The Computer History Museum, the world’s leading institution exploring the history of computing and its impact on society, today announced that its Education program, Get Invested: Case Studies in Innovation, has been selected to receive an award for excellence in museum education from the California Association of Museums (CAM) and the Office of the California State Superintendent of Public Instruction.
The Superintendent’s Award for Excellence in Museum Education recognizes outstanding achievements in California museum programs that serve K-12 students and/or educators. Six winners were chosen by State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Tom Torlakson, after a formal evaluation and scoring by the Selection Committee. At least one third of the awards were given to eligible organizations with annual operating budgets less than $2 million.
In September, 2012, the Silicon Valley Education Foundation awarded a STEM Innovation Award to the Museum, recognizing Get Invested as an exemplar of excellence in engineering education. STEM Innovation Awards honor the best and brightest thought leaders and programs in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math from across the nation. The award was presented at SVEF’s annual Pioneers and Purpose Celebration for Education on September 5, 2012.
“Winning these awards is a great honor,” says Lauren Silver, PhD, Vice President of Education at the Computer History Museum. “They provide well-deserved recognition for Get Invested and position the Computer History Museum as a leader in STEM education in Silicon Valley. We are committed to our vision of exploring the history of computing and its ongoing impact on the human experience and to providing technology driven educational experiences for underserved students locally and worldwide.”
In 2011, the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, CA launched an innovative new program designed to bring STEM+ learning to underserved high school students. Called Get Invested: Case Studies in Innovation, the project received initial funding from the HP Catalyst Initiative, a network of researchers and educators from 35 countries, all of whom are working to transform STEM education in schools. Additional support has come from the Leo M. Shortino Foundation, the Severns Family Foundation, and private donors.
Get Invested explores innovative methods of integrating informal learning with traditional classroom instruction to inform and enhance STEM education. It provides a unique geographical, educational, and cross-cultural dimension through the connection of international school partners in Silicon Valley and Monterrey, Mexico. Education supporting STEM principles at CHM is rooted in our existing approach, the basic and essential work of creative inquiry. Problem-solving is the core of Get Invested and all of our education programming. Get Invested incorporates the concepts of 21st century learning needed to modernize traditional school based curriculum, immersing students in the realm of problem solving using STEM principles, knowledge, and skills.
Research reveals that students become more interested in and motivated to engage with STEM education and careers as a result of participating in Get Invested. Get Invested ignites students’ passion for learning, raises awareness about global challenges, and sparks inventive, social entrepreneurial thinking. Teachers uniformly credit it as being the vehicle for instilling their students with a greater understanding and appreciation of knowledge and skills essential for their development and learning. They remark that a result of participating, students realize that people who can use science, mathematics, engineering and business principles to solve new problems will be the ones to produce marketable products and services. They also praise the project learning approach as being the impetus for heightening student engagement and providing a foundation for them to construct their own knowledge of the world around them.
The Computer History Museum (CHM) in Mountain View, California is a nonprofit organization with a four-decade history as the world’s leading institution exploring the history of computing and its ongoing impact on society. The Museum is dedicated to the preservation and celebration of computer history and is home to the largest international collection of computing artifacts in the world, encompassing computer hardware, software, documentation, ephemera, photographs and moving images.
The Museum brings computer history to life through an acclaimed speaker series, dynamic website, docent-led tours as well as exhibits. Current exhibits include “Charles Babbage's Difference Engine No. 2,” “and Going Places: Google Maps with Street View
The Museum’s signature exhibit on the history of computing, “Revolution: The First 2000 Years of Computing,” opened in January 2011.
For more information and updates, call (650) 810-1059, visit www.computerhistory.org, check us out on Facebook, and follow @computerhistory on Twitter.
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