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EA Sports Launches STEAM Education Program

Avalon Middle School  students tour the EA Tiburon studio as part of the launch of Play to Learn –EA’s nationwide digital education initiative, in partnership with EverFi.  (Photo Credit:  Electronic Arts/Preston Mack)
Avalon Middle School students tour the EA Tiburon studio as part of the launch of Play to Learn –EA’s nationwide digital education initiative, in partnership with EverFi. (Photo Credit: Electronic Arts/Preston Mack)

EA Sports is launching a new learning program to get middle and high school students interested in STEAM education (science, technology, engineering, art and math). The program was piloted at Avalon Middle School.

The digital entertainment company produces popular sports video games like Madden NFL football and FIFA soccer titles, but now it’s hoping video games can help teach kids basic principles of programming and engineering.

The ‘Play to Learn’ program is a computer-based learning game that exposes students to concepts like binary numbers, scientific notation, and basic coding language.

Daryl Holt, Vice President and head of Operations at EA Sports, says the program is preparing students for a digital future. "This generation of kids that are in middle schools, programming will be a part of their daily life if they can apply it."

The program was developed in partnership with education-tech Company EverFi and aligns with common-core standards.

Holt says the program makes complex ideas more accessible to middle and high school students. "Sometimes the kids are a little scared of STEAM related education issues and what we try to do is show them that there’s nothing to be scared of, and games are a way to break down the walls and barriers."

Holt hopes to have the program in 100 schools by the end of next year.

Brendan Byrne is WMFE's Assistant News Director, managing the day-to-day operations of the WMFE newsroom, editing daily news stories, and managing WMFE's internship program.

Byrne also hosts WMFE's weekly radio show and podcast "Are We There Yet?" which explores human space exploration.