Founder & CEO, Pangea Chat

Learning systems that people
actually want to play.

Blending cognitive science, game design and technology to create next-generation learning systems.

I'm full-time on Pangea Chat, an AI-guided language learning environment built on the Matrix protocol. Before that I designed educational games at BrainPOP, including Time Zone X, Sortify and Guts and Bolts, and curated GameUp.

Try Pangea Chat See earlier work
9
Shipped learning games & products
300+
Curriculum topics covered
100+
Titles curated for GameUp
Selected work

Games, apps and assessment systems

Pangea Chat is where all my time goes. Below it is earlier work: classroom games, mobile apps and the analytics that sat behind them.

Pangea Chat app start screen showing language flags and a group of friends

Pangea Chat

Pangea Chat lets you “learn any language while texting your friends.” It's a human-centered, AI-guided language learning environment built on the Matrix messaging protocol: inline writing assistance as you type, practice exercises generated from your real conversations, task-based conversation activities, and a CEFR-aware bot tutor. Messaging is free; the AI tools are the paid product. Available on iOS, Android and web. I'm founder and CEO, leading product and engineering.

  • Current focus
  • NLP
  • Mobile
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Time Zone X gameplay: Tim and Moby placing historical event cards on a timeline

Time Zone X®

Time Zone X is a history game designed to span BrainPOP's many movie topics and provide meaningful assessment data to teachers. The game covers 300+ topics across Science, Social Studies and Art. Data is collected during game play, analyzed and displayed in the students and teachers MyBP dashboards. I designed the game, managed the development team and led artists and writers in content production.

Play
Time Zone X version 2 prototype interface

Time Zone X® V2 Prototype

While producing content for BrainPOP's Time Zone X, I designed and developed a second version for the game based on user feedback and product goals. V2 was not released but you can check out the prototype gameplay in the video below.

Watch gameplay video
Guts and Bolts gameplay showing body systems being assembled into a robot

Guts and Bolts

Guts and Bolts is a K12 classroom game about body systems. Players help Moby build a robotic Tim, both popular characters of the BrainPOP movies. I worked on the BrainPOP design and production team.

Play
Ecochains: Arctic Crisis card game layout

Ecochains: Arctic Crisis

Ecochains: Arctic Crisis is a card game about the climate change-related stressors on arctic ecosystems. During graduate study at Columbia University, I worked on the design team for Dr. Joey Lee and the POLAR research group. Ecochains is available for order!

Ecochains homepage
Food Fight two-player ecosystem simulation gameplay

Food Fight

Food Fight is a two-player game about ecosystems. Players take turns adding plants and animals to a simulated ecosystem, performing targeted experiments while they seek to maximize their chosen animal's population. I was a member of the production team.

Play
Greenify mobile sustainability game interface

Greenify

Greenify is a mobile real-world action game that fosters sustainability and learning through real world actions, allowing players to meaningfully address climate change in their day-to-day lives. I worked on the design team as a graduate assistant of Dr. Joey Lee at Columbia University.

Greenify homepage
Sortify assessment game board with sortable topic tiles

Sortify

Sortify is an assessment game spanning 50+ BrainPOP movie topics. Our team of instructional designers created the game concept, built-in assessment collection and teacher dashboard for classroom analytics. I managed the team during development, led iterative design sprints, and managed artists and writers in content production.

Play
BrainPOP GameUp collection of educational games

GameUp

BrainPOP's GameUp is a collection of 100+ educational games with standards alignments, lesson plans, and animated movies on related topics. I curated the collection of third-party titles, evaluating educational efficacy and coordinating with NGO, university, and corporate partners to host the games on GameUp.

GameUp homepage
Designs and thoughts

Writing

Notes on design, play and the things worth building.

A crowd taking part in a live improv music event
Jul 21, 2021

Crowd Participation in Live Improv Event

Listening to music is fun. Making music is more fun. Making music with a big crowd of people? It's the best!

BrainPOP's Time Zone X key art
Jul 13, 2017

BrainPOP's Time Zone X

I designed Time Zone X and managed its production while an employee at BrainPOP, plus the conference paper on play and learning.

Background

Experience & education

Experience

  1. Founder & CEO, Pangea Chat
    April 2017 – Present

    Designed and developed hybrid mobile application. Recruited and managed team of part-time developers working for equity stake. Stack: Ionic, Cordova, Node.js, Heroku, MongoDB, Socket.io, Express.

  2. Founder and Designer, LearnPlay Games
    August 2015 – June 2018

    Assembled and led design and development teams from Columbia University colleagues. Instructional design consulting for clients including BrainPOP, Nickelodeon, Brown Institute and Experiences Unlimited. Designed game to teach Weiqi through AI tutor that improves with learner for peer-to-peer plus one system.

  3. Instructional Designer, BrainPOP
    August 2011 – August 2016

    Designed educational games and integrated assessment systems. Curated collection of 100+ third-party titles. Managed teams of developers, writers, and artists.

Education

  1. M.A. Instructional Technology and Media, Columbia University
    Fall 2011 – Spring 2013

    Studied the role of instructional technology in formal and informal education, cognitive and neuro-science, web development, and application design. Worked as graduate assistant and published several research articles.

  2. B.S. Applied Mathematics, William and Mary
    Fall 2005 – Spring 2010

    Published work in the Journal of Theoretical Biology, Bistability in a differential equation model of oyster reef height and sediment accumulation.

Portrait of Will Jordan-Cooley
About

Using cognitive science, game design and technology, I create intelligent and engaging learning environments.

The best of days are spent making something! With code, an instrument, Figma, just words, or LEGO, I love to go where we forget food and sleep.

These days that means one thing: I'm full-time as founder and CEO of Pangea Chat, and not taking on consulting or outside projects.