NAF Academies at Carter, North Dallas and South Oak Cliff High Schools are excited to announce their participation for the 2020-2021 Lenovo Scholar Network program.
The Lenovo Scholar Network, now in its seventh year, encourages greater interest among high school students from under-invested in communities in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), while providing them with high-tech skills critical in today’s job market. NAF students involved in the program will also participate in a project-based competition, focused on designing and developing a mobile app and a business plan for taking the app to market.
“The opportunity to participate in the Lenovo Challenge is an exciting way to get our students involved with innovation that can be an impactful contribution to our society. Our students in 10th and 11th grade are exploring algorithmic thinking and problem solving through programming skills to bring something abstract into a tangible form,” said Mrs. Patin, lead teacher for South Oak Cliff’s Academy of Engineering.
The Lenovo Scholar Network includes students from all of NAF’s career themes, including engineering, finance, health sciences, information technology, and hospitality and tourism.
Through this partnership, NAF has developed a course extension project using Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Media Lab’s App Inventor development tool. Teacher resource materials include student objectives mapped to standards and a project guide with key milestones. Additional support from MIT, including training modules and virtual professional development opportunities, are also available.
While this school year began under unprecedented circumstances, as a result of COVID-19, NAF, Lenovo, and MIT have been working diligently to ensure that all students and teachers are supported and find the program as valuable, exciting, and inspiring as ever, despite the uncertainties surrounding the impacts of the pandemic.
Academies in the Lenovo Scholar Network have reported that their participation has led to increased interest and enrollment in programming courses; has helped to recruit new students to the academies and resulted in increased engagement; and has generated more support and awareness for their academies in their local communities by sharing their apps with district and local city leadership, as well as business partners.
To find out more about the Lenovo Scholar Network and keep up with students’ app creation journeys, visit the website or follow the #LenovoScholars hashtag on social media.
