In this webinar, we joined our friends from BirdBrain Technologies for a quick and in-depth broadcast that includes tons of information about how these solutions often help educators positively impact both STEAM instruction and SEL initiatives. It was led by Sarah FitzHenry and Jenna Kindler, two of BirdBrain’s Learning Community Managers and veterans of robotics education. The pair hosted a fantastic presentation on how BirdBrain’s Finch 2.0 and Hummingbird Robotics solutions can help inspire creative problem solving and spark real-world connections for students across all grade levels. Their robots, project guides, and teacher materials truly do help ensure computer science education is for everybody, which you can see in the slide deck from the presentation below.
The duo began by discussing the history of BirdBrain Technologies, including why they got started. When it came down to it, some members of their founding team determined that they needed to attempt everything they could to begin addressing adverse gender gaps in STEM, robotics, and computer science, leading to the launch of BirdBrain. Everything they do is rooted in research, and they have even received funding from the National Science Foundation and Carnegie Mellon University, where everything first began. Collectively, their goal is reaching every student in every classroom and supporting teachers with resources that always will be free. They’re certainly living up to that mission of inspiring joy and deep learning with robotics tools.
Using these tools beyond STEAM education
If you haven't seen the broadcast or want to relive the excellent presentation, the full replay is below. We’ll cover the highlights, including how the BirdBrain materials align to standards and offer a low floor and high ceiling. This means these robotics kits are equally valuable for true beginners and borderline experts. When using the Finch and Hummingbird robots, educators also have the freedom to make their lessons as simple or as complex as they want them to be. They also help teachers facilitate truly interdisciplinary learning and help them break common stereotypes. Check out the full replay for more!
What makes each robotics solution appealing are those opportunities for educators in all grades to inspire creative collaboration among students. They can also teach outside-the-box thinking, model patience and persistence, and, more importantly, embody inclusion in STEAM learning. And, these robots are made for longevity. The BirdBrain team takes pride in creating small-budget robots that can make a big impact. The Finch 2.0, in particular, resulted from input and about 15 years of teacher feedback. It’s extremely versatile, lasts for over seven hours on one charge, and includes over 30 activities. Then, using the Hummingbird Bit, students truly get a tool to maximize creativity. It comes with its ‘gut’ (a micro:bit) and kids can essentially design its entire body using craft materials and whatever else they can build. It fits in every classroom and every subject and helps kids explore the content, the making process, and design concepts up close.
Activities for the BirdBrain robots
As for using the BirdBrain robots in social-emotional learning, there's very close connections to the five pillars of SEL. When it comes to combining STEAM and SEL, robotics, in particular, presents a very viable classroom option. Students can work on self-awareness by sharing passions and designing projects about themselves, which often makes them feel more comfortable. Robotics tools also help instructors calm kids down and get them ready to learn—an aspect of SEL called self-regulation. Plus, since the robots are great for storytelling exercises, students often find it easy to draw social-emotional connections and bolster their relationships. Finally, they could use the Finch or Hummingbird kits to better understand point of view, see situations from the eyes of others, and, through super unique projects, gain empathy and knowledge into what others truly need.
Hummingbird Activities List
Finch Robot Activities List
Hummingbird PD Courses
Facebook Community
Finch PD Courses
Sarah and Jenna also talked a bit about using pandemic relief funds in areas such as addressing learning loss, enriching afterschool offerings, and stabilizing that all-important social-emotional health for today's students. You guessed it—robotics will potentially play a huge role in this. That's due, in large part, to how it can really ramp up student engagement. To learn more about that, check out the recording! Once again, thank you to Sarah and Jenna for the presentation and thank you to all the educators who joined. Follow us on X and Instagram for more.
