Projects That Employ Innovative Technologies
- Simple hand tools were among the earliest technological innovations and led to other developments.wild west image by Rita Simon from Fotolia.com
As computer and communications technologies advance, information sharing has increased beyond anything anyone could have predicted even 10 or 20 years ago. Governmental, academic, scientific and industrial projects use innovative technologies in a continuous search to prolong human life, increase production efficiency and enhance learning and human development. - ThinkQuest has employed innovative technology since its inception in 1996. The project encourages, supports and rewards students who work in collaborative teams online to create educational websites for other students. ThinkQuest has supported the development of more than 7,000 projects created by students from around the world. Students are challenged to create innovative solutions to real-world problems with web-based education projects. Winners of the yearly competition earn a trip to the annual ThinkQuest Live event in San Francisco, California. First-, second- and third-place winners receive new laptops for team members, and first-place teams receive a $5,000 donation for their school or organization. First-place projects have included a student leadership portal site and a math movies website to enhance children's mathematics learning experience.
- Students use video games as part of the learning experience.black video games controler or games pad image by Warren Millar from Fotolia.com
The Education Arcade was created by computer and video game developers and researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The project employs video game technology to explore and develop games that support learning. The team develops games and simulation experiences for students to learn about physics, engineering and even Shakespeare. For example, the physics game Supercharged simulates a three-dimensional electromagnetic field that players navigate with a ship while employing physics concepts to advance through the game. A study of middle school students in Waltham, Massachusetts, determined that students who played the game scored higher than students who were restricted to traditional learning methods. The Education Arcade team continues to develop games and explore their integration into teaching curricula. - The IDEA project gives students real-life engineering invention experience.Aeronautical piston engine image by Andrew Breeden from Fotolia.com
The National Science Foundation created the Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) Learning Resource Center to support projects that immerse students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. A group of students in grades eight through 12 in St. Paul, Minnesota, participates in an ITEST project called the Invention, Design, Engineering and Art (IDEA) Cooperative. The cooperative gives students innovative technology experiences in mechanical and electrical engineering. Students explore product design, robotics and three-dimensional modeling software. Eighth- and ninth-grade students explore the inner workings of engineering design teams and then move into paid work experiences with invention crews in grades 10 through 12. All work in the IDEA program is aimed at using engineering skills to solve problems in communities.
