Global Innovation Race: School District Participation
The Global Innovation Race has welcomed participants from a wide variety of backgrounds, including students who will be the first in their family to attend college. Students from all backgrounds can gain valuable benefits. As one student explained, “This is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity because, at school, we don’t usually have programs that focus on AI, technology, and design thinking like this. Plus, we get a head start on college life… Collaboration here is so different because international students bring ideas from all over the world. We build off each other’s experiences in a way that feels completely unique.”
Promotes Equity and Inclusivity
Promotes Equity and Inclusivity: By collaborating with Digital Media Academy to identify funding options, the program ensures that students from all economic backgrounds can participate, fostering inclusivity and equal access to high-quality educational experiences.
Exposure to Cutting-Edge Technology and Innovation
Students engage in hands-on, real-world problem-solving that emphasizes AI-based solutions and innovation, equipping them with valuable skills for future academic and professional endeavors.
Gender Equity in STEAM Education
By funding girls' participation in the Global Innovation Race, school districts actively contribute to closing the gender gap in STEAM fields. This aligns with many districts' goals of promoting gender equity, ensuring that female students have equal opportunities to engage in innovative, high-impact educational experiences.
How districts funded students’ participation
School districts have successfully secured funding from government and foundation sources to support the participation of their students in the Global Innovation Race. For example, in California, some districts have used Expanded Learning Opportunity funds and Local Control and Accountability Plan funds. Keep in mind that funding options can vary each year and depend on your location. Digital Media Academy can work with you to identify and explore potential funding sources, making the Global Innovation Race accessible to students from diverse economic backgrounds.
“In this new, 21st-century economy, these kids have to be creative. They need to take initiative and be innovative. In our district, we frame that as an inquiry-based education. After spending nine or ten days here, I realized that’s exactly what this is. It’s a curriculum that’s inquiry-based, where kids come up with their own ideas and then use the skills they’ve learned.”
Name: Sonny Sajor
Country: USA
School district: Oxnard Union High School District
The Global Innovation Race really allows students to beef up their college applications by talking about their specific experience in it, because it is essentially expanding on something that they’re interested in. They’re also learning soft skills they could apply not just for college, but for the real world and their future careers, and as well-rounded citizens.
Name: Naseem Naghdi
Country: USA
School district: Oxnard Union High School District
“I love Glenn and Alyssa’s way of teaching. They’ve really set the students up for success when creating their projects and just starting from the basics. As a teacher, the hardest part is getting the students to really brainstorm and think more widely about possibilities.”
Name: Caitlin Arakawa
Country: USA
School district: San Bernardino Unified School District
“The best part of the program is the classes. Seeing the high level of work that these kids are doing and producing and learning at such a rapid pace. They’re already producing prototypes and interacting with ChatGPT and other AI assistants, and they’re creating their own [AI bots] now. To see that growth in just over a week is insane.”
Name: Chris Petriccione
Country: USA
School District: San Bernardino Unified School District
“The Global Innovation Race experience is encouraging them to continue in STEM. This gives them a better idea and a sense of the broad range of careers that they can explore.”
Name: Arleen Rodriguez
Country: USA
School district: Los Angeles Unified School District
“It’s really an amazing opportunity for us to receive the certification from the Stanford IT Department. Usually we don’t have an opportunity to get any training in AI, ChatGPT. It is an amazing tool for us to start using in the classrooms, in our schools.”
Name: Ana Luna
Country: USA
School district: Los Angeles Unified School District
