Funded by the National Science Foundation, the Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) program was established in 2003 to address the looming shortage of technology workers in the United States. ITEST engages students and teachers in authentic, hands-on learning experiences in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (commonly referred to as 'STEM' or 'SET' ). ITEST helps students and teachers build the skills needed to succeed in a science- and technology-driven world.
As of early 2012, the program is in its ninth year. Over 195 individual projects across 43 states have been funded. It has impacted:
- over 225,800 students, grades 6-12
- over 8,000 teachers
- over 3,000 parents and caregivers
The ITEST Learning Resource Center (ITEST LRC) at Education Development Center assists the projects in building bridges between formal and informal learning by facilitating an inclusive community of practice. Findings and lessons learned are shared nationally to improve policy and practice. Visit the website with the link below, or view a 2 page overview (Snapshot).
(1) http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=5467 (2) http://itestlrc.edc.org/ (3) http://itestlrc.edc.org/sites/itestlrc.edc.org/files/Snapshot_2012_Final.pdf
Famous quotes containing the words innovative, technology, experiences and/or students:
“A conventional good read is usually a bad read, a relaxing bath in what we know already. A true good read is surely an act of innovative creation in which we, the readers, become conspirators.”
—Malcolm Bradbury (b. 1932)
“Primitive peoples tried to annul death by portraying the human body—we do it by finding substitutes for the human body. Technology instead of mysticism!”
—Max Frisch (1911–1991)
“To regard the successful experiences which ensue from a belief as a criterion of its truth is one thing—and a thing that is sometimes bad and sometimes good—but to assume that truth itself consists in the process by which it is verified is a different thing and always bad.”
—William Pepperell Montague (1842–1910)
“We must continually remind students in the classroom that expression of different opinions and dissenting ideas affirms the intellectual process. We should forcefully explain that our role is not to teach them to think as we do but rather to teach them, by example, the importance of taking a stance that is rooted in rigorous engagement with the full range of ideas about a topic.”
—bell hooks (b. 1955)