A busy week of online learning as Canadian students, teachers and parents take advantage of complimentary online STEM and coding programs
CALGARY, March 27, 2020 /CNW/ – Despite temporary school closures and classroom disruptions, that hasn’t stopped Canadian students from prioritizing their learning. Last week, MindFuel announced that it would be offering all of its online K-12 STEM educational resources at no cost to all Canadians. Since making these valuable resources accessible for free, MindFuel is supporting between 3,500 -10,000 teachers, parents and students each day. This represents more than a 100 per cent increase in capacity across Canada, which is broken down by region below:
- Alberta: 83 per cent daily increase for a total of 33,192 users
- Ontario: 248 per cent daily increase for a total of 15,468 users
- BC: 269 per cent daily increase for a total of 3,165 users
- Quebec: 300 per cent daily increase for a total of 2,426 users
- Manitoba: 175 per cent daily increase for a total of 1,186 users
- Saskatchewan: 55 per cent daily increase for a total of 1,071 users
- Nova Scotia: 380 per cent daily increase for a total of 875 users
- New Brunswick: 89 per cent daily increase for a total of 317 users
- NFLD and Labrador: 86 per cent daily increase for a total of 157 users
- The remaining provinces and territories are indicating increases with smaller student populations totalling 142 online learning classrooms
With online platforms, Wonderville English and Wonderville French, Codingville (a curriculum aimed to develop coding and digital literacy) and Ignition Pack (a digital text book resource for Alberta’s curriculum) available to all of Canada, students have no shortage of curricular aligned interactive games, live and animated videos to keep them occupied and stimulated while at home. In addition, with a full inventory of lesson plans designed for online delivery, teachers are able to keep students engaged during this Stay Safe at Home time.
“Since announcing last week that all of our online educational resources would be available to Canadian students, teachers and parents free of cost, we’ve been astonished at the results and we are working hard to ensure we can support demand capacity. To see tens of thousands of teachers, students and parents in communities all across Canada participate in our online STEM programming has been truly rewarding,” said Cassy Weber, CEO, MindFuel. “Making our resources complimentary helps to offset the many challenges that teachers, parents and students are experiencing across the country with classroom disruptions. We hope students feel challenged and engaged, and that parents and teachers feel reprieve as they are still able to deliver world-class educational programming.”
Students, parents and teachers interested in accessing or learning more about MindFuel’s free online programs are encouraged to visit the MindFuel/staysafe website here.
About MindFuel
Founded in the 1980s by James (Jim) Gray, O.C., established as Science Alberta Foundation in 1990, MindFuel is a registered charity focused on creating future generations of innovators and problem-solvers. As a digital literacy and online learning pioneer, MindFuel is helping Canada diversify its economy through a focus on online STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education resources and in the field learning. MindFuel supports teachers with 21st century award-winning learning services and helps immerse students in the fun world of STEM through blended learning, which includes both digital and hands-on training, critical to advancing Canada’s Innovation Agenda. MindFuel places a large emphasis on empowering girls, Indigenous youth and students in rural and remote regions to pursue studies and careers in STEM. In 2018-19, MindFuel programming reached hundreds of thousands of students across Canada in both French and English, and is used in over 170 countries around the world.
For more information on programming, please visit develop.mindfuel.ca.
About Codingville.ca
Codingville.ca enables students (grades 1-12) to learn coding, computational thinking and STEAM concepts with helpful tools and coding activities, designed to engage students of all ages in game-based learning and to enhance skills development. At the end of each course, students can create and share their very own applications/games they have built themselves! In addition, teachers have access to a teacher-training course, designed to support teachers’ abilities to confidently deliver coding in the classroom and support students on their coding adventure.
For more information, and to access this free programming, please visit codingville.ca.
For further information: Media Contact:
Cassy Weber, CEO
MindFuel, 403-615-1922
Email: cweber@develop.mindfuel.ca
