Sheila Boyington, owner of Thinking Media and Learning Blade, talks about her recent coverage area that now includes the state of Arkansas in an interview in early June.By the numbers
What students say after taking Learning Blade:* 71 percent said they learned about new careers* 69 percent said what they learned in the program will be useful later in life* 57 percent said they are interested in taking advanced math classes in high school* Twice as many students who take the class say they want to be engineers or scientists compared with those who don’t participate in Learning Blade.Source: Surveys of students after participating in Learning Blade in Tennessee.
Mission-based approach
The Learning Blade gives students one of 11 missions to accomplish, either as individuals or teams, using a variety of science, math and engineering skills. Among the missions are:* Dolphin rescue: Creating an artificial prosthetic tail* Haiti orphanage: Building a home for children displaced by an earthquake* Energy sources: Upgrading energy sources to replace an old coal power plant* Fresh foods: Increasing production of local foods in a community* Transportation congestion: Improving traffic flow in a city* Flu outbreak: Use GIS to predict where flu will spread* Lightweight aircraft: Develop long-range lightweight aircraft to deliver relief around the worldSource: Thinking Media
From helping an injured dolphin swim again to building an orphanage damaged in the Haiti earthquake, middle school students using the online training program Learning Blade are discovering the value and fun of work in science and math.
Chattanooga entrepreneurs Dane and Sheila Boyington, both chemical engineers who previously developed a successful vocational testing and training program, hope their newest online training tool does more than just excite sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders about finding engineering solutions to their fictional online missions. By showing students why math, science and technology are important to solving a variety of problems, the pair think Learning Blade can help cut America’s deficiencies in science, technology, engineering and math – the so-called STEM fields where America needs more talent.
“Our goal is to see a change in this country,” Sheila Boyington says. “We want to see our kids interested in these high-demand fields, which not only offer the best job and income prospects for many people but also are key to our future economic growth.”