PHILADELPHIA (December 1, 2009)—The Math Forum @ Drexel (www.mathforum.org), the leading online math education community, and Nextoy LLC today launched a new section of the Math Forum Web site featuring the hit puzzle game KenKen®. Called KenKen® @ the Math Forum, the section will not only offer access to the game itself but, over time, a set of teacher guides, Math Forum Problems of the Week and other resources. These will make this section a go-to online asset for teachers seeking to engage math students and improve their arithmetic and logical reasoning.The Math Forum’s Web site, one of the most popular in the world for math education, is known for its program of open-ended, unique problems, called Problems of the Week, intended to facilitate critical thinking, problem-solving and communication skills among teachers and students. KenKen®, with its emphasis on thinking and problem-solving in the context of basic operations, is a natural fit among the resources included on the Math Forum Web site. KenKen® puzzles and related teacher resources can be found by clicking on “Problems & Puzzles” on the Math Forum homepage or by going directly to mathforum.org/KenKen®.“The Math Forum prides itself on offering a wealth of high-quality resources to our world-wide community, and, once we became aware of KenKen®, we immediately saw it as a valuable contribution to our problem solving and puzzles section,” said Steve Weimar, director of the Math Forum @ Drexel. “We know that teachers always are seeking new ways to engage their students and, given the evident popularity of KenKen®, we are pleased to partner with NEXTOY to expose our teacher audience to this valuable learning resource.”KenKen® has become a certified phenomenon, with more than 1.75 million puzzle books sold and regular puzzles appearing in The New York Times, Boston Globe, Detroit Free Press, Readers Digest, and on NYTimes.com. The brainchild of Japanese math teacher Tetsuya Miyamoto, and made famous with help from puzzle master Will Shortz, KenKen® requires simple arithmetic calculations and logic to decipher the creative puzzles. Translated as “wisdom squared” in Japanese, KenKen® involves addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. With a range of difficulty levels, Kenken® improves logical thinking, concentration and perseverance. The Math Forum @ Drexel will add value to the puzzles by developing materials that will align to the core standards and help teachers focus on particular learning issues with basic operations, according to Weimar. To view the Kenken® puzzles on the Math Forum Web site, visit: http://mathforum.org/kenken/.“We are very pleased to be able to offer KenKen® through the Math Forum @ Drexel,” said Robert Fuhrer, president and founder of NEXTOY. “Teachers have already let us know that they want access to KenKen® for themselves and their students, and what better way to reach math teachers than through Drexel’s Math Forum, with its credibility and reputation for being connected to the needs of the math classroom. We look forward to collaborating on growing out a library of KenKen®-specific resources that will make this intriguing puzzle game easily accessible and utilizable by math teachers in all levels of education.”What People Are Saying about KENKEN®: • "The most addictive puzzle since Sudoku" -- Will Shortz, New York Times Crossword Puzzle Editor • "The successor to Sudoku" -- The Times UK About The Math Forum @ Drexel: For almost 20 years, the Math Forum @ Drexel has been combining expertise in mathematics, education and technology to tackle this challenge of improving math education head on. It is the world’s leading online mathematics education community. With more than a million pages of content and as many as three million visits each month, the Math Forum’s depth of experience and scope of support is unmatched. Hosted by Drexel University and its School of Education, the Math Forum is changing the equation for effective teaching and learning. Through the Math Forum, more than 100,000 students have been mentored; teachers have energized their classrooms with technology; and school districts have enhanced their curriculum.About Nextoy: Nextoy LLC was founded in 1981 by Robert Fuhrer. For more than 30 years, Nextoy has been connecting original toy and game ideas with the people who market them. Currently Nextoy serves as product placement specialists in the fields of toys and games, publishing, gifts and novelties. Nextoy, LLC clients include: Hasbro, Mattel, SpinMaster, The Sharper Image, Uncle Milton Industries, Crayola, Bandai Japan, Irwin Toy, Basic Fun, St. Martin's Press, HarperCollins, Capcom, Goliath Games, Seven Footer Press and Winning Moves Games.News Media Contact: Niki Gianakaris, director, Drexel News Bureau 215-895-6741, 215-778-7752 (cell) or ngianakaris@drexel.edu
