AnnMaria De Mars

This post could be labeled Part 1 of 873 but I don’t have that much time. Here is the back story … I decided to teach a more or less introductory statistics class this semester because we make educational games and I think it is important to be in the […]

OMG I Know Why Teachers Don’t Use New Technology

13 Jan, 2019 in AnnMaria / Education: Innovation and STEM by AnnMaria De Mars

Excited children about to play our games — Did you miss me? So much has been going great lately – and to be honest semi-great but a lot of work – that I have barely had the chance to breathe, much less write . Here’s AnnMaria’s version of a Christmas letter. (Note to self: find out if Chileans […]

The tip of the iceberg of awesomeness: My company Christmas ...

12 Jan, 2019 in AnnMaria / blogposts / Education: Innovation and STEM / Game Progress by AnnMaria De Mars

Yaima the llama says feliz año nuevo — Yes, I realize it’s more traditional to say Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year but I really am incredibly thankful. Whether you work in education or on a startup you likely tend to end the year with your to-do list undone, fretting about that activity you didn’t rewrite or […]

Happy New Year and Thanksgiving

30 Dec, 2018 in AnnMaria / Education: Innovation and STEM / Educational Games / Game Progress by AnnMaria De Mars

Spirit Lake — Several years ago, Dr. Erich Longie and I participated in an analysis of the NIES database where we found that the more native youth learned their culture and language in school, the worse their math scores. This finding held true even when we controlled for socioeconomic indicators like mother’s education. […]

Including Native American culture in your math class

12 Dec, 2018 in AnnMaria / Cultural content / Education: Innovation and STEM / Educational Games / Educational Resources / Game Progress by AnnMaria De Mars

3d numbers — I knew that making educational software for Latino children in the U.S. and for children in Chile would need to be different. I just didn’t how or how much until I spent the last year working with schools here. How Spanish speakers used our bilingual software In the U.S. , […]

Latin American children vs children in Latin America: What I ...

11 Dec, 2018 in AnnMaria / Education: Innovation and STEM / rural education / Start-up Diaries by AnnMaria De Mars

Me, Ronda, Federico and Alonso — Welcome back to the latest issue of the Startup Diaries: Santiago Edition. Flying back to Chile Accelerator staff often advise when pitching an investor to discuss the global market for their product because it is going to be significantly bigger than the U.S. market. I’ve always found that a little […]

You Don’t Even Know What the Global Market Looks Like

6 Dec, 2018 in AnnMaria / Start-up Diaries / Uncategorized by AnnMaria De Mars

You may have heard about all of the schools that have 1 to 1 devices , Chromebooks, iPads or Windows computers. It’s a lie. I’m not saying that no schools have a device for every child. I’m sure some do. However, one thing the last four years has taught me […]

The Lie about Computers in Schools: When 1 to 1 ...

4 Dec, 2018 in AnnMaria / Education: Innovation and STEM by AnnMaria De Mars

Daniel explaining game to students — Did you ever wonder how good high school hackers are in Latin America? The answer is that some of them are very, very good. Silabuz.com sponsored the first school hackathon in Chile. (And Strong Mind Studios helped.) This brought together over 60 students and teachers at Cowork Latam in Santiago […]

What’s a school hackathon in Latin America like?

23 Nov, 2018 in AnnMaria / Education: Innovation and STEM by AnnMaria De Mars

Maria Paz meeting with teachers — I’m impressed. As a statistician, I realize that schools who agree to pilot new educational software are exceptional, but based on these exceptional schools I’ve visited, Chile has a bright future. I’m not one of those Americans who go to another country and immediately start bashing it because it’s different. […]

Schools lead Chile into a bright future

21 Nov, 2018 in AnnMaria / Education: Innovation and STEM / Start-up Diaries by AnnMaria De Mars

horse in a field — I have mixed feelings about this time of year. On the one hand, I love my family and I’m flying about 40 hours round trip from Santiago and back just to spend a few days with them. I have SO much to be thankful for. On the other hand, I’ve […]

Native American Culture for Thanksgiving

20 Nov, 2018 in AnnMaria / Cultural content by AnnMaria De Mars

Cranky old teacher with a stick — If you want to hear me rant, just ask me about why students aren’t learning math. We have technology! We have STEM programs! We have STEAM programs! Why the hell are our kids still so far behind? Now, I’m not saying to bring back this lady What we don’t have […]

Math has numbers. Duh.

15 Nov, 2018 in AnnMaria / Education: Innovation and STEM / Math by AnnMaria De Mars

Skyscrapers in Santiago — Living in Santiago has given me a whole new insight in what life is like for limited English speakers in the U.S. When your language proficiency is limited, so are your choices. When I first moved to Chile, I didn’t know any of the neighborhoods, how to use the metro, […]

Limited English Limits Your World

10 Nov, 2018 in AnnMaria / Start-up Diaries by AnnMaria De Mars