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.
Coding has become much more prevalent and accessible throughout K–12 education—helping to make it less scary for a lot of students and teachers. Though it has endless applications in today’s professions, learning to code has also probably never been quite as simple. Thanks largely to classroom robots, adults, teens, and children can learn new coding skills every day.
After its impressive streak as the most advanced humanoid from Softbank Robotics, the NAO V6 has a successor. Still pretty new to the STEM scene, the NAO V6 AI Edition is packed with amazing features and new modes for your students to explore. Whether using the presenter mode, conversation mode, or coding in C++, C#, Python, or Java, it’s perfect for STEM or CTE.
For anyone who isn’t familiar with the Dash Robot, Tim started with a brief introduction. For its cost, the Dash is extremely high-tech, durable, and it’s built with a strong battery life. Elementary educators can use it across their STEAM lessons for up to three hours on a single charge, covering multiple class periods and incorporating SEL. Watch the full replay to learn more.
Teachers could use Blockly coding to teach kids about inputs and outputs on a very basic level before progressing to various, more advanced coding concepts, like loops and logic. Best of all, there are a bunch of great STEM tools for introducing kids to Blockly programming, like the Dash Robot, the Ozobot Evo, Finch Robot 2.0, Edison Robot, and the Tello EDU drone.
Coding with the Bee-Bot Emulator works just like programming your actual Bee-Bot Robot but is completely separate from the main Bee-Bot app. The digital platform even displays the directional buttons in the same ways and plays the same sounds to help create familiarity and continuity for children. Plus, the emulator is accessible online without downloads or installations.
The Finch 2.0 and its range of classroom-friendly features help teachers to create more accessible STEM experiences for students who might learn in different ways. There’s also a huge range of options for using the Finch 2.0 to introduce children to coding. Starting in kindergarten with FinchBlox and up through high school with Java, the Finch 2.0 helps provide lots of value.
In afterschool programs, educators enjoy more freedom to introduce ideas they might not have time to work into a regular lesson plan. For our newest Teacher Talk, I chatted with Mallory Davis, a curriculum director who works with afterschool programs. We had a wonderful conversation about how to integrate STEAM and SEL and the benefits of afterschool STEM education.
As education evolves, so do the methods of enriching students’ classroom experiences. For example, gamifying learning can help boost engagement, coding prepares students for the future, and multimedia tools help enliven instruction. Plus, they all challenge kids to apply what they’ve learned. So, we compiled the best supplementary websites for your teaching toolbox.
Robotics tools, in particular, are very valuable in K–12 classrooms because of the various sets of skills children can gain when coding with them. Most notably, teachers could introduce a variety of programming languages, like Scratch, Blockly, JavaScript, Swift, Python, and others—helping kids build a foundation for both their creative and technological development.
When using the SAM Labs kits in your classroom, the wireless setup helps make everything easier to integrate. With the SAM Labs projects, students can apply logic, reasoning, design thinking, and computational thinking as they build inventions and, not only are they great for coding in elementary school, each kit is also great for makerspaces and afterschool activities.
