Samsung Announces Two New Education Solutions for STEM Learning and Collaboration at TCEA 2016

In partnership with STEM Fuse and Tidebreak, Samsung Electronics America, at TCEA 2016 announced two new education solutions to enhance science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) curriculum, and create more collaborative learning spaces. These new solutions will be showcased at the Samsung booth #1132 at the Austin Convention Center from February 3-5.

“As schools bring more devices into the classroom, it’s important to evaluate the technology and the curriculum together,” said Ted Brodheim, vice president of Vertical Business at Samsung Electronics America.  “Learning devices become truly powerful when paired with dynamic, interactive content and engaging curriculum. We understand the need to simultaneously adopt hardware and content to successfully transform classrooms and impact student outcomes, and we’re committed to collaborating with innovative education providers like STEM Fuse and Tidebreak to develop affordable solutions that help schools reimagine teaching and learning.”

Closing the STEM Gap

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that STEM employment will increase by more than one million jobs between 2012 and 2022. Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Education reported that only 16 percent of high school seniors are interested in pursuing STEM careers, and the majority of students are performing below proficient levels in STEM subjects and are unprepared for college-level courses. To combat these low percentages, schools should take a more engaging approach to STEM instruction.

STEM Fuse and Samsung are working together to help address the STEM learning gap in K-12 schools with a new solution that helps educators integrate STEM curriculum into their classrooms, labs or after school programs. The multisensory solution combines STEM Fuse’s digital curriculum with Samsung Galaxy Tablets to get students excited about STEM, helping them to better understand and apply concepts. The solution can be integrated into core teaching or used as supplemental curriculum, and also comes with comprehensive professional development to help teachers effectively incorporate it into their classrooms.

STEM Fuse is a leading provider of STEM curriculum in the U.S. and is taught in all 50 states in alliance with state and national standards. Offered in packages of 10, the bundled solution includes:

• A choice of STEM Fuse STEM PACK licenses or STEAM Pack licenses with reading curriculum for 90 days for each device
• 10 Samsung Galaxy TAB E 9.6 devices
• Complimentary virtual professional development

“We had been looking for a hardware partner for awhile and then selected Samsung based on the quality of their products and ease of use for teachers and students,” said Carter Tatge, founder and CEO of STEM Fuse. “With Samsung’s hardware and our curriculum, it’s a peanut butter and jelly solution. We really liked Samsung Chromebooks and Galaxy Tablets as they fit course material very well. The ability to offer an easy to use bundle with attractive pricing for schools is really game changing.”

Mike Kania, a business and technology teacher at Nicolet High School in Glendale, Wisconsin has been using the solution and shared, “With STEM Fuse curriculum and Samsung Galaxy Tablets, we’ve been able to create a brand new program. We have two courses based on the solution where students are able to learn computer programming and test apps using STEM Fuse and Samsung’s Galaxy Tablets. The solution makes the process much quicker and students can easily use and see the programming applications on the Galaxy Tablets. Students in other departments are now evaluating the solution such as engineering and science.”

Latricia Donahue, a Spanish and computer science teacher at The Venture Academy Family of Schools in Stockton, CA has also been using the solution and commented, “One of the main benefits of using the STEM Fuse and Samsung solution is that it helps facilitate collaboration and creativity. The ability for students to work with their peers on the same document is huge. They can even collaborate with students in another class for instance and I can provide students with more immediate feedback. Since implementing the solution, both parents and students are more interested in seeing what we have to offer with our 1:1 program.”

Developing More Collaborative Learning Spaces

Today’s learners are digital natives and thrive in technology-driven environments. In partnership with Tidebreak, Samsung is helping schools and colleges convert classrooms into state-of-the-art collaborative learning spaces. Combining Tidebreak’s powerful collaboration software with Samsung large-format and interactive displays (LFD), this bring-your-own-device compatible solution enables peer-to-peer collaboration and co-creation of content on a single screen. Student devices – including laptops, tablets and smartphones – can connect wirelessly, allowing them to quickly share content and freely exchange ideas, while educators can easily facilitate the experience. Conceptualized at Stanford University, Tidebreak is designed for collaborative learning in K-12 and higher education. Each new bundle includes: 

• Samsung Large Format Displays and/or E-boards, selected to provide an optimum experience for each type of learning space
• 30 day license for one of Tidebreak’s collaboration software options: ClassSpot, ClassSpot PBL or TeamSpot, depending on instructional needs

“With the bundle, we wanted to create an offering that was both meaningful for collaboration and motivates students to want to learn,” said Andrew Milne, Ph.D., CEO of Tidebreak.“The solution goes beyond just wireless presentations with the co-creation of content that works to transform the learning experience. It’s a simple solution that radically improves performance, making it easy to go from a standard classroom into an advanced learning space for students and teachers.”

The Tidebreak and STEM Fuse solutions will be available by the end of February. Both solutions will be showcased at the Samsung booth at TCEA this week alongside Samsung’s full suite of education products and solutions, including three new solutions unveiled at FETC: a Chromebook conversion solution with Neverware, Classroom in a Box with McGraw-Hill Education, and the SMART amp and Chromebook collaboration solution.

Attendees at TCEA can also learn more during a number of hosted sessions in Mezzanine 8. These include the following:

Wednesday, February 3

Thursday, February 4

Friday, February 5

More information on Samsung’s full technology portfolio for education is available at www.samsung.com/us/education