Portal



//Portal™// is a single player, first person puzzle and strategy video game developed by Valve Corporation as part of their popular line of games originally bundled as //The Orange Box. Portal// and its sequel, //Portal 2//, are available for many platforms, Microsoft Windows and Xbox 360, Mac OSX, and Playstation 3, which allows for a wide variety of users.

The game itself tells a narrative story about Chell, a test subject at Apature Science, and GLaDOS, a possibly self-aware, artificial intelligence guidance system, that may or may not be benevolent. The object of the game is to successfully guide Chell through each level using strategy, logic, and a basic knowledge of physics, particularly Newton's laws of motion, with only a portal gun and the promise of either cake or death.

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"One of the biggest challenges in teaching science, technology, engineering, and math is capturing the students’ imaginations long enough for them to see all of the possibilities that lie ahead. Using interactive tools like the Portal series to draw them in makes physics, math, logic, spatial reasoning, probability, and problem-solving interesting, cool, and fun which gets us one step closer to our goal—engaged, thoughtful kids!" – Valve Corporation ([|learnwithportals.com]).
 * Portal in the classroom:**

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Links: Portal in the Classroom – Geekwire My U Daily Vol Blogs (University of Tennessee)

White House "Digital Promise" – USA Today Kiwi Commons

Digital Gaming in Education – The Education Arcade (MIT)

**Newton's Three Laws of Motion:** Interactive Game  1st Law: Law of Inertia – An object in motion, stays in motion until an external force acts upon it. 2nd Law: F=ma – Force=mass X acceleration or Force=mass X gravity. 3rd Law: For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Links: Teacher Tech – Rice University Portal can be used to teach or learn physics from a basic level and from a more complex level.
 * Understanding Physics with Portal:**

"A representation of how the [|magnitude] of [|linear momentum] is conserved through portals. By jumping into the blue portal, the character is launched out of the orange portal and onto the platform on the right" (from Wikipedia Portal Article). "A more advanced portal technique. The character builds up speed using two blue portals, to reach an otherwise unreachable area. The second blue portal is carefully created mid-air, after exiting the orange portal for the first time, destroying the first blue portal in the process" (from Wikipedia Portal Article ).

In an elementary classroom, Portal might best be used to understand the general concept of Newtonian physics (ie. the laws of motion). In a secondary classroom, Portal is a fine resource for more advanced application of physics and mathematics. The two videos below illustrate these polar levels of understanding.

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To download Portal, go to Steam.com and search for //Portal//. Using Steam has the advantage of allowing multiple computers to access the game. Each computer must be authorized on the account that purchased the game, and only one computer may access the account (and therefore, the game) at a given time. Steam stores the game on its Cloud, or database, so it may be saved and accessed from anywhere and any device.
 * How to get Portal:**

Original for $10

Portal 2 for $30 Portal 2 is NOT single player only. If using a video game console, such as Playstation 3, two players may play a split-screen co-op with only one copy of the game. If multiple copies of the games are used, players may play online co-op from any device. Another unique thing about Portal 2 is the free beta Authoring Tools available to all PC users. This allows the creation of maps, rooms, characters, and more.

Free Flash Version Developed separately from Valve Corporation, this free, online, flash version of the game still requires puzzle-solving strategies and knowledge of basic Newtonian physics.

Lesson Plan w/Rubric (Google Doc – ASU access only). Poll 1 – Which of Newton's Laws was most used in Portal? Poll 2 – Which level were you able to advance to?
 * Innovations Mini-Teach Lesson Plan:**

Lauren Williams and Allyson Seale
 * Authors:**