color in your design represents a different element, like terrain, water or a hazard. When building art, the blocks represent the pixelated image. Once you have finished adding blocks, snap a picture with the “in-app camera” to digitize your creation. Go from blocks to “bloxels” instantly!

When your game is ready to share, post it to the Bloxels Infinity Wall (Players must have a Bloxels account to access the Infinity Wall features – Parental consent required). The community of 13-bit builders can explore each other’s gaming worlds, playing games and sharing elements. Game developers earn coins when others play their games. They can then use the coins to buy content from other games -- you decide which content is shareable. The elements can then be customized to fix and mix into the buyer’s game. Let your game evolve, create new games and see your imagination come to life!

NOTE: The Bloxels Gameboard is not required, however some advanced features require the Bloxels Video Game Builder Starter Kit, available at bloxelsbuilder.com and at major retailers.

Learn more and watch tutorial videos at kids.bloxelsbuilder.com.

To download activities, lesson plans, and to purchase the Bloxels Video Game Builder Starter Kit at discounted prices visit bloxelsbuilder.com/edu

DEVICE SUPPORT (iOS 9.X & up)

iPad 2 & up
iPhone 5 & up
iPad Mini 1 & up

For the best experience, we recommend:

iPhone 6 & up
iPad Mini 2+
iPad Air+

If you are experiencing issues please email us at support@bloxelsbuilder.com or visit our new help desk at support.bloxelsbuilder.com. We're here to help!

Players must have a Bloxels account to access the Infinity Wall features. Parental consent required.