The February 2008 Vicinity Magazine (distribution in Union County) featured a story titled Students, Science and Success. The article highlighted the use of River City at Ridge High School in Basking Ridge, NJ. River City is a simulation built in the 3D space Active Worlds and challenges students to find a solution to what is making an 1800's river town sick. River City was introduced to students through a collaboration between Ridge High School and the TLT Center. Heidi Trotta, Instructional Designer, first engaged the high school in the use of this virtual world while exploring opportunities to "Bridge the Gap" between high school and college (2006 FIG grant).
The article highlights comments from both the student and faculty persective:
Ridge senior Brad Harabedian, who participated last year, said, "It was fun and also taught me a lot. I learned problem-solving, and learned how what we do impacts the environment.""It's problem-based learning, which means there's no 'right' answer." Raymond Schnell, Environmental Science teacher, adds. "The students must observe, gather scientific data, make recommendations, form a conclusion - and then stand on their own merits. It brings them to a completely different level in their learning."
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