About Computing MATTERS
Since 1994, students in and near Durham have benefited from the workshops, apprenticeships, and internships offered by Shodor. Shodor is initiating new outreach efforts to excite and attract students beyond the Research Triangle to consider pursuing an education or career in science, mathematics, and medicine.
The result is Computing MATTERS, a coherent continuum of other-than-schooltime activities from upper elementary grades through college for students to encounter the excitement of discovery, the power of inquiry, and the joy of learning enabled by cyberinfrastructure technologies.
Computing MATTERS leverages Shodor's tested and proven model that combines training of teachers and near-peer exploration leaders, effective STEM education experiences for students at all levels, advancement of students from diverse backgrounds to positions of leadership, and continuous mentoring.
The program partners with universities, community centers, school districts and Sigma Xi to extend Computing MATTERS first to a wide geographic area reaching the very corners of the Research Triangle, and then to span the state of North Carolina as the program develops.
Shodor wants to scale its work by implementing Computing MATTERS far beyond Shodor, serving as a model for dissemination of successful programs. The goal is to enable students all over North Carolina, and eventually the nation, to share the same growth from excitement to experience to expertise through research opportunities and service as students in Shodor's hometown.
Computing MATTERS is designed to help others become adept in computational science explorations, adapt Shodor's materials and approach for their own circumstances, and therefore move to adopt Computing MATTERS as the organizing principle for their own extensive youth-based programs. The goal is to partner with local communities, providing professional development and ongoing support in order to implement student programs.
About Shodor
Established in Durham, NC in 1994, Shodor is a nonprofit organization serving students and educators by providing materials and instruction relating to computational science (scientific, interactive computing).
With an Internet presence producing 3 to 4 million page views per month, Shodor has an international impact. Its award-winning, free online education tools such as Interactivate are popular with students and educators alike.
Shodor is transforming learning through computational thinking. In the Raleigh-Durham, NC area, Shodor offers workshops, apprenticeships and internships for youth and teens to build excitement for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) through interactive explorations using hands-on and computer-enhanced activities, giving them the experience they will need to pursue a technology-intensive career path.
Shodor helps elementary and middle school students build and sustain an interest in science, mathematics, engineering, and technology through their high school years, and help high school students to see themselves being successful and happy pursuing studies in college and careers in STEM areas, while offering internships for college students to serve as developers and mentors in the program.