An online game about germs – “You Make Me Sick” is a game from Filament in which students take on the role of a pathogen and custom-design their disease to infiltrate a variety of unique target hosts. As they progress, they must improve their infectious properties in order to infect hosts that have progressively stronger defenses (like antibiotics and excellent hygiene), ultimately learning about the anatomy and function of bacteria and viruses and how they are spread. The game is available free at:

http://www.filamentgames.com/projects/you-make-me-sick 

Spotted in “Understanding STEM Education and Supporting Students Through Universal Design for Learning” by James Basham and Matthew Marino in Teaching Exceptional Children, March/April 2013 (Vol. 45, #4, p. 8-15); Basham is at jbasham@ku.edu.

From the Marshall Memo #474