Mission America Takes Off

March 30, 2011

In 2005, ASHP/CML collaborated with New York’s public television station Thirteen/WNET on a proposal for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting entitled Mission America. This summer we learned that Mission America was one of seven interactive multimedia projects selected for funding among eighty-eight proposals. On July 30, 2007 ASHP/CML along with other Mission America partners (including Electric Funstuff, a Manhattan-based software developer, and the Education Development Center’s Center for Children and Technology, a leader in educational research) went to Washington, D.C., to give an in-person presentation to CPB and to meet other award recipients. The current funding is to develop a prototype of an interactive adventure video game with related media resources that targets middle school learners. In Fall 2008, this prototype will be field tested and submitted as a part of a proposal for additional funding to complete Mission America. CPB expects to select three projects for full funding. Work on Mission America is well underway. ASHP/CML is guiding content development and defining learning objectives for the project. The “Mad Tea Party” prototype will feature a young printer’s apprentice who must decide what role he will play in the Boston Tea Party- and then in the coming Revolution!