Learning @ Home with Girls4Tech™ Connect: Mastercard Provides Free Online STEM Lessons to Children, Teachers and Parents

Mastercard extended access to its signature STEM curriculum, Girls4Tech™, through a suite of new online, creative educational resources. The program has been designed to help parents and teachers engage and inspire kids, ages 8-12.

Through the newly launched website Girls4Tech Connect, as well as through activities made in collaboration with our education partner Scholastic, teachers and parents can download lessons to help students learn about STEM topics, from the comfort of their homes or anywhere around the world.

These activities are built on global science and math standards – and incorporate Mastercard’s deep expertise in payments technology and innovation – to enable children to discover a range of STEM careers, such as Fraud Detective, Data Scientist and Software Engineer.

Now in its sixth year, Girls4Tech has engaged more than 800,000 students across the globe through inquiry-based activities and real-world challenges, all with the goal of inspiring more girls to pursue STEM careers and reduce the gender gap in these fields.

“We know that these are challenging times for parents and teachers on many fronts and hope that these learning resources are a fun way to engage and inspire kids about STEM while at home,” says Susan Warner, vice president of Community Engagement at Mastercard, and founder of Girls4Tech. “The easy access to the website enhances what we’ve done in so many workshops. We look forward to building on both efforts when it’s once again safe to gather in person.”

Beginning this week, new activities will be posted on a weekly basis at the Girls4Tech website, Facebook page and Twitter handle. Lessons are currently available in English, with additional Spanish and Chinese language content to follow in the coming weeks.

While all lessons are designed for students to work independently, materials are also available for teachers to guide online sessions.

#GirlPowerinTech: ILO-organized forum proves that #WomenCanDoIT

Women face a lot of challenges in the workplace, more so if that woman is in the field of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (or STEM).  Traditionally, STEM sectors are dominated by men but through the years, and with the advancement of technology, it is now ripe for women to be part of it not only as employees but as decision-makers, as well. 

This will be proven by the International Labour Organization (ILO) as it organizes a forum which will gather four women leaders along with a number of relevant public and private stakeholders in STEM sectors.  The forum, a few days before the International Women's Month, also marks the United Nations International Day of Women and Girls in STEM.  It is organized by the ILO Women in STEM Workforce Readiness and Development Programme with the support of J.P. Morgan and in cooperation with the Embassy of the United States in the Philippines and American Spaces-Philippines. 

First National Science Quiz Competition of Exploreum offers P 4M in Prizes

SM’s science museum, the Exploreum at SM Mall of Asia, will hold its first national science quiz competition, giving away as much as PHP 4 MILLION in prizes on September 2015 until February 2016.

Endorsed by the Department of Education, the Exploreum has partnered with the Department of Science and Technology to produce the first national science quiz competition: an inter-school tournament, open to public and private schools, with a total of PHP 4 MILLION in prizes for the winning schools.

The Exploreum will be accepting as many as 140 schools for the grade school and high school categories. Competing schools will already begin to win prizes in weekly, monthly, and quarterly preliminary rounds, while the winning schools and its student representatives will take home the winning pot of Php 1 MILLION each for the grade school and high school divisions during the grand finale.

Sharp Calulators Launches Search for the Ten Outstanding YoungMathematicians

We have to admit that the country is not that science or math savvy, but come to think of it Math is the foundation of almost everything that we have today. From construction to art, music, economics, media, technology and even the internet.

With a booming economy and rising population, it is the crucial times to invest in educating the youth with all the mathematical knowledge and uplift the quality of learning in the Philippines. Let us take a look of some facts that would greatly concern or need to be competitive in math.

Discovering Fun and Facts at the Nido Fortified Science Discovery Center!

Knowledge is definitely power especially when it is applied at an early age, and what better way to condition young minds into thinking and critical brains is to expose them to fact about the world. Yes, there are a lot of books available in the market and bookstores, however it would be best that we can experience them so we could and also know how to apply them. It is good to know that there are places of learning wherein we can encounter these facts and work young minds into interested individuals.

Aside from the museums and libraries, there are also centers for science and technology like the Nido Science Discovery Center at the Mall of Asia that caters to these needs. I recently got the chance to experience the facility as it is filled with a lot of things that even I at my age is still a new learning for me. The main attraction of the center is the Planetarium that has the latest technology in showing films and presentation using the dome as the screen like most planetariums but more clearer and with surround sound.

The kids will also like the interactive games and features that corresponds to the topic being discussed. There is a lot of interactive games and activities that one can enjoy at the same time also learn a lot about the world especially with technology and taking care of the environment. From robots to under the sea, the jungle and the polar ice caps. For all children and kids at heart, having a day at the Nido Fortified Science Discovery Center will be more than a fun-filled day, but also a great chance of learning new things about the world.

They had recent activities like Search for the BLURB and also the launch of the new film that will be shown in the planetarium