Innovation Institute 2022

Join this interactive session to explore Career Blade, Learning Blade, and a new system for high school students launching in June 2022! These are free statewide STEM career awareness programs aligned to Arkansas academic standards.

Career Blade was introduced in Arkansas in February 2022. It is a free, web-based K-12 resource for teachers to integrate career pathways relevant to their specific economic region. For instance, a Springdale teacher will be able to visit the website and easily find downloadable, subject-based, and grade-appropriate lesson plans for actual career pathways offered in the Northwest Arkansas economic region. Lesson plans include everything you need to bring career exploration to life in the classroom, including contact information of companies that want to engage with students and meet their future workforce. Visit www.CareerBladeArkansas.com to access these free K-12 resources.

Learning Blade, designed for grades 5-9, contains hundreds of online STEM-focused “mission” lessons that lead students through exploring technologies and careers while practicing academic skills aligned to Arkansas standards. In addition, teachers have access to dozens of lesson plans that support innovative STEM project-based learning using common materials found in the classroom. Now includes a 20-hour "Intro to Coding" course designed to meet the Coding Block requirement in Middle School. Sign up for your free Learning Blade account provided by Governor Hutchinson's Ready for Life initiative, the ADE, in partnership with the APSRC at www.learningblade.com/AR.