CYBERCHASE Training Math & Sports

1. CYBERCHASE Training Math & Sports 2007 - 2008

2. Agenda • Welcome & Introductions • Introduction To Cyberchase • Cyberchase 2007 – 2008 • Materials Review • Sign Up To Join “The Chase”!

3. Workshop Objectives By the end of today’s presentation, you will: • be a Cyberchase Expert! • learn how to use the Cyberchase television episodes and corresponding educational materials to help the children in your program better understand mathematical concepts; • have an opportunity to sign up to receive free Cyberchase educational materials through 2008.

4. What is ?

5. THE SERIES

6. The CYBERCHASE Mission The CYBERCHASE project strives to… • Help 8- to 11-year-olds develop and sustain enthusiasm for math; • Help children develop skills in reasoning and problem solving; • Demonstrate the usefulness of mathematical thinking; • Help children see math in the everyday world; • Change children’s perceptions of math and foster an “I can do this!” attitude.

7. CYBERCHASE is Popular and Effective • Broadcast on 300+ PBS stations & digital channels in 50 states (95% of TV households) • Download your favorite episode at • Google Video, Amazon Unbox, Open Media Network, & iTunes • A big hit with kids of all ages • Skews evenly between boys and girls • Nearly 1/3 of the audience is African-American or Hispanic • Nearly 5 million viewers tune in every week • Ranks in the top tier of the PBS Kids line-up • CYBERCHASE is effective! According to research, CYBERCHASE viewers are better problem-solvers and are more confident about math relative to non-viewers 72 half hour episodes on air as of fall 2007

8. The Series • Action-packed Adventures • Packed with mystery, humor, and action, the TV show features a team of curious kids who outwit, outsmart, and outlast the bad guys in their adventurous quest to save Cyberspace. • Centers on the classic battle of good vs. evil. • One of the original inspirations for the series was Alice in Wonderland. • Each episode takes place on a different fantasy “Cyber-site”. • Key to show’s success is that it shows ordinary kids—not teenagers or adults—using brain power to solve mysteries and problems.

9. The Series The Good Guys Jackie: African-American suburban girl; a “drama queen,” over the top, the “organizer.” Inez: Latina city girl; stubborn and talkative, loves animals and has a cat. Matt: Caucasian country boy; kinesthetic learner; backpack full of gadgets. Digit: Wisecracking, loudmouthed Cyberbird.

10. The Series The Bad Guys Hacker:Pompous, power-hungry, conniving. Wants to take over Cyberspace. A good guy turned bad. Wears a pocket protector. Buzz:Hacker’s bumbling henchman. Short and round; not the sharpest tool in the shed. Delete: Hacker’s other bumbling henchman. Tall and skinny; not the brightest star in the heavens.

11. The Series • The Premise • Hacker is on a dastardly mission to “crash” Motherboard, and take over all of cyberspace. • Jackie, Inez, and Matt are whisked into cyberspace to help Motherboard and prevent Hacker’s victory. • In each episode, the kids must thwart Hacker’s diabolical plans with their only weapon: BRAIN POWER!

12. The Series “Sneaky Learning” • Math content is an integral part of the humor, mystery, adventure, and fun of the series; • Series content guided by NCTM math standards, classroom experience of math educators, and cognitive research; • Each episode focuses on the exploration of a single math concept; • Applies math to real-world problem-solving.

13. The Series What’s the “BIG IDEA”? • Each episode is built on a single math concept or skill. • All mysteries and problems in the episode relate to the BIG IDEA. • The Cyber kids are challenged to apply this concept or skill to a variety of situations.

14. The Series • Important to note. . . • Some characters may not “catch on” to math concepts immediately; • Problems are broken down into simple steps; • Characters employ different strategies and learning styles; • Solutions come with process and persistence.

15. The Series • “For Real” • Each episode is immediately followed by a live-action epilogue where “The Big Idea” is applied to real life. • Bianca and Harry constantly encounter conundrums and challenges that require math skills and brain power. • Each epilogue is exactly five minutes long and provides a stand-alone overview of the concept and its applications.

16. Cyberchase Outreach

17. Outreach Goals • Extend learning into homes, classrooms, libraries, museums, and after school programs nationwide. • Special focus on reaching girls, minorities and underserved kids, particularly those without ready access to technology. • Support teaching and learning through a network of outreach partner organizations. • Directly connect with educators at professional conferences through presentations, trainings and exhibits. • Drive viewers to the TV program and visitors to the Web site.

18. Outreach Partners • Year-long outreach to PBS stations, libraries, museums/science centers and after school sites nationwide • Key Partnerships, Collaborations, & Grant Recipients • PBS Stations • After School and Educational Programs such as: • AAHPERD • American Library Association (ALA) • Association of Science & Technology Centers (ASTC) • Children’s Aid Society • Children’s Museum of Houston • Girl Scouts • Girls Incorporated • National Engineers Week Foundation • Sally Ride Science

19. Museum Outreach Cyberchase – The Chase Is On! • Created in partnership with the Children’s Museum of Houston • 1500 sq. ft. bilingual traveling exhibit • Visiting 14 cities over 5 years including: • The New York Hall of Science; Flushing, NY • EdVenture; Columbia, SC • Minnetrista; Muncie, IN • Chicago Children’s Museum; Chicago, IL • Port Discovery; Baltimore, MD • Austin Children’s Museum; Austin, TX

20. Cyberchase Online

21. Cyberchase Online Site includes: • Over 40 multi-level math games • Streaming video • Webisodes • Family activities & teacher materials • Opportunities to submit drawings and stories Statistics: • Over 1.3 BILLION page views to date • 650,000 “unique visits” per week • An online poll indicates that 85% of visitors are seven or older www.pbskidsgo.org/cyberchase

22. Visit Cyberchase Web Site www.pbskidsgo.org/cyberchase • Visit “For Parents & Teachers” • Check out “News & Events • Play games!

23. Educational Materials Available Online Thematic Initiatives from previous seasons of Cyberchase featured: • “Know Your Dough” • Tackled topics such as saving, spending and budgeting, CYBERCHASE to help children learn smart money skills they can use their whole lives • “Super Cyberchase Science” • Illustrated how math can unlock and help children explore science ideas • “Math in Science & Engineering” • Helped children think like engineers, who use both math and science to solve practical problems and create valuable and useful things for our everyday world • “My Big Idea” • Presented and modeled the problem-solving process behind inventing used by mathematicians, scientists, and engineers

24. New Themes 2007 - 2008

25. 2007 – 2008 CYBERCHASE Themes Kids love sports, and sports are rich with opportunities to use numbers, find patterns and develop winning strategies. CYBERCHASE Math & Sports challenges kids to “get active with math”! Topics Include: Data Collection Numbers & Operations Representation Angles

26. Math & Sports Activity Example

27. Math & Sports Activity Example

28. 2007 – 2008 Resources Available Available Now: • Cyberchase Comic books • Cyberchase Posters Coming Soon: • “Builders’ Math” DVD and CD-Rom • “Math in Sports” DVD and CD-Rom

29. Wrap Up • Questions • Please make sure that you have signed up to continue to receive Cyberchase materials • Email us at cyberchase@thirteen.org if you would like to request additional materials • Stayed tuned for more information from Cyberchase!

30. Thank You!