Alarmingly, just one in 10 American schools offer regular computer science classes in their curricula. If I could pick just one word to describe that trend, it might have to be ‘disconnect.’ It doesn’t make any sense, you see, because jobs involving computer science skills are being created four or five times as fast as qualified graduates can fill them.
For those (like me) who can’t help but feel a little bit intimidated by a tool like the Arduino, we may have found you a way to get past those fears. The DFRobot Beginner Kit combines all the power of the Arduino software with unmatched simplicity as it perfectly teaches students in grades six and up the basics of programming.
The JD Humanoid perfectly combines all the characteristics you could want in a STEM learning tool and it’s perfect for quick classroom lessons or group projects. One of three EZ-Robot models, the JD helps kids excel at learning programming basics through the simplicity built into the ez-builder software—and, trust me, it doesn’t get much easier!
If you watched the Olympics, you noticed a major difference in how the athletes competed relative to even just a few years ago. The revolutions in sports technology are astounding and, more impressively, still in their infancy. It’s a testament to both the advances in STEM innovations and the desire of athletes, coaches and team owners wanting to succeed.
Back in December, President Obama proposed and helped pass this Every Student Succeeds Act. A more modern version of the No Child Left Behind initiative, the ESSA will aim to ensure that every K-12 student in the United States has equal access to the latest and greatest in learning opportunities and crucial STEM tools every time they step in the classroom.
If you’re a STEM-minded teacher and believe your students might benefit from being introduced to programming, you might be right. Students with programming skills—however basic they may be—are able to navigate a wealth of quality opportunities from internships to future employment gigs because this is one of the most important skills employers are looking for.
We think that everyday should be code day—at least in today’s K-12 schools. It is, however, Code Day in our hometown of Boston—actually Code Weekend if you want to get official as educators and makers around the area are celebrating the power of coding this Saturday and Sunday. And, we’re celebrating with them thanks to our Code Day Sale!
Without moms, there wouldn’t be any future-ready kids poised to take on the world thanks to an all-encompassing STEM education. Just like how mothers help them in life, EdTech helps kids grow in school and shapes them to be the learners that mom knows they can. And, believe it or not, there are some connections between robots and the things moms do.
They couldn’t wait to get started and rushed to open the boxes we had received from Eduporium—an educator’s dream for one-stop shopping and the latest STEM classroom technology! We must say that some of the facilitators entered the Makey Makey activity with some trepidation, however, most were curious and excited to explore the possibilities!
We’re sad that this year’s National Robotics Week celebration is nearing its end but that does not mean that learning with robotics needs to! If you ask us, robotics in every classroom should be a year-round thing—after school and even during the summer—not just one week in April! We’ll try to share some ideas for achieving this and starting up the excitement for next year!
