Education
What Problems Has Edtech Solved, and What New Ones Did It Create?
Technology can collect and harness more data than ever before. But with that comes greater risks to personal privacy and potential for misuse. Those building, funding and using edtech tools must similarly wrestle with these concerns. In education, does technology create just as many problems as it solves? If so, what new challenges have emerged?
Rosen bill to push STEM careers for girls, minorities becomes law
President Donald Trump signed a bill over the holidays that went largely unnoticed but reflected a yearslong effort by Sen. Jacky Rosen to expand educational opportunities in math and science for young women and students of color. The bipartisan Building Blocks of STEM Act was signed into law on Dec. 24 after approval by the House and Senate.
The Rise of STEM
STEM, or science, technology, engineering, and math has more recently become a bigger part of American children curriculums with the coining of the term in 2001 by Judith Ramaley. Over the last decade, the U.S. has seen nearly 2 million new STEM jobs - but students’ math and science scores continue to lag behind other nations. The interest in STEM really got going when in 2005, “Rising above the gathering storm” was released by the National Academies of Sciences and Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine.
A look at the importance of innovation in K-12 schools for 2020
HundrED.org, a Finnish nonprofit education organization, recently announced its top 100 K-12 innovations globally. The list includes some incredible and inspiring innovations that are available for free, are impactful and scalable, and are aimed at helping children learn and flourish.
Georgia STEM High School Merges Music and Coding
Using Georgia Tech’s learn-to-code-through-music platform, EarSketch, high school students have the opportunity to win prizes by composing an original remix featuring the song “SET” from Grammy-Award winning singer-songwriter Ciara. The competition is intended to get young people excited about computer science and coding.
Grading for STEM Equity
Study suggests that professors should standardize their grading curves, saying it's an efficient way to boost women's enrollment in STEM. Harsher grading policies in science, technology, engineering and math courses disproportionately affect women -- because women value good grades significantly more than men do, according to a new working paper published by the National Bureau of Economic Research.
15 edtech apps educators love
Need some new tools for your teaching toolkit? We got you covered. We asked educators to tell us about their favorite edtech apps and resources. Here are their top picks, from science and math to reading and social studies and everything in between.
The Shape of Edtech to Come
Edtech is well past the orientation period. Ninety-nine percent of K-12 classrooms in America have reached at least the minimum internet bandwidth target established by the FCC. At the same time, more than three quarters of teachers say students use Google’s G Suite in the classroom. And even though survey data collection is imperfect, estimates have shown that more than half of students have access to a laptop or tablet. As EducationSuperHighway’s most recent State of the States report concluded, “the classroom connectivity gap is now closed.”
Why We Need More Women in STEM and How AI Could Help Us Get There
In light of this pressing issue, female-centric STEM initiatives has appeared across the US. Among the best known national programs include the previously mentioned Girls Who Code organization, as well as Kode With Klossy, run by former supermodel Karlie Kloss. And though specialized STEM programs for girls are a step in the right direction, we need to make a leap. Current efforts aren’t nearly comprehensive enough to adequately prepare women for an AI-augmented reality and work towards solving the problem of discrimination and the gender gap.
Why STEAM curriculum is the new STEM
Traditionally, obtaining a STEM education has been viewed as the key to a successful career with great earning potential. Many even consider STEM fields more important to the job market than the arts and the humanities. But with architecture's inclusion in STEM, educators can combine science with art to create educational and career advancement opportunities for their students.
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