What is a Fortnite Physics Playground?

What is a Fortnite Physics Playground?

Author: Jeffrey Bradbury - TeacherCast Educational Network October 30, 2024 Duration: 45:55
In this episode of the Digital Learning Today Podcast, Jeff welcomes Andrew Vanden Heuvel onto the show to discuss how he is using Fortnite to teach complex scientific principals to students of all ages. If you are a new listener to TeacherCast, we would love to hear from you.  Please visit our Contact Page and let us know how we can help you today!

In This Episode …

  • Video games make awesome laboratories: Virtual worlds make excellent pedagogical tools for science educators. They allow us to bend the laws of reality, enter into life-sized experiments, and recreate famous experiments from history.
  • Why Fortnite? It's popular, it's playable on almost any device, and it has an incredible set of game creation tools (Fortnite Creative + Unreal Editor for Fortnite). Also, Fortnite's Replay mode can turn Fortnite into a virtual production studio, enabling amazing storytelling projects far beyond the scope of our science project.
  • Fortnite and the Metaverse: I would argue the Fortnite can/should be thought of as one of the most widely adopted "metaverse" platforms available, and that (as such), it should be taken seriously by educators, employers, and other adults.
  • The Fortnite Virtual Laboratory Curriculum: With the support of a MegaGrant from Epic Games, I created a set of virtual lab activities published as Fortnite Islands.
  • The Fortnite Physics Playground: This free-play Fortnite island allows students to design their own physics experiments and extract the player's motion data in real-time from the game.

About our Guest:

Andrew Vanden Heuvel is an award-winning science educator recognized for using technology to create immersive learning experiences. He is an online astronomy professor teaching at colleges across the country. Andrew has consulted with organizations like NASA, Google, TED-Ed, and Epic Games to create engaging science content. His greatest joy is sharing his passion for the universe with learners worldwide, inspiring curiosity while making complex concepts accessible and fun.

Links of Interest


Follow Our Podcast And Subscribe


Follow Our Host


Join Our PLN

Are you enjoying the TeacherCast Network, please share your thoughts with the world by commenting on Apple Podcasts today? I enjoy reading and sharing your comments on the podcast each week.

Let’s Work Together


Check Out More TeacherCast Programming


Need A Presenter?


For More Information: https://www.TeacherCast.net ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ [gravityform id="2" title="true"]

Hosted by Jeff Bradbury of the TeacherCast Educational Network, Digital Learning Today is a conversation for educators who think strategically about the long game. This podcast moves beyond quick tech fixes to examine the underlying frameworks and leadership philosophies required for meaningful, lasting improvement in schools. It’s designed for those in the driver’s seat of change-principals, district administrators, and instructional coaches-who understand that real transformation is about systems, not just software. Listeners will find practical discussions on implementing digital learning initiatives effectively, crafting and executing school improvement plans that stick, and the nuanced work of fostering a collaborative, innovative culture among staff and students. The dialogue naturally bridges educational theory with the realities of school business and management, offering a grounded perspective on steering institutions forward. By focusing on sustainable models and big-picture ideas, each episode provides a space to reflect on the core structures that define modern education, making this podcast a resource for anyone committed to thoughtful, systemic growth in their learning community.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Digital Learning Today
Podcast Episodes
Unlocking Student Engagement: Insights from Discovery Education [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:14
Welcome to Digital Learning Today. In this episode, Jeff Bradbury explores the strategic systems shaping the future of education—Instructional Coaching, Artificial Intelligence, Professional Learning, and Educational Tec…
Empowering Student Voice by Building AI Ethics Frameworks [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:38
Welcome to Digital Learning Today. In this episode, Jeff Bradbury explores the strategic systems shaping education's future, focusing on Instructional Coaching, Artificial Intelligence, Professional Learning, and cutting…
AI in the Classroom: Practical Strategies that Prompt Student Success [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:44
In this episode of Digital Learning Today, Jeffrey Bradbury and Stephanie Clinise explore the integration of artificial intelligence in education, specifically in high school environments. They discuss the transition cha…