Learning Through Gaming
2015-04-09
News
After seeing Tumo on CNN's "On the Road", John Gralyan felt inspired to come to Armenia and share his experience in educational technology with young people here. His first step was to enroll in Tumo partner Birthright Armenia's volunteer program, and he is currently in Armenia preparing to start his workshop on educational gaming at Tumo.
"Gaming and education are very similar, you have a goal and you must look for solutions to reach it," said John. With this principle he will be teaching Tumo students how to write desktop, mobile and web browser educational game applications for their peers. Participants will explore the fundamentals of programming through learning the basics of Java. They will then implement the logistics of writing games, and by the end of the workshop they will have created their own game based on their favorite school subjects. John said "Lots of young people have little interest in formal education. They are more interested in having fun and playing games, so why not combine the two and ensure that kids are learning core subjects while having fun?"
John was born in Yerevan and grew up in Los Angeles. Though his first love was chemical biology, after graduating from University of California at Berkeley with a BS in Biology, he fell in love with tutoring and sharing his enthusiasm for Science. This passion drove him to pursue a Master of Education in Learning and Technology to create better learning resources, like his open source project that focuses teaching math. He is also a biking enthusiast and wants to encourage an active lifestyle for his students.
John had always felt a connection with Armenia but had never found the right opportunity to come. He is excited to share his experience with students at Tumo starting April 20.