Curiosity Rules!
What if there was a class where curiosity ruled? Where you learned not only how things worked, but how you might make them work better. Where the biggest challenge was between you and your imagination.
Now imagine a car that could morph its shape based on the driver's whims. What if satellites had metallike skins that could repair themselves from damage in space? What if old high-rise buildings could be turned into vertical farms to help fight world hunger? Picture a 3D cell-phone screen strapped to your wrist. How about turning pond scum into green fuel? Or rearranging the molecules of your blood to fight off deadly diseases?
These and countless other life-changing innovations are taking shape in labs, in test tubes and on computer screens around the world. But they all have one thing in common. They all come from an engineer's or scientist's imagination. Right now there are classrooms where you too can begin to dream up tomorrow's wonders - a remarkable space of imagination, innovation and learning that could only be called an Innovation Zone
Welcome to the Innovation Zone
It's a classroom that's unlike any other you've experienced. A space filled with the latest design software, advanced materials and cutting-edge equipment. It's a place that's buzzing with project-based assignments, like programming robots and analyzing DNA samples. Where facts and figures are turned into ingenuity and inventiveness. Where the four walls of the classroom open up and lead to real-world challenges and opportunities - from energy and the environment, to housing and healthcare, to transportation and technology.
It's collaborative. It's creative. It's critical thinking. And it's all centered on the most vital fields of learning and essential professions needed in the world today and tomorrow. What educators call STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics). Step through the door, and you'll experience an approach to learning that fuels imaginative thinking, creative problem solving and innovative solutions - just the kinds of skills that will help you succeed in your education and beyond.
Hey Mom and Dad...IT WORKS!
“PLTW has had an indelible impact on our son Chris and undoubtedly influenced his career goals and selection of Rochester Institute of Technology as his college choice. He really had no career direction until taking the PLTW courses offered at his high school and the wonderful inspiration of a dedicated PLTW teacher, Mr. Barry Witte. We are so thankful that Colonie Central High School is a part of this wonderful program that we believe will have a long lasting effect on our son. Thank you PLTW.”
-- Carl & Margaret Desmond
PLTW students achieve significantly higher scores in reading, mathematics and science and in some cases have the opportunity to receive college credit. They earn higher GPAs as freshmen in college. And PLTW alumni are studying engineering and technology in greater numbers than the national average, with a higher retention rate in college engineering, science and related programs than non-PLTW students. As the nation's leading provider of rigorous and innovative STEM education programs, our vision is to ignite the spark of ingenuity, creativitiy and imagination within all students. PLTW courses are preparing students to become the most innovative and productive in the world.
