1. CYBERCHASE Training
Math & Sports

2. Agenda Welcome & Introductions Introduction To Cyberchase
Materials Review
Sign Up To Join “The Chase”!

3. Workshop Objectives By the end of today’s presentation, you will:
be a Cyberchase Expert!
learn how to use the Cyberchase television episodes and corresponding educational materials to help the children in your program better understand mathematical concepts;
have an opportunity to sign up to receive free Cyberchase educational materials through 2008.

4. What is ?

5. THE SERIES

6. The CYBERCHASE Mission
The CYBERCHASE project strives to…
Help 8- to 11-year-olds develop and sustain enthusiasm for math;
Help children develop skills in reasoning and problem solving;
Demonstrate the usefulness of mathematical thinking;
Help children see math in the everyday world;
Change children’s perceptions of math and foster an “I can do this!” attitude.

7. CYBERCHASE is Popular and Effective
Broadcast on 300+ PBS stations & digital channels in 50 states (95% of TV households)
Download your favorite episode at
Google Video, Amazon Unbox, Open Media Network, & iTunes
A big hit with kids of all ages
Skews evenly between boys and girls
Nearly 1/3 of the audience is African-American or Hispanic
Nearly 5 million viewers tune in every week
Ranks in the top tier of the PBS Kids line-up
CYBERCHASE is effective! According to research, CYBERCHASE viewers are better problem-solvers and are more confident about math relative to non-viewers
72 half hour
episodes on air
as of fall 2007

8. Action-packed Adventures
The Series
Action-packed Adventures
Packed with mystery, humor, and action, the TV show features a team of curious kids who outwit, outsmart, and outlast the bad guys in their adventurous quest to save Cyberspace.
Centers on the classic battle of good vs. evil.
One of the original inspirations for the series was Alice in Wonderland.
Each episode takes place on a different fantasy “Cyber-site”.
Key to show’s success is that it shows ordinary kids—not teenagers or adults—using brain power to solve mysteries and problems.

9. The Series The Good Guys
Jackie: African-American suburban girl; a “drama queen,” over the top, the “organizer.”
Inez: Latina city girl; stubborn and talkative, loves animals and has a cat.
Matt: Caucasian country boy; kinesthetic learner; backpack full of gadgets.
Digit: Wisecracking, loudmouthed Cyberbird.

10. The Series
The Bad Guys
Hacker: Pompous, power-hungry, conniving. Wants to take over Cyberspace. A good guy turned bad. Wears a pocket protector.
Buzz: Hacker’s bumbling henchman. Short and round; not the sharpest tool in the shed.
Delete: Hacker’s other bumbling henchman. Tall and skinny; not the brightest star in the heavens.

11. The Series
The Premise
Hacker is on a dastardly mission to “crash” Motherboard, and take over all of cyberspace.
Jackie, Inez, and Matt are whisked into cyberspace to help Motherboard and prevent Hacker’s victory.
In each episode, the kids must thwart Hacker’s diabolical plans with their only weapon: BRAIN POWER!

12. The Series “Sneaky Learning”
Math content is an integral part of the humor, mystery, adventure, and fun of the series;
Series content guided by NCTM math standards, classroom experience of math educators, and cognitive research;
Each episode focuses on the exploration of a single math concept;
Applies math to real-world problem-solving.

13. The Series What’s the “BIG IDEA”?
Each episode is built on a single math concept or skill.
All mysteries and problems in the episode relate to the BIG IDEA.
The Cyber kids are challenged to apply this concept or skill to a variety of situations.

14. The Series Important to note. . .
Some characters may not “catch on” to math concepts immediately;
Problems are broken down into simple steps;
Characters employ different strategies and learning styles;
Solutions come with process and persistence.

15. The Series
“For Real”
Each episode is immediately followed by a live-action epilogue where “The Big Idea” is applied to real life.
Bianca and Harry constantly encounter conundrums and challenges that require math skills and brain power.
Each epilogue is exactly five minutes long and provides a stand-alone overview of the concept and its applications.

16. Cyberchase Outreach

17. Outreach Goals
Extend learning into homes, classrooms, libraries, museums, and after school programs nationwide.
Special focus on reaching girls, minorities and underserved kids, particularly those without ready access to technology.
Support teaching and learning through a network of outreach partner organizations.
Directly connect with educators at professional conferences through presentations, trainings and exhibits.
Drive viewers to the TV program and visitors to the Web site.

18. Outreach Partners
Year-long outreach to PBS stations, libraries, museums/science centers and after school sites nationwide
Key Partnerships, Collaborations, & Grant Recipients
PBS Stations
After School and Educational Programs such as:
AAHPERD
American Library Association (ALA)
Association of Science & Technology Centers (ASTC)
Children’s Aid Society
Children’s Museum of Houston
Girl Scouts
Girls Incorporated
National Engineers Week Foundation
Sally Ride Science

19. Museum Outreach Cyberchase – The Chase Is On!
Created in partnership with the Children’s Museum of Houston
1500 sq. ft. bilingual traveling exhibit
Visiting 14 cities over 5 years including:
The New York Hall of Science; Flushing, NY
EdVenture; Columbia, SC
Minnetrista; Muncie, IN
Chicago Children’s Museum; Chicago, IL
Port Discovery; Baltimore, MD
Austin Children’s Museum; Austin, TX

20. Cyberchase Online

21. Cyberchase Online Site includes: Over 40 multi-level math games
Streaming video
Webisodes
Family activities & teacher materials
Opportunities to submit drawings and stories
Statistics:
Over 1.3 BILLION page views to date
650,000 “unique visits” per week
An online poll indicates that 85% of visitors are seven or older

22. Visit Cyberchase Web Site
Visit “For Parents & Teachers”
Check out “News & Events
Play games!

23. Educational Materials Available Online
Thematic Initiatives from previous seasons of Cyberchase featured:
“Know Your Dough”
Tackled topics such as saving, spending and budgeting, CYBERCHASE to help children learn smart money skills they can use their whole lives
“Super Cyberchase Science”
Illustrated how math can unlock and help children explore science ideas
“Math in Science & Engineering”
Helped children think like engineers, who use both math and science to solve practical problems and create valuable and useful things for our everyday world
“My Big Idea”
Presented and modeled the problem-solving process behind inventing used by mathematicians, scientists, and engineers

24. New Themes

25. 2007 – 2008 CYBERCHASE Themes
Kids love sports, and sports are rich with opportunities to use numbers, find patterns and develop winning strategies. CYBERCHASE Math & Sports challenges kids to “get active with math”!
Topics Include:
Data Collection
Numbers & Operations
Representation
Angles

26. Math & Sports Activity Example

27. Math & Sports Activity Example

28. 2007 – 2008 Resources Available Available Now: Cyberchase Comic books
Cyberchase Posters
Coming Soon:
“Builders’ Math” DVD and CD-Rom
“Math in Sports” DVD and CD-Rom

29. Wrap Up
Questions
Please make sure that you have signed up to continue to receive Cyberchase materials
us at if you would like to request additional materials
Stayed tuned for more information from Cyberchase!

30. Thank You!