"In the world of the long-running kids show Cyberchase, Motherboard, a sort of digital queen and literal technocrat, is the beneficent but impaired leader of all of cyberspace. She is-we are to understand-a legitimate ruler, yet faces constant attacks from the odious Hacker, a green-skinned android who dresses like a vampire and whose only goal is to sow chaos and eventually take control of Motherboard's realm, which we might describe as something akin to a metaverse, or ever-expanding digital world."
"Cyberchase is a publicly funded STEM-themed program created by the public television channel WNET Thirteen. It's been airing on PBS Kids since 2002. As such, every challenge the squad takes on can be answered with numbers, or at least some kind of mathematical concept. Sometimes, an episode involves a mission with subtraction, fractions, or even negative numbers! The whole point of the squad's trials and tribulations is to teach children basic science, technology, engineering, and math concepts through adventures."
"Sandra Sheppard, who created the show and now serves as executive producer, says its writers keep a close eye on how well U.S. students are doing with math concepts, especially as general math performance in the country continues to decline: Incoming freshmen at the University of San Diego increasingly need remedial math education, according to placement test performance, and national U.S. high school math performance has been sinking for years, according to the National Assessment of Education Progress. Parents report that social media continues to be a major distraction for kids."
Motherboard is an impaired digital queen and technocrat who rules cyberspace while fending off attacks from the Hacker, a green-skinned android intent on sowing chaos and seizing control. A trio of human kids—Inez, Mattie, and Jackie—regularly visit cyberspace on missions to protect Motherboard, assisted by Digit, a robotic "cybird" guide. Cyberchase is a publicly funded STEM-themed program produced by WNET Thirteen and has aired on PBS Kids since 2002. Each episode frames challenges as numerical or mathematical problems, teaching subtraction, fractions, negative numbers, and other STEM basics through adventures. Creators and writers monitor U.S. math performance, noting increased remedial needs and long-term declines in proficiency. Producers cite social media as a major distraction for children and have adapted content for the social media age.
Read at Fast Company
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