The NASA Smart Skies education project has released a new mobile
app called Sector 33 that serves as a
companion piece to the LineUp With Math
grades 5-9 classroom activity. In LineUp With Math, students learn to
solve distance-rate-time problems in the context of air traffic control using
print-based workbooks and a web-based air traffic control simulator. The Sector
33 mobile app is an extension to LineUp
With Math’s web-based simulator and takes on a game-like quality, giving
players both a stronger role-playing experience and a greater problem-solving
challenge. Sector 33 is designed to interest middle school and high school students
in aeronautics-related careers while connecting mathematics, problem solving,
and decision-making skills to the real world.
In Sector 33, the player role-plays an air traffic controller and
guides two to five airplanes through a sector of airspace by changing the
planes’ routes and speeds. The challenge
is to get the planes through the sector in the fastest time possible while
maintaining proper spacing. The game
consists of 35 problems divided among four levels (Trainee, Basic, Expert, and
Master), with the number of planes increasing with each level. Hints are
provided in the Trainee level to guide students to solve the problems
mathematically and systematically. Unlike
LineUp With Math’s web-based
classroom simulator, Sector 33 is
played in “live” mode without a pause feature, bringing more realism to the
game. Additional features include a
scoring system and audio feedback from the pilots as route and speed changes
are made.
Sector 33 is currently available for iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch mobile
devices and is free and available for download from the App Store. An Android version of the app is currently
under development and will be made available in the Android Marketplace later
in 2012.
To learn more about Smart Skies and the Sector 33 app, go to:
