Posts on “ National STEM Video Game Challenge ”

BrainPOP Webinar: Martin Esterman: Games, Math Fluency and Award Winning Ways Wednesday, May 29 at 3:30 pm ET  Martin Esterman, the National STEM Video Game Challenge winner, joins us for a webinar on fluency and the Common Core State Standards for Math practice. Martin tells us why he’s decided to use games for instruction and touches on the importance of fluency in math development. You’ll see some of the games he uses to help support these skills, including Addition Blocks, the one he designed for the Challenge and is featured on GameUp. Event Password: moby

Wednesday, March 13th at 3:30 PM ET- Get Your Game On: BrainPOP & National STEM Video Game Challenge  You’ve heard about the tremendous potential games have for learning and engagement, but how do you bring them into your own classroom? This webinar, featuring our friends at the Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop, highlights different ways to implement game-based learning. You’ll also get the details on the National STEM Video Game Challenge: work with your students as they design their own games and strengthen their STEM skills.

Inspired by the Educate to Innovate Campaign, President Obama’s initiative to promote a renewed focus on STEM education, the National STEM Video Game Challenge is a multi-year competition whose goal is to motivate interest in STEM learning among America’s youth by tapping into students’ natural passion for playing and making video games. CALLING ALL TEACHERS with STUDENT GAMERS!  ENCOURAGE your students to ENTER THE CHALLENGE! BrainPOP is once again a proud outreach partner for the challenge and our site is a terrific starting place for you to prepare your students to participate.  Use our STEM Spotlight to introduce key concepts that might inspire your students as entry points for developing game content. In addition, check out GameUp for examples of STEM-based educational games and begin thinking about turning content knowledge into games.  We’ve got lesson plans to help get you up and running, or listen to a webinar and read our blog posts that can help you consider the best ways to bring game design into your classroom.    

Great news!  The National STEM Video Game Challenge has just announced that they are extending the contest’s deadline to March 23rd.  As part of the Digital Promise Initiative, the Challenge aims to increase interest in STEM learning among America’s schools.  If you have a case of “creators block,” be sure to head on over to  GameUp for some inspiration and examples of some excellent STEM based educational games.  Our archived webinar from January 2012 can provide you with tips and tricks for how to prepare your students for the Challenge.  With our STEM related BrainPOP resources and an extended deadline, you  have just what you need to get started and challenge yourself.