Last year’s inaugural event drew thousands of students statewide and spurred additional national and international competitions in West Virginia, Nevada, Texas, Washington, D.C. and Paraguay
DERRY, N.H. – Aug. 1, 2018 – The New Hampshire Department of Education and the Intelitek STEM and CTE Education Foundation (ISCEF) will being teaming up again to hold a statewide Cyber Robotics Coding Competition (NH-CRCC) from mid-October to mid-December. Sponsored by Intelitek, and Oracle Academy, the CRCC is an eight-week virtual coding competition that provides students and educators with the opportunity to build STEM related skills using a cloud-based simulation platform featuring a virtual, 3D-animated robot.
New Hampshire was the first state to hold the competition. In doing so, it gave rise to an international phenomenon that has resulted in more than 30,000 students all over the world participating in similar events.
“CRCC is learning as it is meant to be,” said Frank Edelblut, the commissioner of the NH DOE. “Students could not be more engaged. They are not only building coding skills, but creativity and innovative capacity to solve problems. This year, they will be competing with students from around New Hampshire and around the world and will be able to challenge themselves even further. Ido and I share a vision to see a million students participating in this event in the next five years.”
In the first New Hampshire CRCC, held at the end of 2017, more than 2,500 students in middle and high schools throughout the state used CoderZ, a cloud-based coding platform to compete in over 80 different and challenging robotics missions. In addition to winning prizes for inclusiveness, faculty participation and diversity, the top schools competed in a grand finale competition for the best middle school, best high school and a grand prize called the Governor’s Award, which included a trophy and a $2,000 grant (Gallery).
“The NH DOE has an inspiring vision of preparing its students – not just for the current 21st century – but for the 22nd century,” said Ido Yerushalmi, CEO of Intelitek. “As part of that goal, they are continually looking for ways to engage students in rigorous, relevant and integrated learning STEM experiences, including computer science. The first competition demonstrated that CRCC is a great way to motivate students and expose them to STEM – kids were even logging in to our software platform from home – and we are delighted to be helping support their vision.”
The NH CRCC grand finale round will take place in the week of December 3rd at one of the state’s universities.
For more information on CRCC competitions go https://iscefoundation.org/nh-crcc/ or contact Joshua Schuler, Director of CRCC at ISCEF at jschuler@iscefoundation.org.
About CRCC
The first-of-its-kind Cyber Robotics Coding Competition (CRCC) was created by ISCEF and is supported by Intelitek and Oracle Academy. The online competition is designed to be interactive and exciting as participants learn how robots work and expand their knowledge of STEM careers. Competitors undertake their missions on Intelitek’s CoderZ Cyber Robotics Learning Environment, a cloud-based platform featuring a graphical simulation of LEGO robotics kits. The innovative, online platform has a coding interface where users between 6th and 12th grade can activate a virtual robot, or “cyber-robot,” and watch the results in a real-time simulation.
Students and teachers need no prior coding or robotics knowledge. The events include professional development and training for teachers and boot camp activities in which students learn and practice intensively from any Chrome computer browser. The missions are self-directed, and individual students can progress at their own pace. In the West Virginia event, students went from boot camp activities to a Week of Code event that was held in the first part of May and featured 21 challenges.
Competitions range in size from 20 to hundreds of schools and can be held over several weeks or at a one-day event. The finals can be a weeklong online competition and/or a face-to-face codeathon. An entire school can participate in a competition, and no special hardware is required. Participation is supported by sponsorships.
Parties interested in organizing Cyber Robotics Competitions for their school, district or state can contact ISCEF at info@iscefoundation.org.
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 more than 3.5 million students annually in 120 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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