Coding is, of course, a hugely important area of 21st century education. Whether they're as young as Pre-K or ready to enter college, coding is extremely relevant to almost every student's future. Thankfully, millions of educators and administrators realize the importance of teaching kids to code. Whether it's a curricular requirement or part of an informal school club, programming experiences are amazingly valuable for students. There's also plenty of options, so educators can find something without complicated or pricey features. In this section, you'll see a lot of different topics related to K-12 coding. These include features on particular STEM tools, insights on coding integration, skills students can develop and more. There's also something for teachers of all grade levels. Whether you teach the early grades or have students with the foundation to take the next step, you'll find helpful resources for teaching coding in the classroom.
We spoke with Albert Lewis! Albert works with students in the 4-H Youth Development Program as part of the University of Maryland Extension in Baltimore City. He loves using STEM to connect with the students he works with and, even in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, he’s helped them find creative ways of using technology in their learning.
The databot is a small, programmable robot outfitted with an array of built-in sensors that are constantly capturing real-world data. Students can use this data to create programs for the small, cube-like databot to execute. It works with the Google Science Journal platform, but the databot Robot is also compatible with another powerful STEAM tool: the Sphero RVR!
For the month of May, the award has been given to Jessica Herr, a teacher at the TC McSwain Elementary School in Staunton, Virginia! With the STEAM tools she’ll be receiving from us, Jessica has a pretty amazing project planned—one that involves drones, coding, bees, and plenty of collaboration for students.
Jasmine teaches all subjects, so this allows her to create some pretty fun, cross-curricular lessons. These types of lessons make it possible for her to teach her students all about interesting and relevant subject area content while also introducing them to the world of computer science and coding—and some of her favorite tools to use are the Dash, Dot, and Cue!
The GiggleBot is a robot that’s powered by the micro:bit V2 and perfect for the classroom, makerspace, and remote learning. If you’re familiar with the micro:bit, this little computer is truly able to help educators expand coding education and, when paired with this device, the GiggleBot system brings coding to life for curious elementary and middle school students!
Starting in early elementary, students can use the Root Robot to try block coding, move onto hybrid coding in upper elementary and middle school, and then use it to learn text coding in upper middle and high school. Since teachers and students now find themselves navigating remote learning, its newest features help make the Root even more appealing.
In case you missed it, the shift with the former STEAM supplier, littleBits, to Sphero now seemingly came full circle. Last week, social media posts from all of the former littleBits channels indicated that everything would soon be moving over to the Sphero channels and, a little bit earlier this week, that’s exactly what we saw happen as this merger continues to unfold.
We’re ramping up our Eduporium Featured Educator series to share more accomplishments from teachers, librarians, makerspace leaders, and others! For this post, we’re excited to introduce Sharon Clark, whose made great use of technology in her instruction as a STEAM teacher, using it to help teach both real-world and soft skills.
While much of teaching and learning is now taking place outside of the typical classroom setting, Wonder Workshop has remained committed to creating solutions that are easy to access, learner centric, engaging, trackable, and provide parents with the knowledge and tools to assist their children while learning at home. Learn about the virtual Dash here!
Teachers miss their students. Graduations and proms have been cancelled. Most students already know they won’t be in a school again until (at least) the fall. It’s seriously strange, but, like all of us, we’re trying to make this period of time as normal and productive as possible. That’s why we’re very excited to share more about what they’ve been up to
