Day 1 - What are Viruses?: DNA and RNA are critical to viruses and the method they use to replicate within cells. To demonstrate the manner in which viruses replicate, students will take on a role of a virus in Minecraft and participate in a fun group activity!

Day 2 - How Viruses Work?: Did you know there are different types of viruses? In this class, we’ll explore how viruses travel and spread locally. We’ll visit virus models in Minecraft and design a unique one based on what we know about viruses.

Day 3 - Transmission, Protection, and Infection: To spread from host to host, viruses rely on multiple modes of transportation. It’s crucial to be able to identify the ways we can protect ourselves from infections. In this class, we’ll investigate this topic through mini-games where some will play the role of a T-Cell and others will play Viruses. 

Day 4 - Simulations: Through simulations, virologists are able to model viruses and track the way they spread. In a simulation of our own, we will participate in a group activity involving an invisible spreader to investigate how the infection spread and to predict future outbreaks.

Day 5 - Attack on Viruses!: To wrap up everything we’ve learned, we’ll review each concept we’ve discussed before fortifying ourselves against invading viruses in Minecraft!

Connected Camps is a not-for-profit organization founded in 2015 with the mission to build a global online community where kids build, code, play, and learn alongside one another. Our programs are designed based on extensive research in the learning sciences. The founders and leaders of Connected Camps, Mimi Ito and Katie Salen, are professors at the University of California, Irvine, who specialize in the design of online learning experiences that are fun, social, and directly tied to academic outcomes. Learn more about the research behind Connected Camps at the Connected Learning Alliance resource site: https://clalliance.org/ 

One thing that makes our programs unique is our near-peer mentorship model. Our programs are led by young adults and college students, often with the help of high school volunteers. We hire counselors and coaches from top universities in computer science, game development, economics, social studies, and the arts, and train them on how to facilitate project-based learning with younger kids. Our young instructors have the same passion for technology, games, and digital making as our learners, and take on the role of instructors, as well as fellow enthusiasts and relatable role models.

The curriculum for this program was designed by a team of counselors pursuing degrees relevant to the material at hand. The learning experiences in this class are driven by these counselors’ academic expertise in the field, along with their desire to share their passion for the subject with a group of excited learners. All of Connected Camps’ curricula are vetted by the organization’s Product Manager, Matthew, who possesses a Masters in Secondary Education and a deep belief in the power of collaborative virtual learning.