WASHINGTON, DC - April 2, 2002 - Math and Science Television (MSTV) -- a portion of the Getsmarter.org website designed for high school students - has won an April "Digital Dozen" award from the Eisenhower National Clearinghouse (ENC). The Digital Dozen are twelve exemplary websites for educators, hand-picked each month by the ENC.
Getsmarter.org, an initiative of the Council on Competitiveness that was developed by Internet software and services firm Imagistic, is a free Web site designed to help improve math and science education. It offers elementary, middle, and high school students a chance to evaluate their math and science skills against their international peers. Interactive quizzes, games, and tutorials allow students to learn more about specific topics and improve their skills. MSTV, a series of interactive modules within Getsmarter.org, shows how math and science relate to our daily lives. The modules explain phenomena by using math, physics, chemistry and biology principles. Examples answer such questions as: What makes an aircraft carrier float? How can you explain a coincidence?
U.S. Representative Connie Morella (R-MD), a member of the House Science Committee, comments, "We are missing the mark with our children's math and science education…This site is an example of committed people doing something about the problem. We need new ideas and rejuvenated efforts to get our students excited about learning math and science. Interactive technology holds great promise and potential."
Project co-chairs and council members Alfred Berkeley, vice chair of The Nasdaq Stock Market, Inc., and Richard Atkinson, president of the University of California, guided the design of Getsmarter.org. Notes Berkeley, "Several recent reports, including the results of the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), have shown the need for American students to become more engaged in math and science." The Web site, he adds, offers a "fun and interactive environment" where students can test themselves and practice math and science skills without the pressures of the classroom.
In selecting the monthly Digital Dozen, ENC judges evaluate content and pedagogy, audience usefulness and engagement, functionality and navigation, and use of web technology and design. Overall, ENC works to identify effective curriculum resources, create quality professional development materials, and disseminate information and products to improve K-12 mathematics and science teaching and learning.
About The Council on Competitiveness
The Council on Competitiveness is a nonprofit, nonpartisan association of leaders from the business, university, and labor communities working together to set a national action agenda for U.S. leadership in the global marketplace, technological innovation, and education.
About Imagistic
Founded in 1997, Imagistic (www.imagistic.com) is an Internet software and services company that specializes in Web application development. The company has developed numerous Web-based initiatives for such clients as The Council on Competitiveness, California Pizza Kitchen, Bank of America, Shari's Restaurants, UCLA, CarsDirect.com, Southern Poverty Law Center and Estee-Lauder. Imagistic is based in Venice, California and works with local and remote clients in all businesses and industries.
