Leveraging Digital Media to Impact STEM Education
Mission: Build partnerships that lead to college and career success for Central Texans while meeting employers' workforce needs Workforce development non-profit founded in 1994 Build partnerships with industry, education, and the community We focus on college and career success, delivering programs in: o Construction Technologies o Green Tech o Computer Training o Digital Media o Science, Technology, Engineering & Math o Health Care o Office Administration
A consortium of high tech industry executives and education leaders engaged in addressing workforce and education issues. We focus on: Project-based STEM Education in Central Texas (K-16) Connecting classroom learning to industry applications Sharing best practices from industry & education Getting kids on a STEM career path
Program Description Introduce HS and MS school students to green technologies by building and racing desktop solar cars Accomplishments to Date Developed five (5) lesson plans to support growth of annual race Designed for 6 th Grade & HS Environmental Science standards Host Solar Racers as a MS summer camp activity
Impacting Education Through Gamification Get continuous feedback on student performance Students can self-direct exploration of course content Encourage student engagement through game-play & rewards Create a permanent record of achievement
Partnership Could Provide National Reach National network of 500+ schools Uses badges to recognize schools hosting green learning programs Supports game design programs for STEM & Project-Based Learning Platform meets educator acceptable technology use policies Opportunity to expand badging system to recognize individuals
Collaborative Action Plan Leverage Green Tech, High Tech and Gaming Industry partners Transform Solar Racers for web and tablet-based delivery o Game Development Kalani Games o Badging System Expansion Green Ribbon Schools o Solar Learning Content Skillpoint STEM Council Host GameOn! Velocity Prep with 20 high school interns to design, develop and test initial games, activities, and badges
Expand Access to Green Technology Education Recognize Eco-Campus Achievements across Green Ribbon Schools Empower instructors to integrate Energy Education into lessons Introduce practical applications of Energy Science and Mathematics o Computer assisted drafting (CAD) o Designing electrical systems o Using the engineering design process o Making group presentations
STEM Skills to Support a Green Tech College & Career Path Renewable vs. Non-Renewable Energy Harnessing Solar Energy Basic Electricity, Solar Orientation & Load Analysis Solar Industry Jobs & Challenges Designing and Testing a Desktop Solar Car
Students Qualify to Join Virtual & Real World Racing Teams Each team consists of five (5) students Content comprehension qualifies students for team roles: Race Team Leader, Electrical Engineer, Mechanical Engineer, Design Manager, and/or Business Manager Members submit group projects & host 360-reviews Teams work together to design, test, and race their solar car
Program Reinforces Student Engagement Student milestones posted on Green Ribbon Schools Game recognizes skills that unlock activities Chapter advancement Design projects Qualifying for a racing team Invitations to race or go on an industry field trip
Supports Formal or Informal Education Standards & Beyond Sixth Grade Science High School Physics, Environmental Science & Engineering Design National Science & Technology and Physical Science standards Enables Energy Education to be acknowledged beyond transcripts
Mono-crystalline panel Poly-crystalline panel Amorphous Silicon Panel Includes Qualitative & Quantitative Assessments Game-based play challenges students to identify: o Renewable vs. Non-renewable Energy o Kinds of photovoltaic (PV) panels and their function o Types of PV energy storage o Electricity vocabulary 360-review process lets students earn recognition for: o Leading or participating in a design team o Submitting a scientific journal o Delivering a presentation o Completing CAD sketches
Developing a Replicable Model for STEM Education Achievements represented as bronze, silver and gold pins Trophies represented as cups or plaques Badges include emblems, insignias, symbols and marks Meta-data provided by clicking Achievement, Trophy, or Badge o time/date of achievement o uploaded files o teacher comments
Instructors Can Customize the User Experience Launch Solar Racers with log-in at Green Ribbon Schools Display game-based achievements in real-time Validate project completion & input scores Customize assignments & due dates Access student portfolios, journals & presentations Set permissions for different Team Roles Release student achievement on regional leaderboards
Opportunity to Leverage Across Family of Programs Skillpoint STEM Council o Prototype for industry-recognized certifications o More compelling user interface for STEM education programs Green Ribbon Schools o Extend badge recognition to individuals o Offer a new green PBL program across network of 500+ schools Kalani Games o Expand gaming brand into educational technology o Create fun, immersive and engaging interactive experiences
Designed to Engage Students in a Virtual 3D Racing Pit Lane Exploration of a 3D virtual environment Structures and building represent specific course content o Energy, Electrical, Mechanics, CAD Design, Business Each building includes several interaction trigger points o o Kiosks, doorways or objects Opportunity to demonstrate familiarity with content Buildings contain a Qualification Center o Student challenges include quizzes, games or design activities Achievements, Trophies, and Badges physically displayed
The Underlying Platform & Capabilities for Success STEM Council has expertise in scaling project-based STEM programs o Robotics + Game Design + Solar Tech Green Ribbon Schools can offer badging to individuals o o Built on Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP, JavaScript, and jquery Capable of integrating with Mozilla Open Badge Framework Kalani Games recommends Unity for immersive 3D game environment o Easily scales across web, tablet & mobile platforms
Reduce the Tendency to Game the System Log-in specific to each user account Cycle content across chapter activities and mini-tests Include a 360-review for teacher and teammate scores Require performance across the program to qualify for Racing Teams Instructor customization options o Set quiz dates o Include time limits o Limit number of times a lesson can be revisited
Lonny Stern Director, STEM Council Skillpoint Alliance LStern@skillpointalliance.org 512.323.6773 ext 103 Twitter: skillpointstem Kalani Streicher CEO / Creative Director Kalani Games kalani@kalanigames.com 512.484.2325 Steve Amos Co-Director Green Ribbon Schools steve@4cw3.org 512.970.7443 Twitter: grsteam
Leveraging Digital Media to Impact STEM Education