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Coding
Three Video Games That Teach Programming Through Play (KQED Mind/Shift)
There are those that see code as a critical skill � like learning a second language � which all kids need to learn. Others question whether programming is as important as critical thinking, or if code literacy is more or less important than traditional textual/numerical literacy. Since digital games are both coded objects and systems that can be critiqued and better understood, they sit nicely between the evangelistic and tempered supporters of code literacy. Games build critical thinking skills and teach code literacy, offering authentic experiences that let kids experiment with how code works. They�re solid platforms to begin exploring programming.
How to Succeed in Coding While You're Still Young (Mashable)
In our latest Ask a Dev video, our first guest host � iOS developer Michael Sayman � discusses how to get started in coding when you're young and lack resources. Sayman began making money off his first iOS app when he was just 13 years old. Now, at age 17, he has one of the most popular apps in the App Store, a photo-guessing game called 4 Snaps. Sayman says that you should first look around to get ideas of what you could build, then dive into the numerous online resources available for coders. That's how he found the back-end platform Parse, which simplified his process. As a kid who grew up outside a tech hub without many resources, Sayman says not to get discouraged, and to keep pushing as you learn these valuable skills. 
EdTech
7 Tech Upgrades to the Old-School Science Class (Mashable)
Long gone are the days of science fair poster boards and paper quizzes, at least not exclusively. Technological breakthroughs have flooded into classrooms, changing the face of K-12 education. From smart boards to smartphones, these digital trends have become useful educational tools in the teaching process. While today's kids are learning the same lessons and concepts, they are absorbing in different ways. With new apps and interactive sites, science class, in particular, has received a few upgrades. We took a look at how science technology has evolved over time, and what adjustments have been made. 1. A life-size plastic replica of a skeleton in class vs. an interactive skeleton app..
5 Robots Booking It to a Classroom Near You (Mashable)
Robots are the new kids in school. The technological creations are taking on serious roles in the classroom. With the accelerating rate of robotic technology, school administrators all over the world are plotting how to implement them in education, from elementary through high school. In South Korea, robots are replacing English teachers entirely, entrusted with leading and teaching entire classrooms. In Alaska, some robots are replacing the need for teachers to physically be present at all. 1. Nao Robot as math teacher: In Harlem school PS 76, a Nao robot created in France, nicknamed Projo helps students improve their math skills.
Diversity in STEM
Executive Director Of DIY Girls Luz Rivas Is Bringing Technology To Thousands Of Latinas [VIDEO] (HuffPost ImpactX)
Luz Rivas graduated from MIT as one of the very few women of Hispanic descent, but now she�s taking the reins to provide other Latinas with experiences in technology. Rivas, who is the founder and executive director of DIY Girls, is breaking real boundaries in the arena of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), fields that have historically been dominated by men. While women represent nearly half of the entire workforce, they only represent about a quarter of workers in STEM fields. In an interview with HuffPost Live, she shared her experience as a female minority student in a predominantly male institution.
23 female faculty join College of Engineering (Daily Illini)
Since December of last year, 23 new women faculty members have joined or accepted job offers at the College of Engineering. This marks an increase in the number of women faculty by one third from 13.2 percent of the tenured system since last spring, in a field nationally know for being male-dominant. Each department within the college has added women faculty. Many students like Grace Pakeltis, sophomore in Engineering, view this as a positive step toward reducing gender inequality within the college. �The addition of these faculty members shows the growth of the University of Illinois. Having women who have dedicated their careers to STEM fields is a great inspiration to those enrolled in the College of Engineering, as well as girls in grade school,� Pakeltis said
U.S. Rep. Hinojosa to be honored for STEM education (The Monitor)
For his continued support of [STEM] education, U.S. Rep. Ruben Hinojosa will be honored by the Hispanic Heritage Foundation, the non-profit organization announced Thursday. He will join fellow 2014 honorees that include Zoe Saldana, Pepe Aguilar and the Hayden High School Robotics Team. �I was extremely honored to have been selected this year as a recipient of the prestigious Hispanic Heritage Award for my work in STEM education and workforce development,� Hinojosa said. �I know I am in the company of some outstanding Hispanics who have also been given this significant award throughout the years.� The foundation cited a variety of considerations of why Hinojosa earned this acknowledgement.
Girl Makers Visit Home Depot (NOVA Labs)
Last week the Reston Home Depot rolled out the red carpet and orange aprons for a �Girls Build� field trip of the GEMS-Girl Makers, a collaborative partnership between Nova Labs and Girls Excelling in Math and Science. Home Depot Supervisor Angela Covington-Tyler organized the 2-hour program, which included hands-on demonstrations, an equipment tour, and a DIY wood build project for 10 excited girls. �Who wants to try the drill?� she asked. A stampede ensued. �I had a lot of fun at the Home Depot,� said one 8 year old GEMS third grader. �I saw where all the wood was and where things are to make walls. A man showed us how to drill a hole in wood and we all got a turn. Another showed us how to wire a lamp!�
STEM Competitions
Winners of 2014 MoonBots Challenge Announced! (Geek Dad)
Yesterday, the winners of the 2014 MoonBots Challenge were announced, with the grand prize going to last year�s first runners up, the Incredibots from Columbus, Ohio. The competition, which aims to promote STEM education, challenges teams of students ages 9 to 17 to design, program and build robots that simulate lunar missions mirroring the $30M Google Lunar XPRIZE, an international competition for privately funded teams to build a rover to land on and explore the Moon�s surface. Teams were initially asked to submit a video answering the question, �Why should we go back to the Moon for good?� From there, a panel of judges selected 25 finalists, who were tasked with building and programming a LEGO MINDSTORMS robot, as well as their own lunar landscape for their vehicle to explore.
Maker Movement
Makerspaces are Working Out (MAKE)
�It�s like a gym where you get a membership to use the equipment.� That was the basic idea for TechShop, as explained to me by founder Jim Newton at our first Maker Faire in April of 2006. He asked me for a table so he could hang his sign, deliver his pitch, and see if people were interested. The fact that he showed up in a vintage military transport vehicle had some bearing on my decision to say yes. The interest proved strong enough for Jim to get backers and open the first TechShop in an industrial park in Menlo Park, California, in October 2006. Almost from inception, TechShop was a dream � not only Jim�s but one shared by its members � to have unlimited access to the tools of a machine shop, plus new tools for digital fabrication such as laser cutters and 3D printers, for a modest monthly fee.
The Promise And Perils Of 3D Printer Popularity (TechCrunch)
3D printing is about to be commoditized. I would argue that the best commodity printer � the Canon color laser printer of this whole industry � is the Makerbot and the quality and value fall quickly from there from the quite interesting (Zortrax, Monkeyfab, Afinia, Formlabs) to the overly-hyped (Buccaneer, Makibox), to the potentially fraudulent. So where does that leave the rest of these printers? Nowhere, really. Once larger manufacturers like HP and Dell see a niche they can exploit, they will swoop in an offer a razors and blades solution for the home 3D printer. The reason they haven�t done this yet is manifold. First, before Stratasys bought Makerbot, there was no real market.
Higher Education
Duke receives grant for STEM program (Durham Herald Sun)
Duke University has received a five-year, $1.5 million grant to improve learning for STEM students, the Duke Office of News & Communications announced Thursday. The grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, a nonprofit medical research organization, is targeted toward improving learning in STEM subjects for underrepresented minorities in introductory science courses. With the money, Duke plans to launch the Collaborating on Mentoring, Persistence, Assessment and Student Success, or COMPASS, project, which involves implementing proven teaching practices in the classroom.
STEM Food & Ag
This Twenty-Something Hopes to Unleash the Next Green Revolution (The Modern Farmer)
.jpg) In 2010, a young man on a quest for enlightenment walked into the office of Jerry Hatfield, director of the USDA�s National Laboratory for Agriculture and the Environment in Ames, Iowa. His name was John Kempf, and he was eager to learn more about Hatfield�s plant physiology work, which deals with the complicated interactions of plants, soils and the atmosphere. The two talked agronomy for several hours before Hatfield sent Kempf on his way with a stack of literature to devour. The visit was just one of many steps on Kempf�s journey, which had begun six years earlier in a blighted cantaloupe patch. Desperate to rescue his family farm from worsening disease and pest problems, Kempf dove into deep-end science, looking for solutions he couldn�t find in the conventional farming playbook. In the process, Kempf became a staple on the alternative-ag lecture circuit and the CEO of a rapidly growing consulting firm that his followers hail as the next best thing in sustainable, profitable agriculture. |
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Chevron Expands Fuel Your School Program to Help Fund Classroom Projects
 Chevron U.S.A. Inc. (NYSE:CVX) today announced the launch and expansion of the 2014 Fuel Your School program, an innovative collaboration with DonorsChoose.org, an online organization that makes it easy for anyone to help students in need. In 2014, the Fuel Your School Program will generate up to $8.6 million in classroom supply funding for educators in 22 U.S. communities in 14 states where Chevron operates, with the help of local Chevron and Texaco marketers in 6 markets. Beginning Sept. 1, 2014, public school teachers from participating communities are invited to post eligible classroom projects at DonorsChoose. From Oct. 1 through Oct. 31, 2014, the Fuel Your School program will donate $1 to help fund eligible classroom projects when consumers purchase eight or more gallons of fuel at participating Chevron or Texaco stations, up to a total of $8.6 million. Since its 2010 inception, Fuel Your School has helped fund more than 17,000 classroom projects at 3,200 K-12 public schools as project funding has increased annually from up to $1 million in 2010 to up to $8.6 million for the 2014 program. The majority of project requests and funding to date have helped support STEM Education.
University of Detroit Jesuit High School & Academy Robotics Program receives $17,000 from W.K. Kellogg Foundation
 The W. K. Kellogg Foundation has awarded a $17,000 grant to the University of Detroit Jesuit High School & Academy�s Robotics and Pre-Engineering Program for the 2014-2015 school year. The grant will be used to fund the hands-on robotics program where teams from grades 7-12 compete in FIRST Robotics competitions to enhance STEM and mentoring skills of young men. Seniors from U of D Jesuit will coach and mentor U of D Jesuit 7th & 8th graders as well as Detroit elementary school boys and girls from Christ the King Elementary and Gesu Elementary to compete in FIRST Lego League competitions throughout Metro Detroit. �In designing, programming, building and operating their robots, our students apply the concepts they learn in textbooks in a collaborative, team-oriented project to solve complex problems.� said Karl J. Kiser, S.J. President. �Robotics provides the educational challenge students will need to be successful in bridging the STEM gap which exists in our country. We are pleased that the Kellogg Foundation supports U of D Jesuit as we educate our nation�s next generation of STEM leaders.� The future demand of STEM ready employees is one of the initiatives set by Michigan Governor Rick Snyder and thanks to the Kellogg Foundation, U of D Jesuit�s Robotics and Pre-Engineering program is meeting the call.
ASU Higher Education Maker Summit taking place October 23-25th at the The ASU Chandler Innovation Center
 On behalf of Arizona State University (ASU), President Michael M. Crow invites you to the ASU Higher Education Maker Summit. Join leaders from renowned institutions of higher education, acclaimed innovators and pioneers in the maker movement for this two-day discussion on the future of making in higher education. The event features a combination of breakout sessions, skill-building workshops and networking events, as well as multiple keynote speakers that include makers such as Dale Dougherty, founder and CEO of Maker Media, Inc.; Mark Hatch, co-founder and CEO of TechShop; and many others |
