Pitsco Education Spearheads STEM Entrepreneurship Continuum

PITTSBURG, Kan., May 18, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Who will invent our future? Entrepreneurs; specifically, STEM entrepreneurs.

Who is filling the entrepreneurial talent pipeline? Teachers, especially those who facilitate and encourage their students to engage their hands and minds while communicating, designing, creating, and thinking critically in the classroom.

To prepare these K-12 teachers – and their students – a consortium composed of leading STEM advocates, educators, and service providers has developed a comprehensive program through which teachers can become certified in STEM entrepreneurship. This effort to shape the future by reshaping learning is spearheaded by Pitsco Education, the Jacobson Institute for Youth Entrepreneurship, Startup Genius, and zSpace.

"We have assembled in this consortium some of the top minds in STEM education," said Pitsco Vice President of Education Matt Frankenbery. "We want all kids to have the opportunity to be part of the ownership success equation. Whether they are in Nuevo, California, or in Dothan, Alabama, or anywhere in between, they deserve an opportunity to become entrepreneurs."

• Pitsco Education, a STEM pioneer with more than 45 years of experience developing and implementing educational products, prepares learners for the future through the integration of science, technology, engineering, and math concepts using relevant hands-on applications to connect school, community, and work.
• The University of Iowa's STEM Innovation and Entrepreneurship program was developed by the Jacobson Institute for Youth Entrepreneurship to equip educators with skills to infuse innovation, invention, and entrepreneurship into their schools.
• Startup Genius is an entrepreneurship social networking platform that facilitates meaningful community engagement through problem-based active learning surrounding development of students' ideas.
• zSpace mixed-reality STEM labs are equipped with hands-on activities and multimedia STEM instruction that enable students to interact with the topic they're learning about through leading-edge augmented and virtual reality technology. 

The STEM Entrepreneurship continuum prepares teachers from all levels – elementary, middle, and high. Foundational STEM professional development is a starting point from which teachers can scale their expertise, and each teacher has access to a curriculum tool kit for STEM innovation as well as the opportunity to build partnerships with local, state, and national industry leaders.

The two-phase professional development process prepares educators to empower budding entrepreneurs; cultivate soft skills such as communication, collaboration, problem solving, and conflict resolution; implement the engineering design process in age-appropriate ways; and embrace the learning potential in student failure. Upon successful completion of professional development, teachers are University of Iowa STEM Innovator Certified Instructors and can earn four graduate-level credits.

Highlights/Multimedia:

• Click to Tweet: #STEMentrepreneurship consortium certifies K-12. @pitscoed @STEMinnovator @zSpace @startup_genius www.pitsco.com/STEMentrepreneurship
• Learn more at www.pitsco.com/STEMentrepreneurship.  
• Learn more about Pitsco Education at www.pitsco.com.

Pitsco Education is the leading provider of K-12 STEM solutions. STEM Education prepares learners for the future through the integration of science, technology, engineering, and math concepts using relevant hands-on applications to connect school, community, and work. Our various products, activities, curriculum, and solutions promote positive learning experiences and continued classroom success.

Contact:
Communications Manager Tom Farmer
800-828-5787, [email protected]

SOURCE Pitsco Education