Osmo Coding Jam vs CrushStations

Explore the creative side of coding with hands-on music-making! In Osmo’s Coding Jam, kids arrange physical coding blocks into patterns and sequences to compose original tunes. The game comes with over 300 musical sounds to produce the perfect song. Kids can safely record and share their music with friends, family and the Jam community. “a STEAM-based experience that promotes creative problem-solving.” - VentureBeat “Osmo Coding Jam teaches children coding with music” - Forbes About Osmo Coding Jam: 1. CREATE: Kids 5-12 use coding blocks to create explosive beats. 2. LEARN: Kids get to know coding’s creative side while developing an ear for rhythm, melody, and harmony. 3. SHARE: Once they’ve composed a jam, kids can safely share it with friends, family and the jam community. Learn with our hands-on coding language: Research shows that tangible blocks are a game changer when it comes to helping kids learn. Each of our blocks is a programming command kids can use to create unique jams. As they explore playing with coding blocks, the volume of fun — and learning — gets turned up! * Requires the Osmo Base and Coding Blocks. Each sold separately or as part of Osmo Coding Starter Kit or Osmo Coding Family Bundle. * Compatible with most iPads. Please see our device compatibility list here: https://support.playosmo.com/hc/articles/115010156067 About Osmo Osmo is using the screen to create a new healthy, hands-on learning experience that promotes creativity, problem-solving and social interaction. We do this with our reflective artificial intelligent technology.

CrushStations is a game designed to train working memory, a subskill of executive functions. Working memory involves holding information in mind and mentally working with it (Diamond, 2013). Players need to remember the color and type of creatures to free them and keep them out of reach of the hungry octopus. How does this support learning? Executive functions refer to a set of top-down, goal-oriented cognitive processes that enable people to control, monitor and plan behaviors and emotions. Miyake and Friedman’s model supports a unity-and-diversity view of EF in that it incorporates the three distinct but related components of EF: inhibitory control, task-switching and updating (Miyake et al., 2000). What is the research evidence? Our research suggests that CrushStations is an effective way to train working memory. The study supporting this claim will be published soon. Research has found that EF is related to performance in literacy and math along with long-term gains in school performance and academic readiness (Blair & Razza, 2007; Brock, Rimm-Kaufman, Nathanson, & Grimm, 2009; St Clair-Thompson & Gathercole, 2006; Welsh, Nix, Blair, Bierman, & Nelson, 2010) and that disparities in EF among preschool children from low-income versus high-income homes may contribute to the achievement gap (Blair & Razza, 2007; Noble, McCandliss, & Farah, 2007). This game is part of the Smart Suite, created by New York University’s CREATE lab in collaboration with the University of California, Santa Barbara, and The Graduate Center, CUNY. The research reported here was supported by the Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, through Grant R305A150417 to the University of California, Santa Barbara. The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not represent views of the Institute or the U.S. Department of Education.