Fifteen teachers of grades 3-5 will design and develop project-based instructional units for "Integrating Computer Science in Elementary Classrooms" using a user-interface-focused design process with more than 450 students in downtown Atlanta.
Grade 7-12 teachers and students in Alaska schools develop human-centered robotics & telepresence platforms for their real-life needs, while learning STEM, engineering & computer science.
Drawing on a multi-year research and development program, the authors report on the promise of integrating locally-focused student investigations with ubiquitous access to advanced technologies. By doing this, students are better able to see the relevance of STEM skills and knowledge as they work to improve their local communities. Specific program examples cited show the paradigm as it has been implemented with upper elementary and middle school students. Contrasting examples show challenges in implementation.
Developed by the RI-ITEST project, this pamphlet gets students excited and informed about the varied potential careers that utilize computer modeling. It can be used to help students make connections between their classroom experiences, what they are learning in science, and their future. Links to associated lesson plans and two different versions of the pamphlet are available on the website.
About a dozen girls, from 6th through 12th grade, have joined an afterschool program called Universe Quest. Through their participation in this ITEST project, they're learning about astronomy and building their own 3-D, immersive online game that centers around creating characters, who explore the cosmos and answer questions along the way.
ITEST project the Girl Game Company took its 40 middle school girl participants on a half-day field trip to visit Google headquarters. The girls were able to interact with elite computer engineers, check out what it's like to work in a corporate environment, and present their software creations to Google engineers. Field trips and partnerships like this are important in helping youth understand the real-world application of the skills they cultivate in programs like the Girl Game Company.
One of SUCCEED high school interns, Kelley Katzenmeyer from Riverside, led a team of kids at Shodor to put together a video entry to the "Voices of the South" contest, and she won first place with her video about the ITEST apprentices and interns at Shodo
About 50 middle school students and 20 teachers from New Hanover, Brunswick and Pender counties attended a workshop at UNCW. They primarily worked on a program called Squeak, free educational software that allows students to run simple animations to develop and model complex science experiments.
