Ariel Newland

Ariel Newland firmly believes in play as a learning tool. “The best way to engage kids is to participate in their world of gaming and online interaction. Standard tests and textbooks have their place, but a game can really make subjects come to life,” says the BFA Integrated Design graduate.  Newland’s popular online game From Ellis Island to Orchard Street with Victoria Confino, designed for New York’s Tenement Museum, bears this out. In the game, players take on the persona of a 12-year-old European immigrant going through the naturalization process at Ellis Island in the early 20th century. The project…