Student Engagement and 21st Century Skills and Learning in School With STEM Programs (Grades K-12)

Educators struggle to maintain a "hook" that translates into 21st-century competencies like critical thinking, collaboration, and media literacy. This session solves the "engagement cliff" by integrating storytelling and real-world application into technical tracks. We address how to use TV Broadcasting and Podcasting to give students a platform to document their FIRST Robotics or Coding journey. Furthermore, we examine how to address the gender gap through Girls Who Code and how to leverage AI and Game-Based Development to make Data Science and Networking feel like a creative endeavor rather than a chore.