Why K-12 Education is the future of Drupal

Shane Thomas

Twitter: @smthomas3
Drupal.org: smthomas
Email: shane [at] stemfuse [dot] com

This Big Problem

Is

Opportunity

So what is STEM?

STEM is an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math education. We focus on these areas together not only because the skills and knowledge in each discipline are essential for student success, but also because these fields are deeply intertwined in the real world and in how students learn most effectively.

Projected Annual Growth of STEM Job Openings 2010-2020

What about Drupal Jobs?

How can we help?

We need to find a way to bridge the gap between the skills taught to our K-12 students and the demands of the current and future job markets.

Who am I?

• Chief Technical Ninja at STEM Fuse
• Founder of codekarate.com - Hundreds of videos (Daily Dose of Drupal) and blog posts
• Previously owned a Drupal powered website development company

Who is STEM Fuse?

We are a K-12 curriculum development company focused on providing affordable STEM based curricula to K-12 schools.

Our courses are taught in over 3,000 schools

How are we trying to help?

By building a Drupal website design course for high schools with these goals:

• Semester long (90+ hours) and standards compliant
• Available to the schools for free
• Offer free teacher training and professional development
• 2,000 schools in 24 months

How are we going to accomplish this?

Who made this possible?

What will this curriculum consist of?

• History of the Internet and underlying web technologies
• Foundational website development skills (HTML, CSS)
• Hands on, project based learning with Drupal

This is NOT just a training program

• Must meet standards
• Must be teachable
• Must provide assessment tools

Who does this help?

The Students

The Teachers

The Drupal Community

Drupal Companies

The Education System

How can you get involved?

• Sign up for updates at http://stemfuse.com/drupal-updates
• Email me at shane@stemfuse.com
• Follow STEM Fuse on Twitter @stemfuse and Facebook
• Follow me on Twitter @smthomas3

Other possible ideas in K-12

• After school programs
• High School camps/trainings
• Internship opportunities
• Assisting local teachers
• Volunteer teaching opportunities

Google Summer of Code

Other ideas outside of K-12

• Online Drupal Training
• Career training/re-training
• College level programs

Let's Recap

Summary

• Lot's of unfilled STEM jobs
• Lot's of demand for Drupal talent
• Drupal in K-12 education can help bridge the gap

Questions?