“School is not where most Americans learn most of their science.”~ The 95 Percent Solution, American Scientist. 2010.
“School is not where most Americans learn most of their science.”~ The 95 Percent Solution, American Scientist. 2010.
The current crisis in STEM education is a defining problem of our time. To flourish in the 21st century, both specialists and citizens require a solid understanding of STEM ideas and practices. The critical need for widespread STEM education and the unprecedented nature of our current technology revolution combine to provide a unique opportunity. Technology can make learning possible in entirely new ways—particularly in STEM education—on a scale that was almost unimaginable even as recently a decade ago.
At the Concord Consortium, our goal is to revitalize STEM education through technology. We have been at the forefront of this approach to STEM reform since 1994, and have become a preeminent source of high-quality and free technology-based educational innovations. A key component of our long-range plan for STEM reform is to extend learning beyond schools and provide ways of coordinating school and community resources to meet the needs and interests of learners. Technology can provide the tools to make this a reality.
“It takes both after-school and in-school STEM efforts to move toward educating a STEM-savvy workforce.”~ Education Week. March 13, 2013
Science and engineering learning opportunities are everywhere: in school, community programs, museums and homes. However, because these experiences are often impromptu and disconnected, much of their learning value is lost. Imagine how much more could be learned if these different environments provided coordinated, complementary experiences instead.
Our Learning Everywhere initiative will develop technology that will allow participants to easily connect specific interactive exhibits on the floor of science centers to interactives in both formal and informal learning environments.
Using cutting-edge technologies including multitouch tabletop surfaces and mobile games, we are helping youth engage with and learn about about energy and engineering concepts including alternative energies, energy use and human impacts and green engineering and design.
The project’s interactive experiences will extend learning across settings—from museum to school to home and back—enhancing and connecting learning fluidly across boundaries.
In the process, we will build a greater understanding about how these learning opportunities interact than ever before. By collecting fine-grained data on user interactions throughout these experiences, we will obtain a detailed picture of learning over time and across venues.
The William K. Bowes, Jr. Foundation has created a challenge to launch our Learning Everywhere initiative. In response to a detailed proposal, William Bowes has pledged $1 million—half of the proposed budget—in a dollar-for-dollar funding match for any non-governmental awards toward the pilot project.
This project represents a novel, exciting and far-reaching advance in STEM learning. Through the innovative new exhibits, we will reach hundreds of thousands of users across the three participating museums.
Please contact Chad Dorsey, President of the Concord Consortium, for more information or to contribute to this initiative.
The Concord Consortium is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.