Multi-School District Event in New York Elevates Districts’ Understanding of 21st Century Skills Necessary for Student Success, Features Keynotes Ayah Bdeir, Founder at littleBits, and Eric Sheninger, Bestselling Author on Digital Learning
New York – January 17, 2019 – littleBits, an educational technology company that is reinventing the way kids learn, will be a featured participant at the multi-district Hudson Valley County Summit, the largest educational development workshop in New York, taking place January 28, 2019.
The summit, dubbed Mission 2031, will be hosted by Port Jervis City School District at Port Jervis High School in New York. It will connect more than 700 educators and administrators from over 20 New York school districts to the best practices and skills that will help them meet the physical, social-emotional, and academic needs of their students this year and beyond.
“According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, jobs in STEM currently make up 6.2 percent of all U.S. employment -- boasting wages above the national average and demonstrating above-average growth,” said Nick Pantaleone, Assistant Superintendent for Instruction, Port Jervis City School District. “That’s why we’ve committed, through Mission 2031, to expand and evaluate educational technology opportunities for all students. Transformational tools, like littleBits’ electronic building blocks, transform the way that students learn, boost their engagement through hands-on learning with a connection to the physical world, and more.”
Keynotes at the summit will include Ayah Bdeir, founder and CEO at littleBits, and bestselling author Eric Sheninger. Bdeir will discuss reinventing modern education through play to prepare our students for the future, while Sheninger will address how to implement technology in meaningful ways. Following the keynotes there will be an interactive panel where attendees may discuss STEM skills and strategies with Bdeir and Sheninger.
“littleBits works with school districts across the country to ensure that technology is being used in the best way possible to improve the way students learn in the classroom,” said Ayah Bdeir, founder and CEO at littleBits. “It’s inspiring to see how New York is revolutionizing the way elementary and middle school students are taught to problem solve through hands-on building, creating, and coding, which will shape the way think about the world.”
Mission 2031 will also include an exhibit area featuring exhibitors such as littleBits, Action Based Learning, National Alliance on Mental Illness, Cornell Cooperative Extension, Department of Homeland Security, Orange County Department of Health, Healthy Orange Schools and Communities, and New York State Troopers -- each committed to the health and wellbeing of students. In addition, supplemental workshops will take place to assist administrators and educators with curriculum mapping and continued professional development related to the rollout of the Next Generation Learning Standards and instructional technology.
About littleBits
Using hardware, software, and content, littleBits is transforming the way kids learn so they can grow up to be tomorrow’s changemakers -- no matter their age, gender, race, nationality, or ability. The company’s magnetic “Bits” snap together to turn ideas into inventions and its online learning community, DIY, teaches kids to turn passions into creative skills. Almost 40 percent of the kids using littleBits kits are girls, which is four times the industry average.
A STEAM (Science Technology Engineering Art and Math) leader at home and in the classroom, littleBits has sold millions of kits in over 70 countries. Online, more than 1.5 million student-led projects are uploaded to DIY in subjects ranging from machines, science, robotics, and more.
For more information, please visit www.littleBits.com.
CONTACT: Allie VanNest
Head of Communications for littleBits
press@littlebits.com