The Beyonders Challenge program was created in 2020 in order to fulfill students’ desire for exposure to courses they would not necessarily be taking during their regular school hours. Our curriculum design is focused on creative thinking, active learning, and the role of context in education. This program is currently 100% online for the foreseeable future.

Our Planet in 2050

What if we don’t change anything about our way of life? How will our planet then be by 2050? And shouldn’t we change something to help our planet to survive?

What can we do? This is a workshop for 8^th-10^th grades to ask critical questions, to think out of the blue and to collaborate on ideas that could become real projects. The Creative Problem Solving process will help to structure the creative thinking and to make sure at the end of the workshop there is a real result, ready to be implemented.

Want to join us in a collaborative, interactive and fun workshop? We’re looking forward to seeing you soon! (limited to 15 participants)

Dates: June 12^th

Grade levels: 8^th-10^th

Click here to register!

Becoming a Millionaire on a McDonalds Income

This course is an exciting introduction to the world of investing. We will explore the stock market and simulate investing in the stock market. We will learn the importance of diversifying your money and the power of compound interest. Students will be educated on the Rule of 72. During this process students will learn different options for investing money and how they can become a millionaire by investing $100 per month into no-load mutual funds. We will discuss terms associated with mutual funds such as a prospectus, turnover rate, top ten holdings, and rate of return. We will discuss the difference in a Traditional and Roth IRA. As a bonus, the instructor will also share with students how to have “Free Cars For Life”!

Dates: May 29^th, June 12^th, June 19^th, June 26^th

Grade levels: 8^th-10^th

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“Every Day is a Story All Its Own”: The Importance of Telling Your Story and the Fundamentals of How to Do It Well

• Introduce the idea of the citizen-artist, or artist activist, using story to effect social change
• The difference between data/statistics and story in making a case for change
• Examples of artists who have made a change through their work
• Defining Vision and Voice: What they are and why they are important
• Seven questions for finding your Vision and Voice
• Fundamentals of Story: The Three 3s of Good Storytelling [my worksheet]
• The Basics: The Who (characters, The Where (places), The What (Main Problem)
• The Framework: The Beginning (intro of problem), Middle (working thru the problem), End (solving problem)
• The Mechanics: The Conflict, The Circumstances, and The Climax
• Creating Strong Characters: An audience identifies with character, and thru them
• The Character Continuum: Making sure all points of view are represented
• Introduction of the Hero’s Journey/Three Act Model

Dates: June 12^th

Grade levels: 8^th-10^th

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The 6th Sense: The Game from the Future (*Time: 9 am – 12:30 pm EST)

“The 6th sense” is a fast-paced online design fiction workshop about creating a digital game employing futuristic brain-to-brain interaction (BBI) technologies. The workshop introduces (a) the concept of speculative design; (b) foresight as a means for exploring alternative futures; and (c) the current state of the art, as well as the envisioned capabilities of BBI technologies. Also, through a series of engaging and fun activities, participants are guided towards the conceptual design of a BBI “game from the future”. The main goals of the workshop include understanding emerging BBI technologies and their potential impact to the (near and distant) future, creative and critical thinking and having fun.

Dates: June 5^th, June 12^th

Grade levels: 8^th-10^th

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Podcast Production 101

Students will learn the ins and outs of starting a podcast, including creating a concept and structure, equipment selection and set up, editing and music licensing (if any), and publishing and promoting. The focus of the course will be on the audio production (recording and editing), which students will be able to do on their computer as they are guided through the process. Additional skills to be covered include livestreaming a podcast and incorporating live callers (limited to 8 participants)

Dates: May 29^th, June 12^th

Grade levels: 8^th-10^th

Click here to register!

Schedule

Approximately 9am-3pm*(except for the course- The 6th Sense: The Game from the Future) with more schedule specifics noted in your course pack (*note: these hours do NOT indicate synchronous learning the entire time; there will be breaks, lunch, and asynchronous activities incorporated into the schedule, as well)

 Course Materials

Information regarding course materials will be sent you within one week following registration.

 Cancellation Policy:

By registering for this event, you agree to comply with all event cancellation policies: (1) A cancellation received by 5:00 p.m. ET one calendar week before the first day of the event will be refunded, minus a $25 processing fee; (2) To change or cancel your registration, please email Dr. Sharpe at dsharpe@uga.edu; (3) If an event is canceled for any reason, The Torrance Center will not be responsible for any charges related to travel