Engineering is the field where the future comes into focus and then becomes the present. Show students how with our updated career guide. It features exciting innovations and advances in engineering that are becoming reality — houses printed in 3-D, windows that generate energy from the sun, and prosthetics that learn the more people use them, and much more!
Read MoreAI Joins the Online Security Battle
AI has ramped up the speed and scope of cyber attacks at the same time as it has made cyber defenses more agile and effective. One thing that hasn't changed – the need for people with interest and skills to put their talent and energy towards making the internet safer for all of us. Read more to find out how to help get students interested and prepared for careers in this important, rewarding field.
Read MoreToys for All Ages to Save the World
For decades, toys have been made of plastics that have made them hazards to the environment. And as the industry has grown, the environmental impact has only gotten worse. But things are changing for the better, and the toys on this list all represent eco-friendly approaches to both manufacturing and playtime itself.
Read MoreHow to Prepare Middle Schoolers to Save the Internet
The job of saving the internet gets more difficult every year. Online crime is bad enough, but even the legal ways our personal data gets scooped up for rampant commercial use puts us at risk. What to do now – preach “data care,” start young, and help individuals take charge of what happens to personal information online.
Read MoreHow to Follow Up on Phat Gus and [His] Squirrel Friends
Mark Rober’s genius videos about crazy building projects can excite kids about engineering. But then what? Here’s how to channel that enthusiasm into learning easily done in class or at home.
Read MoreReally Big Increases in Sight for US R&D Programs Next Year?
Lawmakers’ efforts to expand America’s research and development enterprise dominated discussions about STEM education policy in 2021. While questions remain, it seems likely that 2022 will see really big increases to funding levels at the National Science Foundation and some of the other federal agencies involved in science and technology discovery and education.
Read MoreNear-Viral Videos to Start Students on Cybersecurity Career Paths
“Introducing Cybersecurity” is a playlist of videos that can help get students excited and interested about career prospects in the field. Whether feeling hesitant, hurried, harried, or even helpless, educators and counselors of all kinds will find something at their level to make cybersecurity a relatable, viable study and career pathway for their students.
Read MoreHow to Help Tweens Outsmart Online Risk
During this Cybersecurity Awareness Month, we’re excited to announce our latest publication, Outsmart Cyberthreats. It’s equal parts online safety guidance and career awareness for middle schoolers. Kids will learn how to take informed control of what happens with their data when they use the internet and to make informed decisions about possible career paths in the field of cybersecurity.
Read MoreThe STEM Education Waterfront, Covered in Our 10 Most Popular Blog Posts
Our top 10 blog posts from the last 18 months reveal a rich variety of reading interests and behaviors among our much-appreciated subscribers. From toys to engineering outreach programs to cybersecurity to TED talks, STEM education writ large offers up topics and approaches to catch many different kinds of eyes.
Read More9 Cyber Crime Documentaries to Scare You Off the Internet
To learn what really happens to our data online, documentaries will give you a fuller picture than the movies. So far, so obvious. But be warned – you’ll need a strong stomach to go back online after watching some of these titles.
Read MoreOnline Gaming Should Be Fun and Safe, for Boys AND Girls
COVID accelerated the growth of online gaming, as lockdown kept people at home and limited to socially-distanced diversions. But harassment and hate, fueled by sexism and small-mindedness, lurk in the dark corners of the enterprise. Girls and women can pay an extra, cruel price for just wanting to play, and it’s clearly something we should be committing to make right.
Read More7 Cool Things about Perseverance Landing on Mars
Perseverance touched down for a picture-perfect landing on Mars, after a seven-month journey. On a search for signs of ancient Martian life, the rover is the most advanced robotic device ever launched into space. At every turn, the mission features amazing, inspirational examples of science and engineering at their best. Here are seven parts of the picture from the landing that especially caught our attention.
Read MoreSTEM and SEL a Formula to Enrich At-Home Learning
COVID has driven learning out of the school and into the home. STEM learning, especially, presents clear challenges to families trying to make at-home school work. Find out how STEM and social-emotional learning can combine to open up possibilities for parents and children to learn and grow together in uniquely nourishing ways.
Read MoreA Holiday Toy List to End All Toy Lists (or at least ours …)
Our last holiday toy list showcases a diverse group of other list-makers who have gathered engineering-related toy and gift ideas in distinctive ways. You are sure to find something for kids of all kinds, ranging from the budding engineer to even just the mildly curious. And the last item on the list might just change a kid’s life(!).
Read MoreWhy (and How) to Do K-12 Cyber Career Awareness "Backwards"
Career awareness in K-12 is not working very well for the tech-driven, rapidly-changing workforce that awaits students upon graduation. To fix this problem, we think career awareness should be done “backwards.” That’s how our career awareness program works. What does all this really mean? Keep reading to find out.
Read MoreA Summer Unlike (We Hope) Any Other
The shadow of COVID-19 makes this a school year unlike any other, and it could mark the start of long-lasting challenges for K-12 education. But lots of smart people have been hard at work on ways to make pandemic-era online learning work better for larger numbers of teachers and students. If nothing else, though, making it up as we go along is the new normal.
Read MoreCybersecurity Education on the Rise
Twenty years ago, few people thought much about K-12 engineering education. Now it’s a foundation of science education at all levels. Cybersecurity education seems to be following a similar path. Read more to see why.
Read MoreHow to Make Career Awareness Work for Elementary Ages
Career awareness for elementary school might sound awful. But if we ask kids the right questions, we can help them take their first steps towards work that’s meaningful to them and beneficial for the world.
Read MoreGet Students Started in Cybersecurity with CyberCAP
Cybersecurity education means more than just certifications and technical knowledge. It’s about problem-solving, advanced communications skills, and a grasp of the larger context — geopolitical, legal, economic, ethical, or historical. CyberCAP, our new career awareness program, can show students all about it.
Read MoreAt-home Learning in Crisis Times (with the Cat in the Hat)
At-home engineering lessons can start with children’s books. Even the Cat in the Hat has something to teach on the topic. For parents suddenly turned into their kids’ teachers, using story to teach engineering can mean learning for all.
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