Today’s school children are likely more interested in social media and Minecraft than singing along to “I’m just a bill,” says Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation’s Director of Media and Relations and Strategy Patrick Riccards.

With the announcement of the new HistoryQuest Fellowship, launched in partnership with The Institute of Play, WW aims to use the power of games, play, and digital tools to transform both teacher practice and student engagement. The program will send New Jersey middle and high school history teachers to an eight-day summer institute to learn the ins and outs of using games in their classrooms. Riccards writes of the possibilities on his EduFlack blog:

“Imagine playing a 21st century version of Axis and Allies to better understand World War I. Imagine learning about the western expansion through a Minecraft-like platform. Imagine learning about the American Revolution by not only dressing the part, but actually role-playing loyalist versus revolutionary.”

You can read the full post here.

Nominations for the first cohort are now being accepted. More information on the program can be found at woodrow.org/historyquest.

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