Boise, Idaho –February 24, 2010 -PCS Edventures (OTCBB: PCSV-News) a leading provider of K-12 programs that focus on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, today announced the promotion of Robert Orson Grover to the positions of President, Chief Operating Officer, and Chief Technology Officer at the Company. Mr. Grover’s expanded oversight responsibilities will include marketing, sales and product development. He will continue to be heavily involved in PCS’ international business initiatives.
“Robert has been a key part of our Company for over twenty years,” noted Anthony A. Maher, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, and Acting Financial Officer of PCS Edventures!.com, Inc. ”The Board and I have the utmost confidence in his abilities to execute these expanded responsibilities in a professional and highly effective manner.”
“The assumption of these additional responsibilities by Robert will allow PCS to more effectively address the evolving nature of the educational market landscape,” continued Maher. ”PCS products and services are designed to allow students to develop, in a fun and interesting way, the critical thinking skills necessary to succeed in the 21st Century workplace. The consolidation of our operational activities under one President/COO/CTO will allow me to focus my attention, as CEO, upon longer-term strategic initiatives, the evaluation of acquisition opportunities, financial planning and expanding our relationships within the investment community.”
Mr. Grover was one of the Company’s original founding employees and over the past twenty years has been responsible for product development and technology initiatives. A lifelong native of Idaho, he is a Boise State University alumnus, where he earned an AAS degree in Management and a BA degree in English.
PCS is pleased to announce the successful implementation of our new Academy of Robotics Labs to multiple THINK Together sites. THINK Together is the largest non-profit after-school organization in Southern California. PCS has worked with THINK Together for several years and initially implemented a large amount of BRICKLabs into their after-school programs 3 years ago. THINK Together recently received a grant from Southern California Edison and Edison International to increase Math & Science test scores for middle school students by purchasing PCS Academy of Robotics Labs. The labs have now been implemented in 41 middle schools throughout Southern California and the facilitators have finished their professional development training to make the new Robotic program a success.
“Thanks to the generosity of Southern California Edison, we’ll now have Academy of Robotics Labs available to over 11,000 students in our programs at 41 middle school sites across Southern California,” announced Randy Barth, Founder and CEO of THINK Together, the next generation of after-school. “The focus of after-school programs is no longer simply fun and games – when aligned with a child’s school day, after-school programs can extend a student’s annual learning time by up to 50%,” Barth explains.
Bill Albert, Vice President of Western Sales, added, “Business, government, and educational leaders are urging a redoubled commitment to strengthening U.S. students’ preparation in STEM Education. Through the generous contribution from Southern California Edison and Edison International, PCS Edventures has implemented our Academy of Robotics Program into THINK Together’s middle-school/after-school programs. We are excited about the opportunity to provide our STEM material to thousands of students in Southern California.”
Boise, Idaho – October 20, 2009 -PCS Edventures (OTCBB: PCSV-News) today announced the successful start of the second year of the Idaho SySTEMic Solution, a U.S. Department of Education funded initiative to advance STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) achievement, enthusiasm and confidence among elementary–age and middle school learners and their teachers. PCS Edventures! provides learning materials, teacher education workshops and consulting services for the initiative, which is led by Boise State University, the recipient of the U.S. Department of Education award.
SySTEMic is being implemented and studied in seven schools in the Meridian Joint School District, the largest district in Idaho. The overarching vision of Idaho SySTEMic Solution is for participating elementary school students to progress to middle school and high school with greater interest and abilities in STEM, to provide an inquiry learning educational model that will be transferable throughout Idaho and to other states, and to equip teachers to foster STEM interest and literacy. SySTEMic provides a model of hands-on, project-based learning through the use of the PCS BrickLab.
Meridian School District teachers practice hands-on STEM activities.
“Through project-based experiential learning, children solve problems, think creatively and critically and become comfortable with math and science, and more engaged and motivated to learn,” said Louis Nadelson, an assistant professor of curriculum, instruction and foundational studies at Boise State University and a co-principal investigator on SySTEMic.
The first two years of the Idaho SySTEMic Solution have focused on teachers, with the goal of supporting their STEM content knowledge, instructional practices, awareness of engineering, and overall confidence in teaching STEM concepts. Teachers attend a three-day Idaho SySTEMic Summer Institute, then implement hands-on lessons in their elementary classrooms throughout the school year, with support from Boise State and PCS staff. Last year 38 teachers participated, and this year an additional 37 have joined the project.
Brenda Kramer, a SySTEMic Instructor, using BrickLab in her classroom.
“This professional development model is proving to be highly successful and we are continuing to expand and use it both domestically and internationally,” said Jim Schmidt, Ed.D.,PCS’ Director of Professional Development.
The PCS Professional Development Model
The model emphasizes continuous feedback and reinforcement of concepts, beginning with an intensive physical workshop and then reinforced by online learning modules, site-based mentors, and regional master mentors.The multiple levels of reinforcement combine the best aspects of e-learning, peer support, and mentoring to create a highly successful, blended learning approach.
Educators Receiving PCS Training in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
This model works extremely well because educators are continually supported and encouraged to use the materials in the classroom, rather than just experiencing a workshop and returning to “business as usual” in the classroom. Teachers are busy and this approach was designed to fit into their typical school day — not making it more difficult, rather, making it more engaging. In addition, our customers overseas find this model very useful because student-centered learning approaches such as those used in our lab programs are quite new to them. Continual, consistent support is very helpful, and the multiple approaches to this reinforcement help overcome many of the challenges created by language and cultural differences.
University Professional Development Process
The final piece of the model is establishing high standards of completion for educators and rewarding them with continuing education credits from an accredited University. For example, the SySTEMic project in Southwestern Idaho awards credits from Boise State University, and we have also developed relationships with other universities where necessary. Our training program in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, last year for example, involved training teachers from 50 schools. Teachers who successfully completed the training receive continuing education credits from Idaho State University.
BSU’s Nadelson is studying the program’s effectiveness along with Boise State’s SySTEMic Solution’s research team including principal investigator Janet Callahan, associate dean of engineering; Pat Pyke, director of engineering education research; and Anne Hay, SySTEMic Solution project coordinator. At the close of the first year, this project has assembled considerable quantities of data that are being closely analyzed. The team presented its first set of data, on the summer institute, at the 2009 annual conference of the American Society for Engineering Education. To summarize, pre-and post-institute measures analyses revealed statistically significant teacher increase in confidence to teach STEM curriculum, positive increase in engineering attitudes, and increase in STEM teaching efficacy over the course of the three-day workshop. The team attributes these changes to the content and context of the summer institute, and is currently analyzing the data on school-year implementation.
The success of the Idaho SySTEMic Solution has also drawn support from the Idaho National Laboratory (INL), which funded 20 classrooms for a similar project in schools in rural Idaho. PCS held a BrickLab workshop for these teachers in October.
Teachers from rural Idaho participating in the INL funded workshop.
“I was so impressed by the Brick-Lab workshop,” said Anne Seifert, STEM Coordinator for Education Programs, Idaho National Laboratory. “On behalf of the INL Education programs, we want to commend you for efforts in supporting STEM education here in Idaho. Congratulations on your great work in supporting teachers as they prepare and educate students for the future. Please accept our best wishes and we look forward to your continued partnership!”
Notes: The Idaho SySTEMic Solution projects were funded in fiscal year 2008 and fiscal year 2009 by awards from the U.S. Department of Education fund for the Improvement of Education. Boise State University was awarded $191,593 in fiscal year 2008, which represents 100% of the SySTEMic project’s total costs, and $190,000 in fiscal year 2009, which represents 98% of the SySTEMic project’s total costs. The BrickLab workshop sponsored by Idaho National Laboratory is a separate program and not part of the U.S. Department of Education award.
About Boise State University
Boise State is an emerging metropolitan research university of distinction and the largest university in Idaho with nearly 19,000 students. The campus is home to 11 Idaho Professors of the Year since 1990. The colleges of Arts and Sciences, Business and Economics, Education, Engineering, Health Sciences, and Social Sciences and Public Affairs offer more than 200 academic programs.
About the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory
Idaho National Laboratory is the U.S. Department of Energy’s leading center of nuclear energy research and development where more than 4,000 researchers and support staff work with national and international governments, universities and industry partners to deliver energy and national security solutions and expand the frontiers of science and technology.
About PCS Edventures!
PCS Edventures! is the recognized leader in the design, development and delivery of educational learning labs bundled with related technologies and programs to the K-12 market worldwide. The PCS suite of products ranges from hands-on learning labs in technology-rich topics in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) to services rich in imagination, innovation, and creativity. PCS programs operate in over 6,000 sites in all 50 United States as well as in 17 countries Internationally. Additional information is at http://www.edventures.com
_ _ _
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Act of 1934. These forward-looking statements are based largely on the expectations or forecasts of future events, can be affected by inaccurate assumptions, and are subject to various business risks and known and unknown uncertainties, a number of which are beyond the control of management. Therefore, actual results could differ materially from the forward-looking statements contained in this press release. Additional information respecting factors that could materially affect the Company and its operations are contained in its annual report on Form 10-KSB for the year ended March 31, 2009 and Form 10-Q for the three months ended June 30, 2009 as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Contact Information:
Financial Contact: Janelle Conaway 1.800.429.3110 X 101, jconaway@pcsedu.com
Investor Contact: Anthony A. Maher 1.800.429.3110 X 102, tmaher@pcsedu.com
Boise, Idaho – October 8, 2009 – PCS Edventures (OTCBB: PCSV-News) today announced its expanding relationship with K’NEX Education™, a division of K’NEX® Brands, LP. PCS initially allied itself with K’NEX in February of 2004, developing new PCS lab programs around K’NEX materials. Since that time, PCS has developed extensive materials around the KID K’NEX line for its early childhood programs and is now releasing its first robotic integration activities using K’NEX manipulatives and the PCS robotic controller, the PCS Brain.
PCS student using K'NEX manipulatives
Teresa Kross, Director of the PCS Little Edventures product line, designed the BrainOsaurus Literacy and Biology Labs based on the PCS Merit System using KID K’NEX and K’NEX manipulative packages. The program’s modular framework provides an easy-to-follow guide that includes comprehensive, age-appropriate solutions for students 3 to 6 years of age. Students are able to naturally move from directed activities to increasingly open-ended, project approach activities. The BrainOsaurus Labs are created to meet a wide range of students’ developmental abilities in variety of educational settings.
PCS students' using K'NEX manipulatives
Students from the Galileo Math and Science Magnet School in Meridian, Idaho meet weekly in the PCS Engineering Lab to build projects and enhance classroom studies using K’NEX. Students build in small groups, individually, and often compete in class cooperative challenges pitting their designs against other grade-levels. Students follow step-by-step plans to complete motorized machines and vehicles. Students then use that building knowledge to create their own unique machines using the design process.
Students in the PCS Engineering Lab at Galileo
The PCS Brain offers multiple ways to integrate with K’NEX, K’NEX Bricks, and MicroK’NEX manipulatives. Adding the Brain to existing K’NEX models or new construction is very easy and with multiple ways to connect, there’s no limit to what students can create. By adding The Brain to vehicles and machines, the ability to expand learning increases ten-fold. Now, not only can a vehicle drive around the room, but it can interact with other vehicles and demonstrate complex programmed behavior. The added allure of lights and sound also makes for more realistic and robust models.
The Brain with K'NEX Manipulatives
The first delivery of the new robotics activities will be to the Al Riyadh private school in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, for implementation into the PCS 4th grade technology program launching this month. PCS and K’NEX signed a distribution agreement earlier this year that assigns exclusive rights to PCS to market the K’NEX Education line into a number of Middle Eastern countries including Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and others.
Students' at Al Riyadh Schools
Maureen Kratz, Director of K’NEX Education, said “We have enjoyed our partnership with PCS for a number of years, and these new developments are very exciting for us. We look forward to seeing our educational products in use throughout PCS programs here, in the Middle East, and elsewhere in the world.”
Laura Baran, PCS’ lead developer for PCS-K’NEX programs, said “K’NEX manipulatives are an extraordinary educational tool that are durable, versatile, and very engaging. We’ve found that the integration of the PCS Brain into activities brings a new learning dimension to our activities that use K’NEX. We’re looking forward to seeing these materials in wide use in classrooms very soon.”
The Brain with K'NEX Manipulatives
About K’NEX Brands, L.P.
K’NEX is the next generation of construction sets. It inspires creativity, builds self-confidence and encourages interaction among children and parents. The possibilities are endless!
K’NEX Brands, L.P. is a privately held company, with the headquarters and manufacturing facility located in Hatfield, Pennsylvania. Today, K’NEX is the most innovative and fastest growing construction toy company. Internationally, K’NEX products are distributed in over 30 countries. K’NEX Brands is also proud to distribute BRIO trains and toys, as well as Lincoln Logs in the North America.
This document contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Act of 1934. These forward-looking statements are based largely on the expectations or forecasts of future events, can be affected by inaccurate assumptions, and are subject to various business risks and known and unknown uncertainties, a number of which are beyond the control of management. Therefore, actual results could differ materially from the forward-looking statements contained in this press release. Additional information respecting factors that could materially affect the Company and its operations are contained in its annual report on Form 10-KSB for the year ended March 31, 2009 and Form 10-Q for the three months ended June 30, 2009 as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Boise, Idaho – September 24, 2009 – PCS Edventures (OTCBB: PCSV-News) today announced the execution of two sales and distribution agreements with MINDS-i, Inc., of Liberty Lake, Washington. MINDS-i is the maker of advanced motorized and non-motorized construction systems for the education, hobby, and retail marketplace that provide a high level of interoperability and strength for advanced building and design applications.
Mike Marzetta
Michael Marzetta, President of MINDS-i and the inventor of the system, said “MINDS-i is delighted to be forming this alliance with PCS Edventures! We have been collaborating and exploring synergies now for nearly a year and have seen the extraordinary capabilities PCS has in the education marketplace. In our time working together, MINDS-i has been profiled and introduced to hundreds of educators in multiple states and countries as PCS gathered market feedback. We couldn’t be more pleased with our partnership.” Marzetta went on to say “the PCS Brain and Cortex progressive programming environment are exactly what we needed to take the MINDS-i system to the next level with robotic control and sensor integration. The hobbyist world is changing and becoming more sophisticated. We feel the PCS Brain gives us the edge we need to outperform all of our competitors.” PCS introduced the MINDS-i and Brain solution to the leading professional technical educators in the state of Idaho at a Spring gathering. The materials are part of a pre-engineering solution that has been reviewed and accepted as one option Idaho schools can implement within their professional technical programs.
Tony Maher, PCS CEO, said “The robotics industry, which includes personal, entertainment, and educational robotics, is one of the fastest growing consumer markets in the world and personal robots sales are forecasted to quadruple, from $1.16B in 2009, to more than $5B by 2015. Over the past twenty years, our PCS robotics development group has been consistently dedicating resources to the development of proprietary methods, curriculum, hardware, and software with the singular goal of becoming the world leader in K12 robotics education. This partnership with MINDS-i provides another powerful tool to accomplish this goal. The MINDS-i system is simply remarkable.”
The recently signed agreements between PCS and MINDS-i address mutual sales and distribution points that provide MINDS-i with support and preferred access to PCS robotics technology for integration with MINDS-i systems and provide PCS with the exclusive, worldwide educational distribution rights for MINDS-i products. In addition, PCS has the exclusive distribution rights of MINDS-i for both retail and educational markets in 15 Middle Eastern countries.
DEVELOPMENT AND TESTING OF THE BRAIN-MINDS-i SYSTEM
Richard Mussler-Wright, PCS Edventures Director of Curriculum Development and manipulative expert known worldwide for his expertise in LEGO, KNEX, VEX, fischertechnik, and other systems evaluated the system over the past nine months and said, “This system is outstanding and provides the strength, versatility, and flexibility needed for advanced engineering applications. For truly sophisticated and robust design work, this system is superior to anything else on the market.”
PCS and MINDS-i have been experimenting with the potential of the system, prototyping different levels of starter kits for both the education and hobbyist marketplace. Integration with the PCS Brain has resulted in a variety of new developments within the PCS Brain solution including new commands within the Cortex that enable the use of high power speed controllers for high torque and high speed hobbyist motors. The flexibility of the PCS Brain and its application to multiple construction systems and uses continues to be demonstrated. “Experimenting with MINDS-i and integrating the Brain and our sensors has been a blast,” said David Chase, one of the primary developers on the PCS Brain team. Mr. Chase, the lead designer of the Brain case, included physical hooks for the MINDS-i system in the final production version of the Brain. The Brain now bolts right into the MINDS-i construction system with no problem. This functionality also makes it compatible with the entire R/C hobbyist industry, opening up unlimited integration possibilities with R/C aircraft, boats, and any other industry standard design.
Detail of MINDS-i Suspension
A MINDS-i Marz Rover package, complete with the PCS Brain, sensors, and programming environment was shipped to NASA Ames for testing by engineers and students this summer. The review team said “Thank you very much for giving us the opportunity to test your product! We have been particularly impressed and excited with its size and power. There is a picture of how we are using it attached to this email.” Detailed feedback from NASA Ames and their high school student testers was garnered on ease of use and flexibility of both the MINDS-i construction system and the PCS Brain and Cortex progressive programming environment. Consistent feedback on both systems was highly positive and provided additional direction on areas of improvement that are being addressed.
Student Testers
THE INTERNATIONAL MARKETPLACE
Dr. Tony Pugatschew of Intellecta technologies in Australia said, “The MINDS-i construction system brings a tough, robust and innovative construction system to a new generation of robotics and engineering students.” Current systems that have been in the marketplace for some time have lost the original flexibility of products such as Meccanno from the UK. MINDS-i rekindles this simple, yet powerful construction system that is ideal for powerful servos and motors. We are looking forward to the launch of this material in Australia and feel that the system is an ideal integration into the PCS Robotics systems and other control technology.”
MINDS-i and The Brain in Australia
Dr. Mohammed Yasser Refai, Managing Director of PCS Middle East, expressed enthusiasm saying “MINDS-i is an extraordinary system that offers capabilities beyond anything on the market today. In the Middle Eastern marketplace, we have already identified channels for distributing the product into both the retail and educational space. Technical educators will love the flexibility and power of this system and the capabilities of its advanced electro-mechanical systems when combined with the PCS Brain.“ MINDS-i and PCS employees are currently working on a MINDS-i Marz Rover demonstration and promotion package that will ship to the Middle East in October to be part of ongoing marketing programs in the areas of K12 robotics education and teacher professional development.
This document contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Act of 1934. These forward-looking statements are based largely on the expectations or forecasts of future events, can be affected by inaccurate assumptions, and are subject to various business risks and known and unknown uncertainties, a number of which are beyond the control of management. Therefore, actual results could differ materially from the forward-looking statements contained in this press release. Additional information respecting factors that could materially affect the Company and its operations are contained in its annual report on Form 10-KSB for the year ended March 31, 2009 and Form 10-Q for the three months ended June 30, 2009 as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
PCS recently had the great pleasure of hosting Dr. Abdulilah Al-Musharraf, who traveled from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to visit PCS.
Dr. Musharraf had a packed itinerary as PCS representatives met with him at the corporate offices, toured three local educational facilities utilizing PCS curriculum and program materials, and met with Idaho State University
Dr. Musharraf was able to see the Little Edventures product line in action, view a primary class using BrickLab, and visited a math and science magnet academy in which PCS engineering materials were in use. Meetings at Idaho State University focused on PCS Professional Development programs and the PCS-ISU relationship which provides continuing education credits for teachers completing PCS training programs. This certification process was designed and implemented last year when PCS Middle East trained teachers from fifty schools on afterschool materials and PCS methods.
Additional presentations and meetings took place at the PCS offices where he also met with PCS CEO, Tony Maher, and Board Member, Cecil Andrus. In addition, Dr. Musharraf was treated to new PCS curriculum in applied mathematics and a demonstration of the PCS proprietary robotics controller and programming environment that will be used in robotic and engineering competitions in the Al Riyadh lab programs. A variety of topics were discussed including the state of education in Saudi Arabia, potential relationships with a Middle Eastern publishing partner, the importance of professional development in the school transformation process, and the complexity of the student-centered classroom model.
Dr. Al Musharraf, with a PhD in Curriculum Development from Ohio University, has extensive curriculum expertise and has served as the General Director of the Curriculum Department for the Ministry of Education, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and also as the General Supervisor of the Education Development Project of the Arab Bureau of Education for the Gulf States (ABEGS). He was appointed by the Government of Riyadh to the Managing Director role of the Al Riyadh Schools in 2006 and has been working with Dr. Refai and PCS Middle East over the past two years.
In September 2009, the first Academy of Robotics Lab was installed at Colegio Isrealita a highly regarded private school in Mexico with the help of our sales and service provider, Inteltech. Inteltech is a Mexican company that supplies comprehensive educational state-of-the-art solutions to state and federal Mexican institutions. Ana Laura Gonzalez, Special Projects Manager for Inteltech said, “Inteltech is extremely excited to be working with PCS Edventures and sees the potential for huge growth in the future.”
The following are the 2009 Idaho Innovation Awards finalists (Finalists are listed in alphabetical order. Winners will be announced at the Awards Banquet):
Commercialized Innovation of the Year
CradlePoint MBR1000 3G/4G Mobile Broadband Router by CradlePoint Technology
PakSense Ultra Wireless Label by PakSense, Inc.
Ultra-Fast Charging Technology by IVUS Energy Innovations
Early-Stage Innovation of the Year (a fourth finalist is being recognized due to a tie)
Healthwise Ix Conversations by Healthwise
Precision Nanoparticles by the Idaho National Laboratory
QuickMAR Electronic Med Administration Record by Med Management Technology
Water Sample Concentrator by the Idaho National Laboratory
Innovative Company of the Year
Auction Frogs
Balihoo
Premier Technology, Inc.
Innovator of the Year
David Chase, Super Man, PCS Edventures, Inc.
Mark Rivers, President, Brix and Company
Kristi Saucerman, Founder and CEO, Auction Frogs
To read more about the 2009 Idaho Innovation Awards click here.
The following is an excerpt of the article After School Programs: Play, Pay or Pray? Part II The Players By Robert Haynes-Peterson, Thursday Sep. 03, 2009 for halogenlife.com.
The original kindergarten was just directed play,” says Richard Mussler-Wright of PCS Edventures, a company that provides learning modules in science and technology for schools and after-school programs. “There are parents who buy into that model which, philosophically comes from MIT mathematician Seymour Papert: That engaged children in the right environment will push themselves to learn. On the other hand, without guidance and some structure, a program can rapidly denigrate into chaos and disuse.” Programs like PCS Edventures and various school robotics programs manage bridge the the worlds of play and learning. PCS employs robotics, BrickLab construction bricks, K’Nex and fischertechnik building sets to encourage girls and boys to explore physics, engineering and technology.
Boise, Idaho –February 24, 2010 -PCS Edventures (OTCBB: PCSV-News) a leading provider of K-12 programs that focus on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, today announced the promotion of Robert Orson Grover to the positions of President, Chief Operating Officer, and Chief Technology Officer at the Company. Mr. Grover’s expanded oversight responsibilities will include marketing, sales and product development. He will continue to be heavily involved in PCS’ international business initiatives.
