by Kay Linderberg, Communications, HP Catalyst
A new online academy designed to accelerate global STEMx learning launched last week at the HP Catalyst Summit in Sãn Paulo, Brazil.
The HP Catalyst Academy is an unprecedented global collaboration, uniting the resources of the HP Catalyst Initiative, the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) and the New Media Consortium (NMC) to close the global skills gap by improving teaching practices.
The HP Catalyst Academy will be a first of its kind professional development resource, offering free online mini-courses taught by HP Catalyst Fellows who will help educators impart STEMx knowledge to students. The STEMx education trailblazers who are honored as Fellows will use the Academy’s massive open online courses (MOOCs) to spread their expertise to schools in communities around the globe.
Program Details
The Academy’s first cohort of Fellows will begin teaching classes in June 2013 covering topics including game design for learning, computational thinking, social media in STEMx teaching and more. Anyone interested in participating can sign up at www.catalyst-academy.org. Applications to be one of the second cohort of HP Catalyst Fellows and, with ISTE and NMC, develop new STEMx mini-courses for teachers and faculty serving students in grade 6-16 are available on the HP Catalyst Website.
The HP Catalyst Initiative developed the STEMx acronym which signifies that Academy courses expand beyond traditional STEM subjects — Science, Technology, Engineering and Math – to encompass the wide range of skills and knowledge required for success in today’s high-tech world, including disciplines like computer science, nanoscience and, biotech as well as critical skills such as collaboration, creativity, communication, problem solving, inquiry, computational thinking and global fluency.
More About The HP Catalyst Initiative
Launched in 2010, the HP Catalyst Initiative, to date, has helped 56 organizations in 15 countries explore how emerging technologies and great teaching can be combined to create powerful STEMx learning experiences for more than 130,000 students around the globe.
Developed with ISTE, the premier membership association for educators and education leaders engaged in advancing excellence in learning and teaching through the innovative and effective use of technology in PK-12 and teacher education, and NMC, an international not-for-profit consortium of learning-focused organizations dedicated to the exploration and use of new media and new technologies, the HP Catalyst Academy furthers the HP Catalyst Initiative’s support for innovations in STEMx teaching and learning.