Wild for Water

Did you know that if the ice in Antarctica would melt, it is believed that the sea would rise by 70 meters? (Solem & Letnes, 2007) And did you know that South Sudan has a lot of water resources, however, 30% of the population has to walk more than 30 minutes to get fresh water? (European Commission, 2012) Water is our most valuable resource and we are all equally depending on a supply of fresh water to survive. Our team wanted to create an educational online game to raise the awareness of children and young adults (5th, 6th and 7th grade, 11-13 years old) about water issues concerning people all around the world. "Wild for Water" provides information about water in a pedagogically adequate way and covers many of the learning goals of the intermediate stage in primary school. Users can explore an interactive world map and read about the water situation in various countries, answer questions and provide water resources to the countries. Good distribution of the right resources will be rewarded with points The game has been tried out at two schools and evaluated by both students and teachers. Based on the evaluations from the 5th graders, it turns out that "Wild for Water" increased the fun component for the pupils during learning. By using digital tools to create an interaction between the learner, the computer and the information embedded, "Wild for Water" is a creative alternative to the traditional whiteboard teaching. Young students can be able to achieve knowledge about the water situation in several parts of the world and will hopefully be curious to study water issues in a wider perspective. We believe this is vital in order to heighten upcoming generations' level of global understanding. Confronting young students with this type of knowledge might give future world citizens and potential decisionmakers inspiration to study these important matters in a wider perspective.