Workshops for Innovative Game Creators Revised

WQED PITTSBURGH HOLDS WORKSHOPS TO ENCOURAGE LOCAL STUDENTS AND TEACHERS TO CREATE INNOVATIVE GAMES
Workshops in conjunction with the 2013 Global Game Jam in Pittsburgh will prepare students and educators to build original games in support of The National STEM Video Game Challenge

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
 January 14, 2013

CONTACT:
 George Hazimanolis
 412-622-1366
 ghazimanolis@wqed.org

Maria Pisano
 412-622-1459
 mpisano@wqed.org

UPDATE: This Workshop has been moved to Saturday, February 9 from noon to 6 PM at the Art Institute 

PITTSBURGH – In an effort to innovatively encourage middle school students and teachers to use games as an educational tool, WQED will host workshops about creating digital games on January 26. These game design workshops, for students interested in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), are sponsored by Chevron Corporation. Information on WQED’s innovative efforts around gaming can be found at www.wqed.org/gaming.

“We hope to empower teachers and students with tools that can encourage problem solving and creativity while providing a new vehicle for classroom assessment,” says Jennifer Stancil, Executive Director of Educational Partnerships. “In the 21st century, we need new strategies to help our kids prepare for the future. Let’s meet kids where they are...playing games that are cooperative, help improve their self-confidence, and give them awe, wonder and creativity.”

In January 2012, WQED and its partners piloted a program that paired youth with game developers and gaming companies at the 2012 Global Game Jam (GGJ). The pilot workshop facilitated a winning entry, “Archers and Aliens” (out of 3700+ applications!) by local middle school students. In 2013, WQED will recruit students in grades 5 through 8 to participate in the workshops to be held Saturday, January 26 at The Art Institute of Pittsburgh. Students will learn about the game design process, try out design software, play-test games being developed by the professional designers at the 2013 GGJ, and learn effective strategies to enter the National STEM Video Game Challenge. Teachers may also be eligible for participation and Act 48 credit. Please email education@wqed.org for additional information.

WQED will also promote participation in the 2013 National STEM Video Game Challenge, in schools throughout the region. WQED Pittsburgh is collaborating with PBS, E-Line Media, the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, Schell Games, Carnegie Mellon University, and the Pittsburgh International Game Developers Association to hold local workshops in conjunction with the 2013 GGJ.

The 2013 GGJ in Pittsburgh is one of many global events being held for gamers to come together and build new, innovative gaming experiences for adults. GGJ will be held Friday, January 25 through Sunday, January 27 and located at The Art Institute of Pittsburgh (420 Boulevard of the Allies, Pittsburgh, PA 15219). Space is limited.

More information regarding the WQED’s gaming initiatives may be found at wqed.org/gaming or by contacting education@wqed.org.

About WQED Pittsburgh
 WQED Pittsburgh has a proud history of honors, including 134 National and Mid-Atlantic Emmy® Awards, an Academy Award, and many, many others, including two Emmy® Awards for Station Excellence. WQED was founded in 1954 as the nation’s first community-supported broadcaster. The people of WQED create, produce and distribute quality programs, products and services to engage, inform, educate and entertain the public within their community and around the world. It is the parent company of WQED-TV (PBS); WQED: The Neighborhood Channel; WQED: The Create Channel; WQED Showcase; Classical WQED-FM 89.3/Pittsburgh; Classical WQEJ-FM 89.7/Johnstown; the Pittsburgh Concert Channel at WQED-HD2 (89.3-2FM) and online at www.wqed.org/fm; local and national television and radio productions; WQED Interactive (www.wqed.org) and iQ: smartmedia, WQED’s Educational initiative (www.wqed.org/edu).

About Chevron Corporation
Chevron is one of the world's leading integrated energy companies, with subsidiaries that conduct business worldwide. The company is involved in virtually every facet of the energy industry. Chevron explores for, produces and transports crude oil and natural gas; refines, markets and distributes transportation fuels and lubricants; manufactures and sells petrochemical products; generates power and produces geothermal energy; provides energy efficiency solutions; and develops the energy resources of the future, including biofuels. Chevron’s Marcellus natural gas operations are headquartered in Moon Township, PA. More information about Chevron is available at www.chevron.com.

About 2013 NATIONAL STEM VIDEO GAME CHALLENGE
 The Cooney Center and E-Line Media are preparing for the third year of the National STEM Video Game Challenge. This year’s competition is open to middle and high school youth, who are invited to submit original game designs beginning in January 2013 for the opportunity to earn recognition and prizes for themselves, as well as monetary prizes for their schools.

New this year will be opportunities for mentors to get involved through a new website featuring toolkits, resources and curriculum. The site will also feature some exciting words of wisdom from top game design professionals, as well as offering a forum for aspiring youth designers to get feedback, advice and encouragement from pro mentors.

For more information on the prize categories, eligibility and streams for 2013 go to stemchallenge.org. To learn more about the many tools available to make a game and start designing checkout the Resources section!

This year’s all-star group of sponsors includes: the AMD Foundation, Microsoft’s Xbox 360, the Entertainment Software Association, the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and the HIVE NYC Learning Network, who will reach out to underserved youth across the country through hands-on game design workshops and other supplemental curriculum activities.

This year’s Challenge will also unite a corps of outreach partners and mentors who will be instrumental in supporting youth and teacher participation including BrainPop, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting PBS KIDS Ready To Learn Initiative, Learning Games Network and Edmodo.

Posted on behalf of Dreamweaver Marketing Associates.  Joyce Kane is the owner of Cybertary Pittsburgh, a Virtual Administrative support company, providing virtual office support, personal and executive assistance, creative design services and light bookkeeping.  Cybertary works with businesses and busy individuals to help them work 'on' their business rather than 'in' their business.  www.Cybertary.com/Pittsburgh

2012 Global Game Jam Preview Workshops Promote National Video Game Challenge

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
December 15, 2011


CONTACT:
George Hazimanolis
412-622-1366
ghaziman@wqed.org

Maria Pisano
412-622-1459
mpisano@wqed.org

WQED Pittsburgh Workshops

Encourage Local Students to Participate in

National STEM Video Game Challenge

WQED Workshops in conjunction with The 2012 Global Game Jam

in Pittsburgh will prepare students and educators to build original

games in support of STEM – Science, Technology, Engineering and

Math – learning

PITTSBURGH – To help promote participation in the 2012 National STEM Video Game Challenge, WQED Pittsburgh is collaborating with Schell Game and the Pittsburgh International Game Developers Association to hold workshops in conjunction with the 2012 Global Game Jam in Pittsburgh (GGJ.)

WQED will recruit middle school students to participate in the workshops to be held Saturday and Sunday, January 28 & 29 at several locations in Oakland. Graduate students and faculty of the Carnegie Mellon Entertainment Technology Center (ETC) will serve as peer mentors from the world of computer science to assist students in the development of their video game concepts by instructing them on storyboarding, reviewing their idea against math concepts and using game development software such as Alice or Gamestar Mechanic. After the workshops, participants will be taken to the ETC where the GGJ will be taking place simultaneously. While there students will tour the facility to explore career possibilities in STEM and have the opportunity to play test the games produced at the GGJ by visiting gamers.

“We hope to raise awareness about using games as educational tools,” says Jennifer Stancil, Executive Director of Educational Partnerships at WQED. She adds, “Pairing kids with game developers and gaming companies allows us to support local kids by allowing them to be innovative and creative. In addition, we hope to elevate the profile of the National STEM Video Game challenge so that young people from middle school to college and their instructors know about this amazing and engaging opportunity to create new games, especially ones that can be entered into the PBS Math category.”

The 2012 Global Game Jam in Pittsburgh is one of many global “sleepovers” being held for gamers to come together and build new, innovative gaming experiences for kids and adults alike. GGJ will be held Friday, January 27 at 5 p.m. through Sunday, January 29 at 5 p.m. Located at the ETC (700 Technology Drive, Pittsburgh, PA 15203) the fee to participate is $15 and includes a GGJ T-shirt and food. Participation is restricted to those ages 18 and older and space is limited. More information regarding the GGJ may be found at wqed.org/education.

About 2012 National STEM Video Game Challenge

Supported nationally by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) and PBS KIDS through the Ready To Learn Initiative, the 2012 National STEM Video Game Challenge is inspired by the “Educate to Innovate Campaign,” President Obama’s initiative to promote a renewed focus on STEM education. The Challenge is an annual competition to motivate interest in STEM learning among America’s youth by tapping into students’ natural passion for playing and making video games.

The Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop and E-Line Media launched the 2nd annual Challenge in partnership with the Digital Promise, a new initiative created by the President and Congress, supported through the U.S. Department of Education.

The 2012 Challenge features four entry categories: Middle School, High School, Collegiate and Educator. Within each category, PBS KIDS and CPB are challenging participants to develop educational games for children ages 4-8 that focus on specific math curriculum skills. Contestants can find insights and more information about the Challenge on PBSKIDS.org/stemchallenge, including resources that help guide game production for young children and interviews with top PBS KIDS game producers.

Entries are now being accepted through March 12, 2012 at www.stemchallenge.org. At the end of the competition, the winning games for the PBS KIDS and CPB track will be featured on the PBS KIDS Lab and PBS LearningMedia websites.

PBS KIDS and CPB are participating in the 2012 National STEM Video Game Challenge as part of the Ready To Learn Initiative, a grant program managed by the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Innovation and Improvement.

The Ready To Learn Initiative supports the development of innovative educational television and digital media targeted at preschool and early elementary school children and their families, including over 40 new cross-platform games designed to help children ages 2-8 build critical math skills, which are now available at PBSKIDS.org/lab. Its goal is to promote early learning and school readiness, with a particular interest in reaching low-income children. In addition to creating television and other media products, the program supports activities intended to promote national distribution of the programming, effective educational uses of the programming, community-based outreach, and research on educational effectiveness.

About WQED Pittsburgh

WQED Pittsburgh has a proud history of honors, including 128 National and Mid-Atlantic Emmy® Awards, an Academy Award, and many, many others, including two Emmy® Awards for Station Excellence. WQED was founded in 1954 as the nation’s first community-supported broadcaster. The people of WQED create, produce and distribute quality programs, products and services to engage, inform, educate and entertain the public within their community and around the world. WQED Pittsburgh is one of the first broadcasters in the country to be fully high-definition (HD) in its studio and field production capabilities. It is the parent company of WQED-TV (PBS); WQED: The Neighborhood Channel; WQED: The Create Channel; WQED Showcase; Classical WQED-FM 89.3/Pittsburgh; Classical WQEJ-FM 89.7/Johnstown; local and national television and radio productions; WQED Interactive (www.wqed.org) and The WQED Education Department.

About PBS KIDS

PBS KIDS, the number one educational media brand for children, offers all children the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds through television, online and community-based programs. For more information on specific PBS KIDS programs supporting literacy, science, math and more, visit PBS.org/pressroom, or follow PBS KIDS on Twitter and Facebook.

About CPB

CPB is a private, nonprofit corporation created by Congress in 1967 and is steward of the federal government’s investment in public broadcasting. It helps support the operation of more than 1,300 locally-owned and operated public television and radio stations nationwide, and is the largest single source of funding for research, technology, and program development for public radio, television and related online services.

The contents of this release were developed under a grant from the Department of Education. However, those contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.

The project is funded by a Ready To Learn grant (PR/AWARD No. U295A100025, CFDA No. 84.295A) provided by the Department of Education to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.