Career transition coaching, business productivity, innovation consulting, experiential learning consulting

 

What if…

…business organizations understood that the best designer of a kid’s computer game is a kid? What if learning organizations knew how to unlock kids’ natural brilliance and allowed them to create high-end, high-tech products for business? What if kids could be financially rewarded for their learning projects, and work on projects that help businesses in real time?

It’s possible! Through her work in an educational technology transfer company in partnership with the Wondertree Foundation, Renee Poindexter facilitated just such a breakthrough.

The situation

A major Canadian hydropower utility wanted to commission a new computer game designed to teach energy conservation principles to 7th- and 8th-grade math and science students in British Columbia. When looking around for a company to take on the project, they discovered a group of learners from the Wondertree Foundation for Natural Learning (www.wondertree.org) who had started their own technology consulting company called LearningWare Inc. It took some convincing, but once the utility was assured that the game would be produced and would work, it embraced the idea of using age-appropriate "experts" to design the game for kids their own age.

The solution emerges

Creating a new paradigm, the hydropower utility had the young learners design a program for 7th-8th grade students, providing an invaluable learning experience in product development and in-depth energy management and conservation principles.

To facilitate the process, Renee created a marketing company called MetaSource Network, which worked with LearningWare as it developed a software solution called PowerSmart. Since the game could be customized to meet the requirements of other utilities, Renee partnered with both the utility and LearningWare to market the game to other regional utilities, tailoring each regional version according to each utility’s specifications. The staff at LearningWare, who ranged in ages from 10 to 12, were paid $75,000 to develop the game.

PowerSmart is a fun, interactive game that provides tips on ways to save electricity in the home and at school. It encourages students to partner with their families to become the energy manager of their home. If a PowerSmart family is successful in reducing energy consumption, the money saved is placed into a college savings fund for the student.

Ms. Poindexter worked with educational teams, including teachers, principles, professors, and administrative staff, to create the programs and systems to facilitate this new mode of learning. To create the space for change inside existing structures and perceptions, she worked with people one-on-one and in teams.

By the end of the project, the young entrepreneurs had learned how to manage their time and track their budget to develop the game according to specifications. It took them about a year to complete the project, and they came in well under budget. They won awards from Northern Telecom and the hydropower utility. The school system was very satisfied with the product. In addition, many homes became more energy efficient with money in a savings program earmarked for college.