Branded content and Educate to Innovate

Disney Online launches a new Clorox sponsored web series, The Possibility Shop, from The Jim Henson Company. Hosted by Courtney Watkins, The Possibility Shop offers various kid activities and projects and will update every two weeks with season and/or holiday-based content.

With Clorox as its exclusive sponsor, specifically supporting its Clorox2 Stain Fighter & Color Booster as well as its disinfecting wipes and toilet-cleaning products, The Possibility Shop features ads for these products in and around the episode.

President Obama yesterday launched the Educate to Innovate campaign, a nationwide initiative designed to encourage US kids to work hard to move to the head of the class in science, technology, engineering and math (also known as the STEM education courses) over the course of the next decade.

To support this new effort, the White House has entered into partnerships with several companies, foundations, non-profits and science and engineering societies that work to educate and motivate young people in the areas of science and math. Among the many plans, an annual science fair will be held at the White House, featuring winners from across the country.

Some partners and their efforts include:
Sesame Workshop in partnership with PNC Bank launches Sesame Street's Early STEM Literacy Initiative, a two-year and $7.5 million investment the science and math effort aimed at encouraging young kids to have positive attitudes towards nature and care for the environment.

In the new season of Sesame Street, which includes its My World is Green & Growing as part of the new 2-year initiative, 20 of the 26 episodes will focus on STEM, 13 will focus on science and seven on math. Additionally, Sesame Workshop, with PNC Bank's Grow Up Great Program, introduces a new math program for preschoolers entitled Math is Everywhere.

Time Warner Cable, in partnership with FIRST Robotics and the Coalition for Science After School, launches a campaign to connect 1+ million students to after-school STEM activities that are already available in their area. Time Warner will support this with a searchable website, connectamillionminds .com, public service announcements (PSAs), and has committed $100 million over the next five years, as well as further corporate philanthropy.

Discovery Communications launches Be the Future, a five-year campaign in partnership with universities and federal agencies to create content including PSAs for air on its 13 US networks, a commercial-free kid-targeted educational programming block on the Science Channel and other programming including its Curiosity series. Additionally, Discovery is creating interactive educational content for schools, and via a partnership with Siemens Foundation, will create STEM Connect, a resource for teachers.

National Lab Day, a grassroots effort that aims to upgrade science labs and support learning projects and support STEM teachers. The effort is a partnership with science and engineering societies with financial support from the Hidary Foundation, the MacArthur Foundation, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and other partners.

The MacArthur Foundation, Sony Computer Entertainment America and the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) and its partners launch National STEM game design competitions. The competitions will include the 2010 Digital Media and Learning Competition, an annual effort supported by the MacArthur Foundation that advances innovative approaches to learning through games, social networks and mobile devices. One competition will be open solely to kids. Sony will participate in one segment of the competition this year, encouraging the development of new games that build on the existing video game Little Big Planet.