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November 27, 2012

STEM News for Educators

Education

Online coding program targets high-school students
With only about 5% of U.S. high schools offering computer science classes, more work is needed to prepare students for careers in coding where demand for new employees remains high. However, developing a curriculum and finding qualified teachers are often barriers for schools. CodeHS, which has designed an online platform to teach the subject, is aiming to raise enough money to give schools initial access to its program for free while also teaching coding to 1,000 students. TechCrunch (11/26)

Business

High-school robotics team finds real-world use for algebra
Park High School's robotics team, the Data Bits, is about much more than tinkering with the mechanical parts of a robot and competing against other high schools. These students from Cottage Grove, Minn., are using classroom algebra in the design and programming of robots. "We use a²+b²=c² all the time," one student said. Students also learn about developing advertisements, fundraising and finding local businesses to form partnerships. Pioneer Press (St. Paul, Minn.) (11/25)

Canadian group aims to encourage girls in STEM
Ladies Learning Code, an organization in Canada that holds workshops on Web development and computer skills, has expanded with a new program: Girls Learning Code. Organizers aim to provide fun and educational opportunities that will expose girls to career possibilities in science, technology, engineering and math and help close the gender gap in engineering and computer studies in college. "We're trying to position technology to girls in a way that helps them see it as a creative outlet, and something that can help them change the world," said Director Laura Plant. The Globe and Mail (Toronto) (tiered subscription model) (11/22)

Trends

U.S. urged to emulate global trend in engineering popularity
Nearly 1 in 5 college degrees awarded in Asia are in engineering fields, but only one in 20 U.S. degrees are, writes Andres Oppenheimer. Part of the problem is the way studies are taught in the Americas, he argues. "[T]he fact that most of our countries are run by lawyers while rapidly-growing China is run by engineers should serve us as a reminder of the need to produce more engineers, and to make engineering studies more fun," Oppenheimer writes. The Miami Herald (free registration) (11/17)

How college students can land a job after graduation
In this blog post, Dan Schawbel, a Forbes contributor and founder of Millennial Branding, offers six tips to help students land their first job after college. He suggests students create a LinkedIn profile, establish a blog, get an internship early on, connect with a mentor and utilize the school's career office. He also suggests students join a professional-development or industry-related group. Forbes/Leadership blog (11/12)

ACTE News

SMART Competition for high-school students
The SMART Competition invites high-school students to design real-world solutions to real-world design challenges that confront design and engineering professionals by asking student teams to redesign a school building to make it function more efficiently in terms of energy use and materials sustainability. The competition is open to all high-school students. Teams consist of three to four students and an education sponsor. Registration opened last month and closes on Jan. 18, 2013.

Learn more about ACTE ->

SmartQuote

Every path hath a puddle."

--George Herbert,
Welsh-British poet, orator and priest

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