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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">Hi! I just received the following promotional email about Contraption Maker which is free STEM software kids can use to make their own digital contraptions and share them with the world.
I thought some of you may be interested. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">This is not an endorsement. Please remember to follow your library’s policies to review all possible resources and/or performers to make sure they are an appropriate fit for your library
and community.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">For more information, go to:
<a href="http://contraptionmaker.com/">http://contraptionmaker.com/</a></span> <o:p>
</o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">Questions? Contact:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">Deborah Fike<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif""><a href="mailto:deborah@spotkin.com">deborah@spotkin.com</a>
<br>
Director of Educational Outreach</span> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black">Katie Anderson, Library Support and Development Services<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black">* Youth Services Consultant * Oregon Center for the Book Coordinator *<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black">Oregon State Library, 250 Winter St. NE, Salem, OR 97301<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black"><a href="mailto:katie.anderson@state.or.us">katie.anderson@state.or.us</a>, 503-378-2528<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><a href="http://storytimeoregon.com/community-partners/partner-downloads/"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black;text-decoration:none"><img border="0" width="173" height="124" id="Picture_x0020_1" src="cid:image001.png@01D015F9.5137DD40" alt="StoryTime_GrandeRonde.png"></span></a><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black">Become a
<a href="http://storytimeoregon.com/community-partners/become-a-partner/">StORytime</a> partner!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Hi Katie,<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">My name is Deborah Fike, and Jo Oshiro of the Oregon Department of Education referred me to you. I work for Spotkin, based in Eugene, Oregon. Our latest learning game, <a href="http://contraptionmaker.com/" target="_blank">Contraption
Maker</a>, is free to educators. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Contraption Maker provides a set of puzzles that are reminiscent of Rube Goldberg cartoons. Children use hundreds of parts like hamster motors, balls, and conveyor belts to fix broken contraptions. Moving down our knowledge funnel, kids
can create their own contraptions and share them with the world. Advanced students can use our
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ke5OpjVKQjI" target="_blank">JavaScript modding</a> capabilities to truly make the game their own. It’s an engaging digital sandbox that promotes creativity by experimenting with logical cause and effect consequences.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Contraption Maker was chosen as a <a href="https://www.graphite.org/top-picks/best-edtech-of-2014" target="_blank">
Best EdTech App</a> of 2014 by Graphite. We know Contraption Maker is effective in the classroom because it is the modern successor to a game our team built in 1993 called "The Incredible Machine” (TIM). TIM was used by thousands of classrooms with high accolades.
Many academic researchers used TIM as a model to successfully incorporate video games into classrooms. We constantly receive feedback from professionals ranging from medical doctors to computer programmers that they choose their career because they played
TIM. To learn more, check out our <a href="http://contraptionmaker.com/education/" target="_blank">educational page</a>.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Let me know if you know anyone who might be interested in free educational copies of Contraption Maker. We'd love to have more Oregonians using our software!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Thank you for your time, <span style="color:#1F497D"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Deborah Fike<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="mailto:deborah@spotkin.com">deborah@spotkin.com</a>
<br>
Director of Educational Outreach | <a href="http://www.spotkin.com/" target="_blank">www.spotkin.com</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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