Reading Time: 3 minutes
HALIFAX — In North America, teachers and parents are struggling to keep their children interested in reading. There’s a fierce debate happening on the best methods to teach basic literacy to a generation raised on mobile devices.
But Olympian turned tech entrepreneur in Nova Scotia has developed a creative way to motivate kids to be engaged while learning reading comprehension skills.
Julia Rivard Dexter, who competed in the 2000 Olympics as a kayaker, is the co-founder of Shoelace Learning, which launched in 2019. Shoelace has created a game called Dreamscape, that aims to be as entertaining as a modern mobile game while encouraging children to thrive in their education. The game also allows educators to personalize a child’s education based on individual needs.
Shoelace has recently gained a lot of momentum, and money. The company just received $3 million in investment from a round of funding. Sandpiper Ventures, which funds startups led by women, was the lead investor.
Rivard Dexter started her education mission when she found out one of her kids was falling behind in reading skills. She realized she couldn’t just sit back and hope the education system would solve the problem.
“I always thought that school would figure it out,” she recalled. “And I realized in Grade 4 when we were told by the reading specialist that he was probably not going to catch up to his peers, that this was way more serious than I that I had thought.”
“I really got passionate about solving this problem. And that was back in 2014. There was a lot of work done to get to that launch in 2019.”
Rivard Dexter is not alone in her worries as a parent. She learned throughout her research that half of all children in North America graduate with below-expected reading levels. Latest studies also show that children are reading on their own time less than ever before.
Dreamscape is like many mobile games. It’s a strategy-based quest where you can build and improve your base, while challenging your friends and other players. It motivates children to learn and comprehend by using game triggers.
“We found a way to effectively use the game trigger so every time a child runs into something they want to do, they have to prove that they master a certain amount of learning content before they can do it,” explained Rivard Dexter.
Shoelace makes its money using a freemium model. Anyone can play, but there are certain advantages to becoming a paid subscriber.
Teachers who become subscribers can get detailed reports on a student’s skill gaps. That way they can personalize a child’s education. They also can do “class missions,” and reward the players for a job well done.
If you get a player’s subscription, the advantages are akin to those who subscribe to a game like Fortnite – fun enhancements that help personalize their gaming experience.
So far, Shoelace has converted 4 percent of teacher-users into paid subscribers. They hope to double that figure.
Fun is a keyword to what has made Dreamscape a success. Educational video games have been around for as long as there have been gaming consoles. But ask any kid who grew up in the 80s or 90s and few would have good memories of playing that genre of game. That’s because all the focus was on the educational aspects of the game, and not enough on the entertainment.
Shoelace understands that there has to be the right balance between engaging gameplay and educational prompts.
“We know that kids are checking out of their education, they’re not engaged in learning,” said Rivard Dexter. “And because of that, they’re not achieving what we need them to achieve by the time they graduate. We work with researchers on how to deliver on content most effectively.”
“How do you balance the game triggers in the learning so that it’s not frustrating or boring? Because if it’s just too easy or just too repetitive, kids are going lose interest.”
Derek Montague is a Huddle reporter in Halifax. Send him your feedback and story ideas: [email protected].
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