New products like STEM toys and\u00a0maker-based programs and projects are a great way to get kids involved in the STEM fields early on by allowing them to explore\u00a0new concepts hands-on, building on skills such as creativity, teamwork, and problem-solving.<\/p>\n
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When looking at the projected job market, parents are seeing the importance of projects that pique kids’ interest in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) skills. New products like STEM toys (Amazon has an entire section of their website featuring these<\/a>) and maker-based programs and projects are a great way to get kids involved in the STEM fields early by allowing them to explore new concepts hands-on, building on skills such as creativity, teamwork, and problem-solving.<\/p>\n At CIRA’s annual general meeting in September, Andy Forest, co-founder of STEAMLabs (who adds an \u201cA\u201d to STEM to indicate \u201cArts\u201d), spoke about the future of education in our online world. Forest talked about bringing current industrial age-based learning systems into the information age with maker spaces. STEAMLabs has had two projects funded by CIRA’s Community Investment Program<\/a> (CIP), which invests in projects nationwide to build a better online Canada. The two projects, Internet of Things teaching kit<\/em> and School projects with Internet brains<\/em> are both focused on kids’ digital literacy.<\/p>\n This past summer, with the help of $42,000 in CIP funding, Vancouver Island-based North Island College (NIC) offered several sessions of NICBotCamps. 139 elementary school students aged 9-12 built, programmed, and remotely-controlled robots using LEGO Mindstorms<\/a> at the week-long camps.<\/p>\n This video, produced by NIC, features some of the instructors, parents, and students that participated in the 2016 NIC Bot Camps.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n At the NIC Bot Camps, the students learned the basics of computer programming to build and \u201ctrain\u201d robots to perform various tasks. \u201cRunning the camps is good way to get kids engaged in science and technology, helping them prepare for the future job market\u201d, said Naomi Tabata in a statement for the Campbell River Mirror<\/a>. Tabata is the Manager at the Centre for Applied Research, Technology and Innovation (CARTI) at NIC. <\/p>\n \u201cA combination of things made our camps successful,\u201d said Tabata. \u201cWe had amazing instructors and because this is the first time such a camp was offered in our remote location, students were eager to learn and sign up.\u201d<\/p>\n NIC is looking forward to running the robotics camps next year and is planning to expand the camp program to include other science and technology themed programs.<\/p>\nNorth Island College offers first round of camps to youth with CIP funding<\/h2>\n
About CIRA’s Community Investment Program<\/h2>\n