Cyber Innovation Center featured at SXSWedu

Big opportunities and the national spotlight continue to shine on the Cyber Innovation Center and its National Integrated Cyber Education Research Center (NICERC).

Thanks to their efforts in K-12 science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM); cyber; and computer science education, CIC was featured at the South By Southwest Edu (SXSWedu) Conference in Austin, Texas.

Kevin Nolten, Director of Academic Outreach for the Cyber Innovation Center, offered a voice on the computer science landscape across the country during the Computer Science Standards: Best Practices panel.

During this panel, Nolten, along with Arkansas Department of Education’s Anthony Owen, Baltimore Public School’s Heather Lageman, and Code.org’s Pat Yongpradit, offered the SXSWedu community an opportunity to learn and discuss state-level policy around computer science education and explore means for shaping the future of STEM, cyber, and computer science education.

“As educators, we should engage students through project-driven learning, hands-on experiences, and applicable connections to every day lessons,” says Nolten. “We should get students thinking about the real-world relevance of learning STEM, cyber, and computer science, so they can begin identifying opportunities for the future.”

The SXSWedu Conference fosters innovation in learning by hosting a passionate and diverse community of 7,000+ educational visionaries for four days of compelling sessions, in-depth workshops, and policy-centered discussions. Through collaboration, SXSWedu empowers creativity, social action, and meaningful impact in education.

“By focusing on a top-down, state-level policy approach, we begin to systematically change K-12 education and empower the end-user—the teacher—with the skills, confidence, and resources needed to prepare our students, our future workforce,” adds Nolten. “Just as reading, writing, and arithmetic are a top priority because they provide a foundation for a successful future, in our digital and cyber era, computer science is the next focus area we should be prioritizing.”