College and professional football games aren’t the only fall competitions underway. In October, the Intelitek STEM and CTE Education Foundation (ISCEF) kicks off the 2018 Cyber Robotics Coding Competitions(CRCCs) in 14 states and the District of Columbia. The CRCC is the first-of-its-kind, free to participate, online coding and robotics tournament for students in grades 5-9 that enables schools and districts to engage students in STEM learning by using game-based competitions that are both safe and fun.
Sponsored by Intelitek, CoderZ and Oracle Academy, the first eight-week virtual coding competition was held in New Hampshire at the end of 2017 and gave rise to an international phenomenon that has resulted in more than 50,000 students all over the world participating in similar events. Just last month more than 30,000 students in Vietnam registered for their CRCC in just under 48 hours.
This year, 14 different competitions will be held in 13 states, including California, Connecticut, Maryland, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia, Wisconsin, as well as the District of Columbia. A fifteenth -- the U.S. National Open Access competition -- will be held virtually for students in schools without a statewide CRCC.
Just like last year, this year’s competitors will undertake their missions on Intelitek’s award-winning CoderZ Cyber Robotics Learning Environment, a cloud-based platform featuring a graphical simulation of LEGO Mindstorms EV3 robots. The innovative, online platform has a coding interface where users between 5th and 12th grade can activate a virtual robot, or “cyber-robot,” and watch the results in a real-time simulation.
“Coding and robotics are incredibly important areas for students to pursue to support our economic growth and development,” said Ben Smith, STEM Coordinator, Supervisor of Educational Technology, Lincoln Intermediate Unit 12, New Oxford, Penn.“Competitions like the CRCC engage and excite students so they become invested in their learning.”
Teachers and schools can signup anytime before Nov 8to join the event which kicks off on Oct 15with a Boot Camp for students. Educator resources include a webinar, which can be accessed here at https://goo.gl/S7Y1p7.
The 2018 CRCC will be held in three stages, starting with Boot Camp, which opens to students on October 15and lasts approximately three weeks. In this first stage, students and educators work on their choice of more than 50 lessons (called “missions”) in order to gain or hone knowledge of coding and robotics fundamentals. High participation and diversity among Boot Camp competitors can earn that school teams awards and invitations to the Finals.
The second stage of the CRCC is the Qualifiers, which will be open from November 5 through November 14.Students will work to complete over 20 missions and earn points for their school’s team. Schools with the highest average scores will receive invitations to the finals. The third round, the Finals, is a live, in-person, one-day event held inDecemberin which two student representatives from each school will be challenged to complete five more advanced missions under a time constraint.
Smith added, “Getting students in middle school involved is the critical time where they can work to develop computational thinking skills that can impact their career choice. The CRCC provides students the opportunity to participate in challenging, but fun, missions that will capture their interest and motivate them to pursue computer science.”
“Our mission is to make robotics and coding accessible to all schools in a fun and engaging way,” said Ido Yerushalmi, CEO of Intelitek. “That is what we are successfully doing with CoderZ and CRCC – we’ve made it so easy for teachers, engaging for students and as simple as possible to participate – because all that is needed is Internet connectivity.”
For more information about CRCC, visit CRCC.io, or to express interest in organizing a Cyber Robotics Competitions for a school, district or state, contact Danny Watt
About Intelitek
Intelitek has been transforming education and bringing robotics into classrooms across the globe through comprehensive technology learning solutions for more than 30 years. The Company’s innovative tools and technologies empower instructors and inspire students to improve the world around them. Intelitek’s sustainable support and professional development ensure the continued success of educational programs. By helping deliver the competencies needed for in-demand careers, Intelitek is producing results for students, teachers, nations, and economies.
About Oracle Academy
As Oracle’s flagship philanthropic educational program, Oracle Academy advances computer science education globally to drive knowledge, innovation, skills development, and diversity in technology fields, offering a free and complete portfolio of software, curriculum, hosted technology, faculty trainings, support, and certification resources. Supporting 6.3 million students annually in 128 countries, the program works with public and private partners to provide the tools educators need to engage, inspire and prepare students to become innovators and leaders of the future. Through Oracle Academy, students receive hands-on experience with the latest technologies, helping to make them college and career ready in the era of big data, cloud computing, the Internet of Things, and beyond, please visit us at academy.oracle.com.
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