Video-game interface for Khan Academy ... built on Google Maps | Hacker News Reader

Video-game interface for Khan Academy ... built on Google Maps

bjk5.com

82 pointsspolsky9 comments

Bravo! This is really cool. The JavaScript is clean, a pleasure to read and a learning exercise in and of itself. Extra bonus points on the user interface, which looks incredible.

I just got into watching some Khan Academy on Roku and I'm loving it. I haven't tried any exercises, but this makes me want to.

Thanks! Check out Jason's work designing the UI here: http://shipordie.com/post/1670651184/first-iterations-the-ne... and let us know if you have any feedback. We'll be getting a bunch of solid data from real students soon as they use the interface in an upcoming school pilot.

I've long thought that Google Maps API was great not just for the maps, but for other uses. I did something a bit similar a few years ago for a university project: http://qut.rodh.org

I've used the maps API but rejected the whole maps/satellite imagery part of it, and added my own map of the university. In the back end the vending machine staff can move and place the vending machines on the map. It uses the long/lat functionality (but not the real long/lat values) to work out the closest machines to you etc.

The javascript isn't nearly as nice as the Khan Academy one (was one of my first Javascript heavy sites) and I'm sure there's a few bugs (site hasn't been used in years). Perhaps with HTML5 there might be better ways of doing this but Google Maps has a great framework now for doing some cool cross browser things.

Nice work!

Very cool. I love to see our API being used in creative ways.

Great write up, too. There are some nice techniques in here that would be useful for other developers (restricting viewable bounds, restricting zoom levels, custom map tiles, using custom overlays - MarkerWithLabel).

Pretty cool. What are the long-term plans with stuff like this? How is it helping education & learning? Because it looks like a game people will be more motivated?

Our current belief is that there are several game mechanics and game-like visualizations that will help students measure their progress and maintain momentum. We don't know this for certain, but there is already anecdotal evidence that these kinds of things are motivating students at the Khan Academy. In the short term, the plan is to collect a lot of data to see exactly how these kinds of features impact the students and teachers that use them.

Interesting. If you don't mind me asking, do you work for Khan Academy or are you just helping out on the side?

It makes sense that such an environment would increase motivation (and increase learning as a result). Our (I'm in the same field) goal with education technology is really the same goal I believe a teacher should have: to create and sustain the optimal learning environment to maximize student learning. Currently there's not much out there that does this well.

I'm interested in hearing more about this. Feel free to e-mail me if you want to bounce around some ideas!

Jason and I started out helping on the side and just recently began working full-time on K.A.

Always willing to chat about this stuff -- let us know what you're working on at some point.

this is better than anything i had imagined so far. blew my mind, awesome. looking forward to using the API.

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