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Intel® skoool™ designs and builds technologies that serve as the foundation for the world’s computing devices. It is a fast moving company with an interest in educational computer applications. inGenious spoke to Intel Performance Learning Solutions’ Manager, Anna O’Donovan, to understand more about the skoool football STEM activity. Anna, whose background is in education publishing, works from County Kildare in Ireland on the development of Intel’s online education activities.

What is skoool football?

It is a teaching tool targeted at pupils aged 12-15 years old, although younger groups can also use it. The game uses football as a hook to capture pupil interest but aims to impart knowledge and skills relating to maths and science. Pupils can choose two avenues in the game: team or football. The team part covers topics like nutrition, body mass and health, while the football part asks pupils to undertake such activities as speed calculation, measuring angles and tracking distance.

Why has Intel joined inGenious

We have been developing educational activities to support the skoool program worldwide since 2002 and although skoool is free to its users, we don’t engage with our users directly. inGenious offers us the opportunity to gain in-depth structured feedback from the teachers who try skoool football. We plan to use this feedback to shape our future work.

What other teaching tools does Intel offer ?

Plenty. You can find a range of our teaching activites activities on the education website: www.skoool.com.

Technology is evolving very rapidly and there will be many more opportunities to do more in the education space. 

Why is Intel doing this?

We want to help pupils be excited about science and maths. Technology lends itself well to doing this because the interactive possibility extends beyond what can be done with a book.

Intel works extensively in the education field and we recruit curious, team oriented people with good technology skills.

When I was at school I didn’t know the importance of scientific or mathematical principles and their relevance to the real world. With the use of technology, there is an opportunity for teachers to make that connection for kids.

What is your message to people wondering about the value of STEM studies?

It is very hard for kids to fast forward into their working life but at the core of an industry such as Intel is science and maths. There is so much to learn in a fast changing technology company but the core skills needed for the majority of people here are science and maths.