Local SkillsUSA Winners at National Competition

Congratulations to students from Palmdale High School's Falcon Academy of Sustainable Technologies which had three awards at the recent national SkillsUSA competition held in Kansas City:

• Team 1H, comprised of Oscar Guzman, Ricardo Guzman, and Blanca Zepeda, received the bronze medal for the Career Pathways - Industrial and Engineering Technology competition;
• Team C, comprised of Ny Gyra Lawson, Austin Nowlen, and Anurag Rai, received the silver medal for the Innovative Application and Video Game competition;
• Christopher McDonald received the bronze medal for the Sustainability Solutions competition.

Approximately 20 students from AVUHSD schools competed in the national event this year.

MIT + Reality TV + Gaming = STEM Interest

The Boston Globe reports that MIT, in another venture to stimulate student interest in STEM subjects, is creating a video series entitled "ChemLab Boot Camp," styled after reality TV show models; the show is designed to humanize scientists and showcase the "messy," creative nature of applied science.  Another MIT group, assisted by funding from the Gates Foundation, is working on a new on-line game called "The Radix Endeavor," where a villain named Cyril attempts to keep all scientific knowledge to himself; players must solve problems with math and science knowledge.  http://articles.boston.com/2012-09-03/business/33547143_1_online-games-high-school-students-show-teens/2

PlayMaker School Opens in Los Angeles

Funded in part through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and using games and tools from GameDesk, the PlayMaker school was scheduled to open on 7 September 2012 as part of a school-within-a-school at New Roads independent middle school.  Sixty 6th graders will take part in learning using games such as MathMaker, Motion Math-in-Class, and others.  http://blogs.kqed.org/mindshift/2012/09/a-new-game-based-school-opens/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+kqed%2FnHAK+%28MindShift%29

Making Math Merrier

Many apparently feel that math is taking a back seat to "sexier" science in the STEM revolution, as it is considered more boring.  As a result, there is an effort to make math more fun through the use of games, competitions, and otherwise broadening its appeal.  Examples include MIT's "Lure of the Labyrinth" competition, "DU the Math" from DimensionU, the NY Museum of Math opening this fall, and actress/author (and summa cum laude math grad from UCLA) Danica McKellar's soon-to-be-released fourth math book "Girls Get Curves."  The hope is that by making math less imposing, as well as using the more problem-solving approach of the Common Core State Standards, more Americans will reduce their math anxiety.  http://www.chicagotribune.com/sns-rt-usa-educationmath-feature-pixl2e8fa9pu-20120411,0,3919532,full.story

Gamers Impacting STEM Education

In two recent articles, the impact of video games on education and science was highlighted.  MSNBC noted the contributions of online gamers using the Foldit game platform to reach a solution on the molecular structure of a complex "monkey-virus" retroviral protease which had been eluding scientists for more than a decade.  Through crowdsourcing, a solution was found in ten days.  http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/09/18/7802623-gamers-solve-molecular-puzzle-that-baffled-scientists

Michael Gallagher, CEO of the Entertainment Software Association, recently testified before the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology regarding the impact of gaming as an effective teaching tool in STEM education through the engagement of students and enhancement of technology skills required in the current workforce.  http://www.theesa.com/newsroom/release_detail.asp?releaseID=153

Microsoft's "Kodu" Programming Tool Introduces Youngsters to Game Design

Microsoft has introduced "Kodu," a visual programming language which operates from an XBox controller.  The tool is for game design, and is kid-friendly.  For more information, see http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/projects/kodu/

Gates Foundation Donates $20 Million to New Educational Tools

It was announced yesterday that the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is donating $20 million towards the cause of creating new interactive educational tools, including video games and social networking sites promoting math, science, and literacy, to support the new Common Core Standards.  The foundation is partnering with Pearson and America's Choice.  Florida Virtual School will also develop four digital courses utilizing the tools, which are expected to be ready for use by teachers nationwide in 2013-2014.  A number of the tools are expected to be free.  http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iy60FQzVE2r5TL_zv95cTq8nqDFg?docId=ce608bb8dd0147d8bbec7e863f9352ab

UC Santa Cruz to Offer Robotics Degree and Game Research Ph. D.

UC Santa Cruz has just announced recruitment for a degree in robotics beginning in the fall of 2011.  The interdisciplinary degree which will combine electrical, computer, and mechanical engineering components, will be the first such degree program in the UC system.  Demand is expected to be high, and will prepare students for careers in biotechnology, computer hardware, and instrumentation in addition to robotics.  For more information on the announcement, visit http://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/news/2011/04/12/ucsc-creates-ucs-first-robot-major.html.

UC Santa Cruz's Center for Games and Playable Media is also one of a few universities offering a Ph. D. degree in game research.  http://www.mercurynews.com/science/ci_17820494?IADID=Search-www.mercurynews.com-www.mercurynews.com&nclick_check=1

"Get the Math" Shows Middle and High School Students Math in Real-World Application

http://www.thirteen.org/get-the-math/ "Get the Math" is a multimedia project which shows middle and high school students how algebra is used in the real world, such as music, fashion, and video gaming.  Interactive challenges are provided by industry professionals in those career pathways, as well as lesson plans for teachers related to the challenges.