A child plays with one of the robots at the Philly Robotics Expo during Philly Tech Week 2011. Photo: Rachel Playe

Of the four parts of a series on science, technology, engineering and mathematics education that ran this week on Technically Philly, it was perhaps the fourth that grabbed our attention most.

Despite mounting problems in the School District of Philadelphia related to STEM education, many are beyond its immediate control, and citizens are taking action to get involved.

Throughout conversations with dozens of people involved with STEM education in Philadelphia it was said repeatedly: This is the city’s and nation’s problem, not the District’s alone.

That makes it a local technology community problem.

What is missing is a pipeline to connect that community of bright, active individuals in Philly tech with students. Second, we believe, entrepreneurs could use their experience with innovation to attack the problem with business plans.

It’s with that in mind that we’ve partnered with Teach for America’s Greater Philadelphia: Innovation in Education workshop series. Focused on innovation in education, the invite-only workshops, which will take place in 2012, are intended to inspire the creation of actionable nonprofit and business ventures to impact education.

When TFA launched a similar workshop series in the San Francisco Bay Area, it resulted in the launch of new startups, including Junyo, a tool to help teachers measure student learning, and Skoodio: a student portfolio platform for the social media age. Perhaps most interestingly, of 25 participants in the workshop series, a third were experienced in technology and business with little education background.

When we connected with the organization, it was abundantly clear that the entrepreneurial spirit of Philadelphia’s technology community could help create organizations that could inspire actionable change in education.

The workshops will lead up to a pitch event in May where participants will demonstrate their ideas.

We encourage you to apply for the workshops here. Mention that you saw the opportunity on Technically Philly. Deadline for applications is December 16.

If you’re not interested specifically in the workshops, there’s plenty of ways to get involved with STEM education in Philadelphia. After the jump, we point to some of the organizations that have mentorship, volunteering and sponsorship opportunities.

• 21st Century Partnership for STEM Education – Aspires to be a regional leader in data-based analysis, program planning, innovative curricula and professional development for STEM education. [Coverage]
• America21 Project – Fosters solutions-based approaches to 21st century community economic development. [Coverage]
• Atomic Robotics – Robotics club with mission of convening regional assets. [Coverage]
• Breadboard – Breadboard is developing innovative partnerships with neighboring organizations that will introduce Philadelphia youth to new creative technologies. [Coverage]
• Delaware Valley Industrial Resource Center – Works with high schools and colleges around STEM talent development. [Coverage]
• Girl Geek Dinner – Potluck-style networking events for women in tech. [Coverage]
• Girl Develop It — Web design and development classes for women. [Coverage]
• Hacktory – The Hacktory’s goal is to empower people and give them a sense that technology can be a tool for personal expression. [Coverage]
• Math + Science Coalition – The Philadelphia Education Fund’s Math + Science Coalition is looking for volunteers to share their knowledge and love of math and science with students in the School District of Philadelphia. [Coverage]
• NextFab Studio – NextFab Studio is a membership-based, high-tech workshop and prototyping center. They provide resources and training for local high school robotics teams and more. [Coverage]
• Nonprofit Technology Resources – NTR distributes donated, refurbished computers to low-income people (especially children and families) through their community groups, churches, and schools. [Coverage]
• Pennsylvania Society of Professional Engineers – Puts industry workers in front of students during school career days and at robotics competitions. [Coverage]
• Philly Robotics Expo – At Philly Tech Week 2012, schools from the Philadelphia area will demonstrate how young people can get involved in robotics. [Coverage]
• School District of Philadelphia Robotics – Students are engaged in STEM challenges, competitions, tournaments, symposiums and institutes throughout the year. [Coverage]
• TechGirlz – Helping adolescent girls understand that a future in technology does not necessarily equate to ‘a boring computer job.’ [Coverage]
• Upward Bound Math Science – Penn’s college preparatory program that provides hands-on experience with science and math for high school students.
• Web Start Women — Devoted to bringing more women into the web design and development fields. [Coverage]
• What It Takes – E-mentoring for young black men. [Press Release]

If you have an organization that you want to list here, email the organization title, a web URL and a brief description of the organization to info [at] technicallyphilly.com.

READ THE ENTIRE ‘STATE OF STEM’ SERIES

Part 1 of this series: STEM graduation rates show uphill battle with math and science in School District
Part 2 of this series: Lack of citywide STEM education vision leaves Philly’s skilled workforce in jeopardy
Part 3 of this series: State and District math and science policies leave gaps in competitive STEM curriculum
Part 4 of this series: Citizens work alongside the school system to strengthen District STEM

This is a guest post by Nicole Brewer, a reporter for CBS 3 and CW Philly, as part of our Guest Contributor Week. Want to have an op-ed or feature you’ve written to appear on TP, now or in the future? Drop us a line.

To be honest, I entered Philly’s tech scene by accident.

From a young age, I enjoyed technology as a hobby, and as an aspiring journalist, I relished in the advent of social media. However, I never imagined it would define my career or revolutionize the broadcasting industry quite the way it has.

To that end, it was simply a matter of timing. With the success of its newly re-launched website in 2005, CBS3 had seen its website grow year-over-year in both traffic and engagement metrics. But, the company was eager to stay ahead of the digital curve and willing to try something new.

Fresh off my first freelance gig at the Consumer Electronics Show, I was too.

As the “digital journalist,” I started reporting primarily for the website, CBS3.com — now CBSPhilly.com. I wrote, produced, shot, edited and posted daily video segments to the web.

I was a one-man-band but determined to prove my relevancy to the station.

So, I looked to the community for help. I wanted to connect with people who were not only involved in the technology scene, but doing their part to evolve it. I’ll never forget my very first ‘Behind The Blog’ feature with Eric Smith and Tim
Quirino of Geekadelphia. They were as nice as they were savvy. And they were more than willing to introduce me to their inner circle.

At work, my role began to expand. CBS3/CW became increasingly invested in the coverage of technology, allowing me the opportunity to cover stories for air.

That’s when my digital contact list really came in handy. When I needed an expert, I looked to people like Colleen Padilla of ClassyMommy.com and Cecily Kellogg of UppercaseWoman.com. (Mommy bloggers really do know best.)

Eyewitness News was also an early adopter of social media, launching station Facebook pages and utilizing Twitter as a way to spread breaking news. As I built my own social media following, I looked to the community for best practices.

Beth Harte of Serengeti Communications taught me the ins and outs of online etiquette, while Gloria Bell of Red Stapler Consulting addressed the importance of social media marketing.

With each new connection, five more followed. And as my contact list evolved, so did my role as digital journalist.

I found myself touting Twitter and Facebook as legitimate resources for finding story ideas, arranging interviews and most importantly, connecting to viewers. The station also made it a point to utilize new technology to tell stories. At the 2010 Mid-Atlantic Emmys, Eyewitness News was recognized for excellence in snow coverage, which included the use of Skype and U-Stream.

The station also developed the Morning Chatter segment, which allows Facebook and Twitter users the opportunity to voice their opinion about stories on our newscast. I currently host this as part of Eyewitness News this morning on CBS3 (5-7PM) and the CWPhilly (7-9AM).

So, when I look back at my progression as a digital journalist and the evolution of Eyewitness News, I can say with certainty we did not arrive here on our own. Instead, I believe the community has shaped our growth and will continue to determine our next expansion as well as the definition of my role.

Nicole Brewer is a reporter for CBS 3 and CW Philly in Philadelphia, focusing on online, consumer electronics and technology community news. In 2005, she was named Miss Pennsylvania. Follow her on Twitter here.

It’s true, many of the etiquette books around these days don’t hold up in the business world.  Still, those professional etiquette workshops “the man” made me take had value.  Shake, even if someone is visibly sick?  Yes.  Lift your glass when being toasted?  Nope.  Arrive late for calls and meetings?  Obvious.

Then what gives?  Lateness, lack of follow up, and lack of formality are prolific today, even among enterprise consultants, salespeople, managers, and executives.  The worst thing about perpetually more casual behavior in business is it’s a death spiral.  Business culture is organic, not static, and our daily interactions either raise the bar or push it down.

Entrepreneurs, freelancers, and creative independents, this is as opportunity to differentiate ourselves.  I’m calling myself out and asking you to join me.  Let’s set the example by bringing back (a little) decorum.

Three basics to get us going:

1. Say what you’re going to do, and do it. A simple formula – Learn it and live it.  Your word matters; treat it like a contract.  Think before making commitments.  Once made, follow through.

2. Thank people. Walt Disney was known for handwriting thank you notes daily.  Try it for your most important ones, it feels great and people remember.  Always formally thank customers and people who refer you business.  Failure to appropriately thank others is lazy and tragic.  (Self-disclosure: A little behind on thank you notes myself; I’m going to start catching up today.)

3. Learn names and use them. A dollar for every time you’ve heard, “I’m not good with names;” you’re a zillionaire.  Excuse, copout, laziness.  Make it a point to learn people’s names and use them, it’s fundamental.  The first rule to remembering names (and anything) is intent to remember.  When we care enough to remember, it’s amazing how easy it usually is.

Why bother with decorum?  Many reasons, here’s one.  You represent your company, yourself, your cause, your town, your community.  Entrepreneur is a hard road, requiring more of us, not less.  Independence is not a reason for a lack of decorum; rather a responsibility to embody it.  Whatever your perspective on business etiquette, consider applying a little more protocol, formality, and decorum.  Represent.

Chris DiFonzo is a co-founder of OpenDesks a service that connects mobile business people (home-based workers, individual entrepreneurs, freelancers, and small teams) with open desks in professional office space.

In February, venture capitalists, entrepreneurs and non-profit employees gathered at a coworking space in New York’s Tribecca neighborhood to chat ”Social Entrepreneurship:” businesses that focus as much on social good as the bottom line.

Halfway through the event, organized by Philadelphia’s Good Company Ventures, an audience member asked what city should serve as the center of this social entrepreneurship movement. A surprising number people immediately responded, “Philadelphia.”

It’s no secret that most large America cities are vying to be “The next Silicon Valley.” This typically means a focus on early stage technology and Internet startups, some of which—hopefully—become large employers drawing lots of young, highly educated taxpayers.

While Philly has no shortage of people clamoring for an effort to remake the city into a “Philicon Valley,” recent trends indicate that the city’s entrepreneurial community is busy carving out a different niche in the nation’s technology environment: startups focused on social good, not just the bottom line.

This isn’t an uphill battle, the city is home to some of the leaders in the field of Social Entrepreneurship. Here are some of the local players working to use technology and business to make Philadelphia—and the world—a better place:

Read more at Philly Post.

In an informal partnership with Philadelphia magazine’s new Philly Post daily news blog, Technically Philly will be offering our insight on Philadelphia technology to a broader audience of tech-interested individuals every Tuesday. As is true of so much of our effort, this is yet another opportunity to voice the triumphs and concerns of the community to a broader audience in the city and beyond.

Next week, the city’s bars, breweries and pubs will be center stage as the third annual Philly Beer Week kicks off. The event gives the city’s beer scene a chance to shine on a national spotlight, attracting outsiders to see the beer culture that has been growing rapidly in Philadelphia.

Meanwhile, the city’s technology scene is experiencing a similar revival. After being nonexistent for years, the city suddenly has a handful of events the blend culture and technology to help put Philadelphia in a broader national conversation about new startups, investment and innovative ideas.

The two “scenes” overlapped this week with the creation of the Philly Beer Week iPhone app by a group of volunteers. The application helps Philly Beer Week attendees easily find their next watering hole during the week-long festival and uses geolocation to tell you the event nearest to you. Technically Philly thinks, however, that the two burgeoning scenes have much in common and have a lot to learn from one another.

In fact we think techies should borrow liberally form our beer-drinking friends to help continue Philadelphia’s growing reputation as a tech town. Here’s what needs to happen:

Continue reading at The Philly Post.

Allan Frank, city CIO

Here’s a test.

Just how innovative and influential, forward-thinking yet practical is the technology community in Philadelphia? Because you’re being challenged.

We’re still reeling from a presentation that Allan Frank, the city’s chief information officer, gave at a meeting of Refresh Philly Monday night.

The Nutter administration is investing $100 million during the next four years into city technology, including a complete overhaul of Phila.gov, as he told 75 mostly professional, tech-savvy 30 and 40-somethings in a modern, white-walled conference room on the 45th floor of the Comcast Center yesterday.

How best to do it, he isn’t sure, admitted the former corporate careerist with a beard that could double for Wolf Blitzer’s. So, the next step, he said, could be a meeting with five or 10 members of Philadelphia’s tech community whom he’d like to bring suggestions for the future of the city’s technology infrastructure.

But, it was less a detailed plan than an open invitation. So will the vanguard of our tech community do something about it?

“It is incredible I found this group,” Frank said last night of the six-month old Refresh Philly. Why not make him realize just how powerful Refresh and all the other parts of our community can be?

Because he came to Refresh, we implore leaders like Roz Duffy, whom we’ve interviewed, and others to coalesce such a small group, reflective as it can be of the community.

It’s worth creating a real dialogue because Frank’s heady suggestions of a city with high-tech enterprise zones and complete broadband coverage were as grandiose as they are indefinite. Indeed his lofty hypotheticals seemed impractical without hard details.

But, gosh, we sure like the sounds of them, and, to be fair, Frank made clear that most of what he addressed was nothing more than dream-sourcing.

He should be commended for answering frankly — with no’s — to many audience questions directed at the city’s level of planning, even when they seemed to come from listeners unknowing of the vagaries of local government.

His request for direction and interest from the disparate factions of tech seems dangerously broad. His August federal stimulus deadline is for broadband only, but plans in Philadelphia seem to linger, fade and die, especially without explicit deadlines. Keep in mind that his big boss Michael Nutter seeks reelection in 2011 and will have to start much earlier if the economy continues to cannibalize city services.

So, does Frank just want broad ideas for a better functioning Phila.gov, or ways to span the digital divide or does he want to fight for technology that cuts bureaucratic waste — like supporting paperless government legislation and creating more user-friendly methods for paying parking tickets, requesting permits and other reasons people go into the city’s Municipal Services building and never come out. Maybe he wants less, or more?

We must keep in mind that the city is much bigger and more diverse — racially, socioeconomically, even politically — than the tech community. There are Internet stars in North Philadelphia, but in neighborhoods along North Broad Street and in West Philadelphia, the working class communities of South Philly and the Northeast are unlikely to have laptops or iPhones, to be on Twitter or using e-commerce.

The future of our city — how it is seen, how it treats us and how we interact with it — must be inclusive and fair-minded, but mindful of the future.

Can our community of innovators follow through to create sensible, responsible and possible steps — targeted, prioritized and agreed upon as necessary — and ship them to Frank?

What should the plan look like? Can a collection of Philadelphia’s tech leaders appoint five to hold Frank and the Nutter administration to the promise of a more tech friendly city?

So often technology communities speak of how rarely those in real power give them an ear. Here is one. This is a time for our community to shine.

“Philadelphia has a heck of an inferiority complex sometimes,” said Frank, who grew up in Allentown and has been in the Philly region since 1977. “But all it takes are passionate people and we can make anything.”

Who are those passionate people who will carry a sensible and possible message of innovation from our tech community to city government?

This Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Temple University, the entire TP crew along with 150 of our closest friends will be tackling a problem that is very near and dear to our hearts: the current state of news and journalism.

The journalism industry has had numerous conferences and back door CEO meetings, but some of us think its time to try something different, thus BarCamp NewsInnovation was born. Many of us have been yelling at the TV over bias, decrying the lack of certain stories going uncovered in our local paper and wondering how the media industry can fully (and profitably) embrace the Web.

So we’ll be taking the BarCamp format so popular for tech events and applying it to news. Journalists, media types, bloggers, techies, programmers, designers, executives, students and anyone else who is interested will be converging at Temple University for 8 hours of news talk. Like our beloved BarCamp Philly, anyone can make a presentation, as long as its about news. We hope thins brings some frank, unconventional talk to an industry that needs it.

Initially when I made the pitch to wrestle the national event from, *ahem*, lesser cities, I said that Philadelphia’s thriving tech scene was one reason to have it here. Since then, we’ve started this blog and it has only reaffirmed our belief, and we would love to see some of our readers stopped on by.

Set to attend are media execs, reporters and editors� from the Inky, Philly.com, Washington Post, GateHouse Media, Fox News, LA Times, McClatchy, Associated Press and more. I’d guess that all of these companies will be looking for some fresh thinking that I think TP’s readership can provide. So I ask you to take the Broad Street Line up to Temple for a few hours, and maybe you can help us save the news industry … or, at the very least, have a good time at the afterparty at National Mechanics.

See you there!

(And, if you cant make it, follow #BCNIPhilly on Twitter)

Currently, the service is available in Portland and Baltimore, and offers download speeds up to 4Mbps and upload speeds of 384Kbps. Unlimited browsing starts at $50 per month and on the lower end of its pricing tiers, a 24-hour pass is offered for $10. Clearwire has a number of devices that support its WiMAX network, including a modem for home networks and a USB modem for on-the-go use.

While we’re stoked about next generation mobile broadband access in Philadelphia, WiMAX faces tough competition from Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology, another next gen mobile broadband solution. The battle between the two network technologies is the mobile equivalent of Blu-ray versus HD-DVD.

ClearWire’s acquisition by Sprint Nextel was a major boon for WiMAX, and the company is backed by a combined $3.2 billion investment from cable operators Comcast, Time Warner Cable, and Bright House Networks, along with Intel and Google, as CNET reported last year.

But that may not be enough. Verizon announced plans last month to roll out the first LTE network in the U.S., and Wednesday, a Nokia executive backed LTE over WiMAX, calling LTE the preferred mobile broadband technology after [current 3G networks]. Previously, Nokia, which owns 37 percent of the global market share for mobile devices, had shown support for WiMAX, having created mobile devices for demonstration on ClearWire’s WiMAX network.