The Next Big Step: HP Catalyst Academy to Accelerate STEMx Professional Development

By Michael Thacker

Teaching and learning the STEMx subjects (science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and complementing 21st-century skills) got a much-needed boost on April 15th, when the HP Catalyst Initiative took its next big step to launch the new HP Catalyst Academy. The Initiative has revealed that, although countries are prioritizing better quality STEMx education, traditional models of professional development are failing to keep pace with the demand.   The new HP Catalyst Academy provides a fresh approach to accelerate STEMx professional development. It is a source of free and powerful learning experiences that inspire and transform teaching practices, accessible online to educators everywhere. And the call has gone out for HP Catalyst Academy Fellows – STEMx trailblazers prepared to support this global transformation. Proposals are due by July 8th; visit www.hp.com/go/hpcatalystacademy for grant application details.   The launch was announced to more than 120 leading educators, education experts, and policy leaders at the 2013 HP Catalyst Summit in São Paulo, Brazil, a country that’s currently demonstrating powerful activism in education. This, the third annual Catalyst Summit, coincided with Brazil’s SINTED education technology exhibition, HP Brazil’s announcement of a comprehensive IT education solutions portfolio and the HP Institute professional certification program, and the recent publication of the OECD Catalyst report – the first-ever independent review of Catalyst achievements to date.   Maintaining momentum that can change STEMx teaching and learning around the world, HP also announced its sponsorship of the first global massively open online conference for STEMx educators: the Global STEMx EdCon (July 2013). Click to follow the 'Teaching, Learning, and Technology' blog for future event information.   Follow the action at the HP Catalyst Summit (April 15th - 18th, 2013) via Twitter hashtag #hpcatalyst