Frequency 1550
Mobile learning in the city
Frequency 1550 is a mobile city game that uses GPS and UMTS technology to let pupils of the secondary schools actively learn about history instead of passively absorb knowledge.
The aim of Frequency 1550 is to bring the middle ages alive for pupils, within their history lessons. In 2008, the mobile history games received a SpinAward in the category best gaming concept.
In the beginning of 2005 Frequency 1550 was played for the first time. The reactions were overwhelmingly positive, as well within Waag Society as with the participating schools.
It was decided to play Frequency 1550 again in 2006/2007. The strong and weak points of this first pilot will be evaluated, so that the game was played again in an enhanced edition with 10 Amsterdam school classes.
Also research was done to measure the effects of 'gaming' on learning by the University Utrecht and the University of Amsterdam. From this research one of the results was that pupils that played the mobile game scored significantly higher on a knowledge test then pupils who had the same material in a traditional lesson.
In the summer of 2007 we could therefore again see groups of schoolchildren with their mobile phones in the city, sending their media to the 'Head Quarter', follow directions given and trying to solve puzzles and coping with difficult assignments.
The content of Frequency 1550 has become part of
at the end of 2009.
project
Games Atelier is a new educational tool, to be used in secondary education in The Netherlands. Within Games Atelier, pupils can can create, play, share and view their own locative mobile games with GPS equipped mobile phones and an internet application.
project
In 2009, it was 400 years ago that Henry Hudson crossed the ocean to search for a way to sail through North America. He did not find a way through, but did discover a fertile land that was later called Albany and which we nowadays all know as New York. In association with John Adams Institute we followed in the footsteps of Hudson, this time using mobile technology, in the educational project The Island.
