Education for renewable energy – Helping climate change
Help students learn about renewable energy through gamification.
Activity Duration
30 – 60 Minutes
Preparation Time
5 Minutes
Estimated Cost of Materials
US $0
Audience Age
2+
Topic
Geospatial data, Environment, Sustainability, Renewable energy
Languages
English
Details
IBM Environmental Intelligence Suite includes a geospatial analytics repository to develop apps/services that can help create awareness on climate change. This tool helps to create stories to help younger generations understand the challenges humanity will face. Geodudes' Wind Farm game will allow participants to get a better understanding of how windmill farms generate power. Which in turn will help them better understand the impact of renewable energies.
IBMers, be sure to log your volunteer time in the IBM Volunteering & Giving Portal, so you can qualify for IBM Volunteer Grants and double your impact. Record your hours here.
This activity kit will require the following resources:
- Internet access
- Web browser
Instructions
Learn more about climate change.
Learn more about renewable energy.
Learn more about energy production in the United States of America.
Students access our game on a website with an internet-enabled device
Teachers walk students through a lesson that sets up the scenario for the game found when they first arrive on the website.
The instructor should read through the lesson "Windpower 101" (if the link does not work, look at the attached word document ‘windpower101.docx’) as this is what is being presented to participants before the game begins. If desired, the instructor may have a question and answer session with participants after presenting the lesson to them.
A brief overview of how the game works:
1. At the beginning of the game, participants select a US state of their choice.
2. Students must work quickly to “generate” as much of their selected state’s wind power capacity as possible within a minute.
3. Participants will be scored on a leaderboard amongst their classmates based on the power that they generated for their state using theoretical yield.
4. Players will gain a better understanding of what can be powered by wind and how much wind each state produces.
Prompt students to go to ibm.org/geodudes-windmill-power from their web-enabled device
The instructor will walk students through the lesson "Windpower 101" (if the link does not work, look at the attached word document ‘windpower101.docx’) which sets up the scenario for the game.
The instructor should prompt the students to start the game; beginning with participants selecting a username and a US state of their choice.
The instructor should explain that the game is played by quickly tapping/clicking on the animated windmill to "generate" windpower. The object of this game is to work quickly to “generate” as much of their selected state’s wind power capacity as possible within the allocated time limit.
The instructor should explain that there is a leaderboard of all participants who played in a round.
At the end of each round, the instructor must decide is they want to do another round; if they do, participants must choose a new username.
