Research and Press

Research and Press

PEER REVIEWED ARTICLES, ACADEMIC PUBLICATIONS AND FEDERAL AGENCY REPORTS

De Mars, A., Taken Alive, J., Ortiz, M., et al. (2022). Educators’ Perspectives on Factors Impacting STEM Achievement in Rural Indigenous Student- Serving Schools. The Rural Educator, 43(1), 24-36. https://doi.org/10.35608/ruraled.v43i1.1207

De Mars, A. (2021). Growing Math: Accessible, Cross-Curricular Education in Food and Agricultural Sciences. U.S. Department of Agriculture. https://portal.nifa.usda.gov/web/crisprojectpages/1024845-growing-math-accessible-cross-curricular-education-in-food-and-agricultural-sciences.html

De Mars, A. (2020). Empiric Empires: Game-based learning preparing students for health careers. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Phase I. https://www.sbir.gov/node/1911737

De Mars, A., & Longie, E. (2018). The value of perseverance: Using Dakota culture to teach mathematics. Transmotion4(2), 113-131. https://doi.org/10.22024/UniKent/03/tm.252

De Mars, A. (2016). Aztech Phase II: Educational software for rural schools serving English learners. U.S. Department of Agriculture. Phase II. https://www.sbir.gov/sbirsearch/detail/1204425

De Mars, A. (2015). Aztech: Educational software for rural schools serving English language learners. U.S. Department of Agriculture. Phase I. https://www.sbir.gov/sbirsearch/detail/966865

De Mars, A. (2015). Preparing Students for the Real World with SAS® Studio. Proceedings of the SAS Global Forum. (Includes evaluation of Fish Lake) http://support.sas.com/resources/papers/proceedings15/2103-2015.pdf

De Mars, A. (2013). Dakota Learning: Computer-Assisted Mathematics Instruction In A Cultural Context. Phase I Final Report. U.S. Department of Agriculture. http://www.7generationgames.com/7gen/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/finalreport3_18.pdf

PRESENTATIONS (A SMALL SELECTION)

“SBIR Women Entrepreneurs Got Game, hosted by the U.S. Small Business Administration.” U.S. Department of Education ED Games Expo. Virtual. June 4, 2021. Maria Burns Ortiz.

“How The Learning Game Was Made.” U.S. Department of Education ED Games Expo. June 2, 2021. Virtual. Maria Burns Ortiz.

“Building STEM capacity in indigenous nations: Research, Practice and Future Plans.” 2021 Indigenous Education Research Conference. April 22, 2021. Virtual. Juliana Taken Alive, AnnMaria De Mars, Christy Hanson & Maria Burns Ortiz.

“Reducing, Not Introducing Barriers to Success in STEM Education.” National Indian Education Association Annual Conference. Virtual. October 8, 2020. Maria Burns Ortiz, Dr. AnnMaria De Mars, Juliana Taken Alive, Annette Mennem and Janna Jensen.

“Level Up: Engaging Students Using Video Games and Game Design Principles.” South Dakota Indian Education Summit. Virtual Symposium. Aug 10-24, 2020. Maria Burns Ortiz.

“Virtual-world learning in your real-world curriculum: Integrating educational games into standards based lesson plans”. Level Up Your Lessons. Virtual Webinar. Aug 4, 2020. Diana Sanchez.

“You Are Here: Using Game Design to Empower Underserved Youth.” Games for Change Virtual Summit. Virtual. July 15, 2020. Maria Burns Ortiz.

“Learning Without Hovering: How to Excite, Empower and Educate.” Social Studies Virtual UnConference. Virtual. May 13, 2020. Maria Burns Ortiz.

“Parental Un-involvement: Designing Lessons that Students Can Do With Minimal Home Help.” 21st Century Math: Engaging Online Students in Multi-Sensory Learning. Virtual. April 23, 2020. Maria Burns Ortiz.

“When Solving a “Small” Problem Can Have a Big Impact: How Developing Games for U.S. Tribal Communities Set Us Up for Global Expansion” Games for Change Summit. New York, NY. June 19, 2019. By 7 Generation Games CEO Maria Burns Ortiz.

“How the Game Was Made.” ED Games Expo. Presented by the U.S. Department of Education and The Kennedy Center. Washington, D.C. January 7, 2019. Maria Burns Ortiz.

WHITE PAPERS

Burns Ortiz, M. & Davis, W. (2016).  Ojibwe Culture and Video Games

Media: What they are saying about Growing Math

2022

“Why We Need to Create More Inclusive EdTech” – South Summit publishes a blog on the importance of creating inclusive edtech.

Educational Video Games Work to Reach Students Across Cultures – Scripps National News broadcast story on 7 Generation Games. Scripps is a network of 60 networks in 42 markets and the national Newsy network. Cities/networks where the story ran include San Diego (ABC 10), Baltimore (ABC 2), Detroit (ABC 7), Denver (ABC 7), Milwaukee (NBC 4), Tucson (ABC 9), Cincinnati (ABC 9), Southern Colorado (NBC 5), Hampton Roads, Va. (CBS 3), Salt Lake City (Fox 13) and more.

Games Bridge the Gap – The Southwest Connector

Leaving a Family Legacy – Dr. AnnMaria De Mars makes an appearance on Power Athlete Radio. Listen here or watch it on Youtube.

JUNE

Minneapolis company strives to make culturally accurate, online learning tools – Inforum features 7 Generation Games.

More than just a games: Minneapolis company strives to make culturally accurate, online learning tools. – Sahan Journal features 7 Generation Games.

#WeArePlay – Google Play’s National Campaign #WeArePlay features 7 Generation Games.

More than just a game: Mpls. company strives to make culturally accurate, online learning tools – MPR News features 7 Generation Games.

How to Close the STEM Achievement Gap for Indigenous Students: Feature Local Culture – Education Week discusses our ISTE presentation by AnnMaria De Mars, Juliana Taken Alive, and Maria Burns Ortiz.

SDPB Native American Studies Resources – Making Camp: Lakota and Making Camp: Dakota are featured as educational resources by South Dakota Public Broadcasting.

Kids Asking Questions: Game Developer & Kids Asking Questions: Game Tester – 7 Generation Games was featured as part of JJ’s Playhouse Children’s Museum in Atlanta’s “Kids Asking Questions” series.

2021

Juegos De Matemáticas Gratis Para Niños – Maria Burns Ortiz de 7 Generation Games habla con Kirk Gimenez de Xizzle TV sobre nuestros juegos bilingües.

Free Math Games For Hispanic & Indigenous Children – Maria Burns Ortiz talks about their dedication to helping Hispanic and Indigenous children.

Ed Heads PodCast: Do videogames belong in the classroom? – Maria Burns Ortiz and AnnMaria De Mars discuss screen time and the benefits of educational games with podcast hosts Dan Conn and Chelsie Hultz.

Founder Series – AnnMaria De Mars, 7 Generation Games – RBL1 Live – Rebel One RBL1.com – Accelerating Impact Founders & Investors.

Business Journal’s news outlet focused on the startup scene.

JULY

Teaching and Reaching those Frequently ‘Left Behind’ – Scott Elliot of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) writes about 7 Generation Games and our work to reach schools left behind by Silicon Valley.

Games Gonzalo Serrano is featured in #AndroidDevJourney.

Close the math gap for Native American, Latino, & rural-area kidsMaria Burns Ortiz joins Roshini Rajkumar on WCCO’s Real Talk With Roshini to talk about how 7 Generation Games 40K active users in schools & homes across the US are improving math scores. 

Closing the math gap for students with Videogames – On the Tech.MN podcast, Maria Burns Ortiz discusses how games can help teach and using technology to create more equity in education.

7 Generation Games incorporates indigenous culture into education – 7 Generation Games and the Growing Math project are profiled in this Minot Daily News article. (Click here for Spanish)

Indigenous educator creates video game curriculum to teach SD students Lakota, Dakota culture and math – The Growing Math project is highlighted in the Argus Leader.

Fun and Culturally Based Video Games Boost Math Skills During the Pandemic – 7 Generation Games’ CEO Maria Burns Ortiz and Director of Regional Partnerships Juliana Taken Alive talk to Leah Lemm of Minnesota Native News’ “COVID-19 Community Conversations” about 7 Generation Games and the Growing Math project.

Why Building Product for Underserved Communities is a Massive Opportunity –  In this podcast, Maria Burns Ortiz talks about the importance of building video games that close the math skills gap found in underrepresented communities.

7 Generation Games Expands Platform – 7 Generation Games’ CEO Maria Burns Ortiz and Growing Math Project Director Juliana Taken Alive talk with Minnesota Native News.

in Minnesota/St. Paul Business Journal’s 2021 40 under 40

JANUARY

6 Video Games with Native American Influences – Vision Maker Media lists 6 video games with Native American influences and our Spirit Lake is one of them!

2020

NOVEMBER

7 Generation Games expands education in Indian Country amid pandemic – KFYR TV Segment on 7 Generation Games and the Growing Math Project

Growing Math project to aid Indigenous students and educators during pandemic – Indian Country Today article on 7 Generation Games launching the Growing Math Project

SEPTEMBER

Rebel One Founder Series – AnnMaria De Mars, 7 GenerationGames – Dr. AnnMaria De Mars is interviewed by Rebel One. She details her mission, values and plans for the future, She details current issues in education, business and entrepreneurship.

JUNE

Interview with Dr. AnnMaria De Mars – Dr. AnnMaria De Mars is interviewed on the Finding Here Podcast.

Indigenous Peeps in the Industry Interview with Stephen Gladue  – Artist Stephen Gladue is interviewed and mentions 7 Generation Games.

2019

NOVEMBER

AARP Honors Two Former Residents – The Telegraph from Alton, IL writes about AnnMaria being named an AARP Purpose Prize Fellow.

AARP Purpose Prize Fellow AnnMaria De Mars – AnnMaria De Mars is featured on the AARP website for being named a 2019 AARP Purpose Prize Fellow.

2019 AARP Purpose Prize Fellows – AnnMaria De Mars was named one of the 2019 AARP Purpose Prize Fellows.

JULY

Think Like a Champion – Live, learn, repeat podcast

Dr. AnnMaria De Mars guest appearance on Divine Forces Radio – AnnMaria makes a guest appearance on Divine Forces Radio, KPFK. (Language/NSFW)

2018

DECEMBER

How To Balance A High Powered Tech Career While Raising Bad*** Children w/ Dr. AnnMaria De Mars – AnnMaria features on the Trauma to Triumph Podcast

SEPTEMBER

7 Generation Games – a Making Camp Premium Product Review – How To Homeschool plays Making Camp Premium and gives their review.

AUGUST

Making Camp Premium Wins Parent and Teacher Choice Award – HowToLearn.com awards the Making Camp Premium Mobile App the Parent and Teacher Choice Award.

JUNE

The Positive and Negative Effects of Video Games on Children – In this blog post by Crazy Games, 7 Generation Games is recommended for children to learn and enhance their math skills while having fun.

Profile: AnnMaria De Mars – In this New Learning Times article, AnnMaria shares her experiences in education, business, and gaming and how it led to creating 7 Generation Games, along with her opportunity to bring her start up to Chile.

MAY

50 Latina Tech Founders – The Stats – In Cecilia Corral’s article for the Medium, she highlights the 50 Latina Tech Founders who have raised over $1 million in funding, including AnnMaria and Maria.

MARCH

Educational Equity: New Podcast with 7 Generation Games – The Larta Institute’s podcast on educational equity with Maria Burns Ortiz.

Dr. AnnMaria De Mars on the Mohsin Show – Listen to AnnMaria talk about gaming, math education and financial literacy with Sara Mohsin.

JANUARY

Tech Family Scoring Points With Education Games – In this article by the Southern California Latino Policy Center, Maria shares how she and President Dr. AnnMaria are breaking stereotypes with 7 Generation Games.

Women In Tech Podcast, hosted by Espree Devora – Maria Burns Ortiz is featured on the Women In Tech Podcast.

17 Beautiful Indigenous Comic Books and Video Games For Kids – 7 Generation Games are on CBC’s list of comic books and video games that help to eliminate negative stereotypes of Indigenous people.

With a price-sensitive market, EdTech startups need to establish a good pricing model – Maria Burns Ortiz shares what the biggest challenge is for startups in this article by E27.

DECEMBER

Seed | And the results are in…welcome Seed G19 – In this article, Startup Chile lists the start-up founders chosen to be a part of Generation 19 of Startup Chile, including AnnMaria De Mars representing 7 Generation Games.

NOVEMBER

Semifinalists Announced for the GIST Catalyst Pitch Competition During GES 2017 – In this article by the Global Entrepreneurship Summit, Maria Burns Ortiz is announced as one of the semifinalists for the GIST Catalyst Pitch Competition at GES 2017.

Meet Maria Burns Ortiz of 7 Generation Games in Santa Monica – Maria Burns Ortiz shares her story and talks about 7 Generation Games in this article by Voyage LA.

7 Generation Games, Games That Make You Smarter: LA Tech Startup Spotlight – Maria Burns Ortiz – Maria talks 7 Generation Games on the WeAreLATech podcast with guest host Krisztina ‘Z’ Holly.

Homeschool.com’s 2017 Gift Guide – 7 Generation Games is featured in Homeschool.com’s 2017 Gift Guide as a great gift idea for kids interested in Science/STEM/STEAM.

Best in Video Games 2017: Top Industry Leaders – 7 Generation Games is named the best company for educational video game platforms and apps in this article by CreditDonkey.

AUGUST

6 startups using games to change how kids learn – 7 Generation Games is featured in Built in Los Angeles’ article, “6 startups using games to change how kids learn.”

‘AzTech Games’: un juego para enseñar matemáticas -y nuestra cultura – 7 Generation Games’ AzTech Games and its Kickstarter campaign is featured in an article on CNET en Español.

JULY

Homeschool.com Back to Homeschool Award 2017 – 7 Generation Games was named, once again, a top back to homeschool resource for 2017 in this article by Homeschool.com.

The Ultimate Homeschool Curriculum List of 2017 – In this article by How To Homeschool, 7 Generation Games is selected for “The Ultimate Homeschool Curriculum List of 2017.”

JUNE

4 Accounting Hacks for Small Business Owners – Maria Burns Ortiz shares her tip for making sure the books are in order in this article by Business Collective.

MAY

ISTE 2017 Preview: 7 Generation Games – Nibletz features 7 Generation Games as a preview to the ISTE 2017, which we attended.

APRIL

Ronda Rousey’s Mom Is a Video Game Designer, but She’ll Still Kick Your Ass LA Weekly features Dr. AnnMaria De Mars.

Money for Lunch: Tom Hopkins, Maria Burns Ortiz, AnnMaria De Mars, Deb Gabor – Maria Burns Ortiz and Dr. AnnMaria De Mars, talk about 7 Generation Games and more on this Money for Lunch podcast.

MARCH

Video games encourage Indigenous cultural expression – Our games Spirit Lake and Fish Lake are mentioned in this article on video games that effectively and accurately portray Native culture, published on The Conversation.

Money for Lunch: Bruce Bellmare, Maria Burns Ortiz, Shane Kenny, Norm Blumenthal – Maria Burns Ortiz talks about 7 Generation Games and more on this Money for Lunch podcast.

JANUARY

Latina le apuesta a la tecnología con el propósito de educar a los niños – Maria Burns Ortiz talks about 7 Generation Games and our Making Camp app helping students in the Latino community in this feature by Hoy Los Angeles.

ED Games Expo: 7 Generation Games (video) – Maria talks to Classcraft about our math and social studies games at the ED Games Expo 2016.

Top Apps for Kids – Making Camp was chosen as one of the Top Apps for Kids in this article by Educents.

2016

DECEMBER

18 big learning games appearing at ED Games Expo 2016 – 7 Generation Games is highlighted in this article by Classcraft as one of the companies that will be exhibiting their games at the ED Games Expo 2016.

Let the EdTech Games Begin – 7 Generation Games is featured in EdScoop‘s preview of the ED Games Expo.

Educational Gift Ideas for Kids Who Love Apps & Video Games – 7 Generation Games is featured on Educents‘ Gift Guide for Gamers.

NOVEMBER

#WhatWeNeedToSuceed: A Letter to the Next President on Behalf of Women Entrepreneurs – Maria Burns Ortiz joins a list of women entrepreneurs in signing a letter addressed to the next president outlining what women entrepreneurs need in order to succeed, featured by Dell.

6 Ways Your Company Can Evolve With Twitter – Maria Burns Ortiz gives a tip on how to make your company evolve with Twitter in this Business Collective article.

OCTOBER

New Generation of Technology: Dr. AnnMaria De Mars and Maria Burns Ortiz – Dr. AnnMaria De Mars and Maria Burns Ortiz are featured on this National Women’s Business Council’s article.

Marketplace Tech’s Silicon Tally – Maria Burns Ortiz is featured on this Marketplace Tech’s Silicon Tally episode.

SEPTEMBER

Dr. AnnMaria De Mars: University of California Alumni spotlight – The UCR Graduate School of Education features the career of AnnMaria and development of 7 Generation Games.

6 Tips for Entrepreneurs Interested in Crowdfunding – Maria Burns Ortiz gives advice to entrepreneurs who are looking to crowdfund in this Business Collective article.

Games to Education Children – Maria Burns Ortiz talks about 7 Generation Games, making math fun, diversity in tech & more with Paul Amadeus Lane on Tech Zone.

Dr. AnnMaria De Mars talks 7 Generation Games, street fights, Ronda Rousey, and more – AnnMaria De Mars talks about how she applies what she learned from judo to 7 Generation Games with MMA Now TV.

Roadtrip Nation: Maria’s Open Road – Maria Burns Ortiz gets interviewed on Roadtrip Nation.

AUGUST

Resources Awards 2016: Homeschool.com’s Top Back to Homeschool Resources – 7 Generation Games is chosen as a Top Back to Homeschool Resource in this article by Homeschool.com.

The Top 50 Startups at Innovate! and Celebrate 2016 – 7 Generation Games is chosen as one of the Top 50 Startups to compete in the Tech.Co Annual Startup of the Year Competition.

with KCPW featuring Maria.

Why the Government is All About Fun, Games and Funding GamesEdSurge covers Ed Games Expo 2015.

NOVEMBER

Pro Files: Dr. AnnMaria De Mars – A Beautiful Mind – A Medium profile by Matteo Urella on AnnMaria.

Ronda Rousey’s mother discusses video game company, daughter’s interest in gaming – CBS reporter Amber Lee interviews CEO Dr. AnnMaria De Mars in this video.

Ronda Rousey’s mother much more than just a UFC star’s momUSA Today spotlights AnnMaria and 7 Generation Games.

8 Startups Ready to Join the Salt Lake City Edtech HubEdSurge recognizes 7 Generation Games as a start-up participating in the Salt Lake City Edech Hub.

OCTOBER

AnnMaria De Mars – The Judo-Loving Educational Guru – In American Latino’s video, AnnMaria talks about 7 Generation Games.

SKC student’s latest detour takes her across America, and puts her on TV – “The Missoulian” shares how RoadTrip Nation stopped by the 7 Generation Games office and came away inspired.

Primary Grades: Promoting Math Literacy and Cultural Learning – ED-FACTS: A Bi-Monthly Publication of NIFA’s Division of Community and Education.

MARCH

URL Radio Interview with Dr. AnnMaria De Mars – U Rock Lately Radio hosts Stacy and Nicole interview AnnMaria.

AUGUST

Former JC professor bases educational games on N.D. tribes – Newspaper feature in the Grand Folks Herald on AnnMaria. Also ran in in the Jamestown Sun newspaper.