Some of the most popular paths and effective approaches to preparing students for their future involve using robotics tools. A significant subsection of STEM education, coding robots and other types of programmable devices enable a large percentage of the STEAM learning that occurs in our schools. Using educational robotics tools, students from Pre-K to college can develop key coding skills. This is largely because, among these various robot kits, many are compatible with various programming languages. So, beginning in Pre-K, a child might use the Cubetto Robot in screen-free coding activities. Then, they might move on to the Bee-Bot or Blue-Bot for CS experiences that are slightly more complex. And, by the time they're in kindergarten or first grade, they have a legitimate foundation and they're ready to continue developing fluencies in coding, problem solving, and even computational thinking.
One reason robotics in education is so effective is due to various advances in robotics equipment for schools. Beyond introducing the absolute basics of coding early on (and without a screen), students can then progress to one of the most basic forms of coding, which you might know as Blockly. So many robotics tools incorporate the Blockly coding language along with their corresponding programming environment. In fact, the Ozobot Evo, Root Robot, Edison Robot, and Dash Robot are among the most popular elementary robotics tools. These help children build on coding and technology knowledge as they prepare for the next step—text programming. In text coding, they can use tools like the databot 2.0, NAO Robot, and most of the others we've mentioned. And, through these experiences, they can develop STEM skills in a tangible way while using robotics tools to do so.
Back in 2016, flood waters destroyed much of their school’s Louisiana campus and they were forced to start over in a number of ways. After feeling tons of support from their community, however, the students of LPPS came together under the leadership of Nikki Lavergne to redesign their learning experiences and redesign their futures.
As an up-to-date reseller of innovative educational technologies, we’re always searching the world and working our contacts in order to get the latest and greatest STEM tools up on our store. Honestly, if you visit our site one day and come back a week later, there’s a good chance that you’ll be able to find something new!
You know us. No project is too big for our team. We’re in the process of discovering just how true this is and how far this kind of attitude can take us. Recently, we teamed up with a midwestern chapter of the Boys & Girls Club to help them secure STEM tools for launching a brand-new makerspace this coming fall.
Collaboration and coding…two of the most critical skills for students to develop and two of the most crucial challenges teachers face when building curricula. But, don’t worry, there’s an app for that. And a robot. And a few fully stocked classroom kits. Using the Ozobot Bit or Evo Classroom Kits, educators can empower up to 36 students to code.
With this charismatic robot and accompanying app, students can play games, chat, control, and program the Cue in Blockly or JavaScript. They can even pick one of four avatars to represent and track their progress: Charge, Zest, Smirk, and Pep! Each avatar is preprogrammed with unique personalities, expressions, and interactions.
In this week’s Eduporium Experiment, we are taking a deeper look at Stikbot and its potential to enrich hands-on education in the early grades. Besides being an entertaining, posable toy that allows kids to use stop motion animation anywhere, it’s also a great way for them to learn to work in small groups, problem solve, and more.
As the summer ends, you probably don’t need us to tell you all this but it’s buying time for classroom teachers, STEM professionals, and many school technology directors. To help move this process along and make it as easy and affordable as possible for you, we’ve created a bit of our own EdTech glossary to help you find what you
If you’ve heard of the Dash Robot from Wonder Workshop, you’ve most likely heard of the Dot! Small but mighty, the Dot is a responsive and interactive robot designed for students aged six and up. Though it may not be quite as popular as the Dash because it lacks its own motors, the Dot is still a great tool for
Cubelets and STEM education just kind of go together. Already awesome at exposing super young students to engineering and programming, the addition of the Cubelets Classroom Packs have added a renewed focus on collaboration! All their kits allow educators to combine coding and engineering in the classroom.
The GoPiGo build-your-own robotics kits are top of the line. They are powered by a Raspberry Pi and come in wide ranges of sizes to fit all needs and accommodate various classroom setups. The Base Kit is the smallest and perfect for any students who have used a Raspberry Pi, whereas the Starter Kit is for those who want to
