Educational LavaMind offers a number of educational learning tools for both teachers and students. Our business simulation games (Gazillionaire, Zapitalism & Profitania) are both "fun" and highly educational. They are now being used by hundreds of colleges & schools throughout the world, and Zapitalism was even bundled with a college economics text book published by McGraw Hill. Colleges & Schools Here are some of the colleges and schools that have purchased Gazillionaire, Zapitalism and/or Profitania. There are a lot more, but for the sake of keeping the list from getting too long, we can't include everyone... The Middle School, University School of Milwaukee Clemson University Navarro College Holmes Community College Chaffey College Pima Community College Lesley University University of Wisconsin-Platteville Seton Hall University Oklahoma Christian University Port Moody Secondary School Heritage High Voc. School Clearfield High Hallsville Independent School District Kenai Peninsula Borough School District Atlantic City Sr. High School School District No. 34 (Abbotsford) Center For Gifted Education East Surry High School Highland Park High School Parkston Public School Lahser High School Edina Public Schools Azle High School Unified School District No. 428 (Great Bend) Northampton County High School East Westmount Secondary Newington High School Del Norte County Schools Fitzgerald High School Weld County School District #6 Hutt International Boys' School Erin School District Fountain Hills Unified School District Peru Central School District Marion County High School Tupelo High School Kenosha Unified School Dist. No 1 Midland Independent School District Garden City Union Free School District Canajoharie Central School Academic Book Center East Richland High School Walkerville School Payson Unified School Dist. #10 Cherokee Central School Hopkins High School Lowndes County New Hope High Newington High School Mounds View Public School Warren High School Metropolitan School District of Martinsville Kirn Jr. High School Onsted Community High School San Ramon Valley Unified School District Spring Creek Middle School All of our business simulation games are Gen Y friendly (in fact, it's hard to get students to stop playing them), while at the same time the core economic engine has a solid real-world foundation. Gazillionaire Gazillionaire is designed to teach students business, math and economics. It's being used in hundreds of classrooms all across the country, including social studies, economics, business and math courses. Gazillionaire is a business simulation where the player runs a trading company in outer space. In Gazillionaire, the player must make decisions about supply, demand, profit margins, overhead, account balances etc. Because of Gazillionaire's built-in, "award-winning" tutorial with adjustable complexity levels, it appeals to a broad age group and has been used in a wide variety of courses. Download Gazillionaire & Try for Free! Download Gazillionaire Worksheets Zapitalism Zapitalism is a sophisticated business simulation where the student runs a retail business on the imaginary island of Zapinalia. Zapitalism is targeted at older students who are ready to explore more complex math, business and economics. If you are planning a lesson for your class or teaching students at home using the computer, Zapitalism makes a perfect companion to Gazillionaire. Once a student has finished mastering the concepts found in Gazillionaire, he/she can move on to the more complex ideas found in Zapitalism. Zapitalism has been used in numerous high school and college courses. Download Zapitalism Overview Download Zapitalism Worksheets Profitania Profitania is the most advanced of the business simulations. In Profitania, the player manages and operates a factory in a subterranean world. Profitania is the final part of LavaMind's business simulation series and is designed for higher-level students. We recommend starting with Gazillionaire and working your way up to Profitania. Both the game's structure and concepts are more difficult to master than either Gazillionaire or Zapitalism, making this simulation the most challenging of the series. LavaMind's Philosophy Our philosophy is that learning should be an interactive and engaging activity which stimulates the student's imagination while illuminating the underlying concepts. Our software has been designed to allow students to interact with a set of complex ideas in a rewarding environment that enhances the core curriculum. The simulations are designed to help students understand the fundamental principles of running a business by translating abstract concepts into concrete examples, such as paying interest on a loan or investing in advertising. We set the business simulation games in a fantasy scenario for two reasons. First, it eliminates any confusion between the fantasy world and the real world. Second, the fantasy environment stimulates the student's imagination and facilitates the learning process. Our goal is to make students excited about learning and get them involved in the subject matter. Another innovative feature of LavaMind's business simulation games is the award-winning tutorials. These tutorials are structured so that within a few minutes the students can understand how to interact with the software. There are no lengthy manuals or other documentation to read. As the students become familiar with the interface, the games gradually build in complexity. This feature allows the students to learn at their own pace. The students can also control the computer's artificial intelligence so the simulation feels just right for their abilities. In this way, the students can learn at whatever level they feel most comfortable. Because of the built-in tutorial, adjustable artificial intelligence and various difficulty levels, LavaMind's Learning Series spans a wide age range and can be used in a variety of classes. Generally, Gazillionaire is the simplest game and should be used with younger students, while Zapitalism and Profitania are more sophisticated and are targeted at high school and college students. Our goal is to get students excited about the idea of learning. We don't expect them to walk away from LavaMind's Learning Series with a set of memorized theorems or formulas. Instead, we want them to have a feeling for what those ideas mean by playing with the concepts in the game environment. That way when the students read their text books, they will absorb the concepts much faster because they already have a true sense of what the material means. Free Online Study Center LavaMind has created a FREE test preparation program designed to increase student SAT I, SAT II, PSAT and ACT scores. Our Online Study Center has an extensive list of features, including interactive quizzes, tutorials, frequently used word quizzes, critical word exams, vocabulary tests, and extended online resources. Free Online Study Center