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! We do this because we want our customers—most of whom are K-12 teachers—to have access to the cutting-edge when it comes to STEM tools. Finding what works best is different for every educator, but, in this week’s post, we’re going to highlight five of the newest technologies on our store and give you some insight into why we’re so excited about them.
NAO Robot V6
When we talk about adding new technologies to our store, we’re really serious about it. The sixth version of the super smart humanoid robot known as NAO is still only available for pre-order, but there aren’t too many places you can get it in the US besides our site. We have been advocates of the NAO Robot for use in high school and college classrooms for a couple of years now and this new version of the product is a significant improvement. We’re seeing a lot of our contacts from college programs become very interested in NAO very quickly because it can be used by computer science majors to study artificial intelligence, programming, and robotic movement among other benefits. And, of course, it’s fantastic in special education as well. Thanks to its friendly face, soothing voice, and calming presence, the new version of NAO continues to offer aid to teachers of Autistic children.
The sixth generation of the incredibly intuitive and endlessly powerful NAO Robot is created to enable unique human-robot interaction. It’s the most advanced humanoid in both educational and workforce environments and its applications for teaching coding and programming are endless! In the classroom, the V6 is viable in a number of ways—from teaching coding and programming to bringing literature to life, enhancing special education, and allowing for interactive training simulations. NAO’s advanced development platform provides cutting-edge chances for kids to sharpen their concentration, encourage STEM creativity, learn programming, boost problem-solving skills, promote inclusivity, and unlock barrier-free communication. Plus, its efficient educational solutions also include an intuitive programming interface, options for remote learning, and various ready-to-use applications that make it 100 percent accessible!
With numerous upgrades, the NAO V6 is outfitted with the absolute latest in robotics technology. Its motherboard boasts 4 GB of RAM, a Quad Core CPU, and 32 GB of SSD HD while its on-board camera includes autofocus, a 68.2 DFOV field of view, and 30 CM-infinity focus range. The V6 also includes improved audio functions, including omnidirectional microphones and a loudspeaker as well as new motors with a lifetime improvement. With a faster boot time of 51 seconds, system upgrade time of under five minutes, Wi-Fi that’s up to 10 times better than the V5, and Ethernet performance four times faster than the V5, this new model is poised to perfect robotics in any classroom! Speaking of faster, the V6’s CPU is twice as effective as the V5 and its RAM is five times more effective than the V5!
MakerBot Lab Bundle
One of the reasons that educators tend to shy away from bringing 3D printing into their classrooms is due to the perceived headaches throughout the buying and installation process. It’s true that if they don’t research 3D printers thoroughly enough or don’t know what it is they’re trying to achieve that finding the right 3D printer can be a challenge. With MakerBot’s printers, you already know, however, that you’re getting printers with the best quality and some that are easily integrated in a classroom or makerspace. Now they’ve introduced their Starter Lab Bundles as well and they’re here to make educational 3D printing even easier to implement. They’re called ‘Lab’ bundles for a reason and that’s because they come with everything teachers would need to create an innovative 3D printing lab in their school, library, or makerspace.
The MakerBot Lab Bundles come in three different options for educators and all that differs among the three is the protection plan that’s included. Teachers can buy the Lab Bundle with one, two, or three years of MakerCare Preferred Protection and there is about a $5,500 price difference between the labs with one year of protection and the one that offers three years. Each of the three lab options comes with 10 MakerBot 3D printers—six MakerBot Replicator’s, two Replicator Mini’s, and two MakerBot Z18’s. They also each come with MakerBot Print and MakerBot Mobile—two of MakerBot’s 3D printing software programs as well as 10 10-packs of PLA filament. To top it all off, the bundles also include smart extruders for all of the printers, two carts, and a pack of Z18 plate tape—now that’s how they’ve made their bundles so appealing!
Whether it's your first time designing a makerspace or you're looking to overhaul your current spot, you're in luck. It's never been easier to get everything you need to unleash some awesome 3D printing innovation. Available in three different options, MakerBot's Starter Lab Bundles come with 10 3D printers (three unique models), 10 10-packs of filament, 10 smart extruders, and two carts. And, we're not even talking about the real-world opportunities for excitement and innovation. These bundles take just about all the hassle out of implementing a 3D printing culture in your school. With the wider needs of both teachers and students in mind, MakerBot has created kits designed for easy in-school setup and classroom use. They're reliable, fast, and include a bunch of free lessons and inspiration for teachers. Head to the 3D printing section of our store to shop!
Cubetto Bundles
Like many of the tech tools on our store, Cubetto is one we’ve had around for a while. And, like so many others, it’s one that keeps being updated. Its creators at Primo Toys built a coding tool in the original Cubetto Playset that is incredibly great at introducing coding to children who are as young as three years old. The simplistic design and opportunities for interactivity have made it a truly viable teaching tool and one that we routinely recommend. The concept is this: The wooden robot receives cues from directional blocks that children insert into its top surface. These blocks tell it which direction to move, so they can create a pattern of straight, left, straight, right, for example. There’s also a function block, however, which tells the robot to perform a function (left, straight, left, for example) when it detects that block, providing kids with an early look at very basic coding.
Since the release of the Cubetto Playset, Primo has complemented this product by releasing the Cubetto Deluxe Playset, Playsets with different themes, and other various add-ons. The add-ons include different map styles for Cubetto to navigate, like a Swarmy Swamp or Polar Expedition, giving kids a learning experience that’s tailored to their interests. Then, Primo has also created additional packs of both logic and direction blocks for parents or teachers who lose theirs or just want to add some more. Basically, what we’re getting at is that, since the original release of Cubetto, there have been a lot of additions made to complement this Early Ed coding tool in the classroom, making it more conducive to teaching programming in preschool and helping provide educators with a more efficient teaching experience.
Now, for the latest and greatest release by Primo. They’ve released their own versions of classroom packs in sets of four, eight, and 12 Playsets. With our fascination with classroom packs and faith that they make technology integration easy for educators, we got them up on our store as quickly as possible. It’s the same Cubetto Playsets in each bundle, but they come in three different sizes: The Classroom Bundle includes four Playsets, the STEM Bundle includes eight, and the School Bundle includes 12—enough for outfitting an entire preschool with this educational tool. Not only do you get the Playsets in these bundles, but they already come with all of the add-ons, too, so there’s no need to purchase those separately. To bring beginner-level coding to students in preschool, visit our store and apply an Educator Discount!
HTC Vive Pro
If you’ve been on our store before, you’ve probably noticed we’re fans of virtual reality. We have a whole section dedicated to it and the best headsets and systems that can be used in the classroom. Among those systems are the Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, Google Expeditions, Gear VR and more, but we just got a pair of new products on there as well. We recently added the HTC Vive Pro headset and Full Kit to our offerings with an Educator Discount available for teachers. Like some of the other headsets on our store, the Vive Pro comes with just the headset or as part of a slightly larger bundle, also including the base station and handheld controllers. And, like some of the other VR solutions, the educational content is evolving and incredible.
The Vive Pro headset includes incredible educational innovations in a compact and affordable package. Leading the way among those impressive innovations are enhanced graphics, real-life movement, and immersive audio. The super-rich colors and display provide unbelievably sharp details while the Pro’s 360-degree controller and headset tracking covers movements down to the millimeter from the floor to the ceiling. Its sound capabilities allow students to truly feel sound rather than just hear it as they navigate previously unreachable terrains, scenes, and environments in their seated or standing playspace as big as 20 X 20 feet. Plus, the Vive Pro glasses come with a 6-month trial of the HTC Viveport subscription and chaperone technology so educators can monitor the VR content students consume.
Technically speaking, the Vive Pro truly serves as VR for everyone, creating unprecedented presence with high-resolution graphics and 3D spatial audio. To use the Vive Pro in the classroom, technical requirements include an Nvidia GTX 1060/AMD Radeon RX 480 equivalent or greater, an Intel Core i5-4590 equivalent or greater, four or more GB of RAM, a DisplayPort v1.2, a USB-A 3.1 port, and Windows 8 or 8.1. For the room-scale technology to be effective, students need a minimum area of 2 meters by 1.5 meters and the maximum area that can be used is 6 meters by 6 meters. For standing or seated exploration, there are no minimum space requirements. Some of the other features included in the Vive Pro are built-in audio, a built-in microphone, and the SteamVR and Viveport platforms, making VR integration in the classroom as easy as possible!
LulzBot Mini 2
Our final new product recommendation is also a name that we’ve had on our store before. LulzBot has created powerful 3D printers that have been used in various STEM industries to help workers accomplish some pretty amazing things. They’ve been used in education, too, with both a full-sized and a mini model. Now, there’s a new Mini on the block. The LulzBot Mini 2 is now available and a very dependable option for educators. One of the most significant reasons it’s so appealing is because of its size. That’s right— it’s not called ‘mini’ for no reason as it easily fits in any learning space. Plus, it also comes fitted with a number of useful upgrades both internally and externally and a faster printing experience for students who are committed to bringing their creative ideas to life.
Due to its compact size, the LulzBot Mini is easily transportable and perfect for use in education. Among the improvements made to the Mini 2 are a faster load time, an updated interface, and a number of new slicing options. One thing remains the same, however, and that is that the LulzBot software is still free and open source. It also includes hundreds of print profiles that can be used with LulzBot printers. Compared to other LulzBot models, the Mini 2 is definitely more of a desktop-friendly printer. Despite its smaller size, however, it’s still perfectly capable of empowering students to manufacture just about any STEM project. It’s not too expensive, either—coming in right at $1,500.
In terms of tech specs, the Mini 2 features an on-board LCD screen with an SD card reader, which allows the printer to function independently without needing a connection to a computer. Some of its additional upgrades include what they refer to as a belt-driven Z-axis for greater efficiency, an Aerostruder tool head, and an Einsey Rambo controller with stepper motor drivers and a 40-watt heater cartridge. If you’re like us and don’t quite understand what that means, just know that those are some nice improvements. Think of it as upgrades to the printer’s brain. Finally, the Mini 2 also includes a modular print bed system, which is an upgrade over the standard LulzBot heated build plates, and it has a lighter and faster tool head for greater precision. To get a LulzBot Mini 2 for your school, head to the Eduporium store.
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