Ozobot

The Ozobot Bit Robot was a longtime go-to STEM solution for teaching all about coding, robotics, computational thinking, and problem solving. Now that the Bit has been retired for a few years, however, you may want to try to upgrade. Its successor, the Ozobot Evo, continues to enable educators to teach CS lessons with its significant upgrades, like Bluetooth capability.

Many robotics tools also have virtual options, which help allow students to continue learning and programming while they’re at home or perhaps after school. In fact, many of those platforms often help improve accessibility of technology by removing the need for a physical robot, increasing equity in multiple ways. So, read on for our recommendations for virtual CS tools.

Students can program with their Evo in two unique ways: screen-free using color codes, markers, and paper or using the OzoBlockly environment on a device. Plus, for STEAM teachers, the Ozobot Classroom LMS offers them an incredibly smooth instructional experience and it’s super helpful when it comes to tracking student progress and monitoring their assignments.

Whether you’re off researching the best robots for the classroom, focused more on teaching students about sensors, or looking to prep them for CTE programs, our list of middle school must-have STEAM tools offers children a whole lot. Head inside to learn more about why our team will consistently recommend these classroom STEM kits for kids in Grades 3–8.

When it comes to elementary coding, Ozobot projects, in particular, offer STEAM that’s simple. Educators can break up the Evo Classroom kits and distribute the components for students to share in any educational setting. Plus, with the robust Ozobot Classroom LMS, assigning bots, tracking student progress, and accessing lessons is a piece of cake.

Jennifer works largely with middle school students to help them learn key STEM skills through real-world experiences. Whether it’s introducing them to coding and robotics or digital design experiences using CAD tools, like TinkerCAD, she’s helped them build new problem-solving competencies and increased the interest many of them have in computer science.

The benefits of robotics in education are far-reaching in both the short and long term. Of course, using robotics tools helps kids learn some of the most important coding basics in a way they can understand. Now, robotics is inclusive of almost all students and the features of classroom robotics tools more effectively meet both student and teacher needs.

For students, learning to code is both essential and accessible. With so many age-appropriate classroom coding tools available, helping students see the possibilities, benefits, and enjoyment they can get from robotics and coding education isn’t even impossible for educators to accomplish. Plus, the benefits of coding education are increasingly extensive.

The Ozobot simulator is accessible online through any modern browser. Whether they have an Ozobot robot with them or not, students can use the simulator to create and run programs. Especially with learning taking place in many different environments, this tool helps level the playing field and provides students with an accessible way to develop CS skills.

Recent updates to the Ozobot Classroom platform have seen it evolve to today’s teaching and learning. It’s completely web-based, making it easy to access and it’s very intuitive for educators without a lot of prior coding experience. Essentially, it helps simplify class setup with easy features for assigning lessons and helps generate insights on student progress.