The Ozobot Bit Robot was a longtime go-to STEM solution for teaching all about coding, robotics, computational thinking, and problem solving. Now that the Bit has been retired for a few years, however, you may want to try to upgrade. Its successor, the Ozobot Evo, continues to enable educators to teach CS lessons with its significant upgrades, like Bluetooth capability.
There are typically two primary options for younger kids (or older students) to get started with coding: either physical tools or digital tools. Most of our expertise involves the physical coding tools, including educational robotics kits, circuitry solutions, or even programmable drones. Especially following the remote learning era, however, there are also strictly virtual platforms.
Similar in both appearance and functionality to the original Root Robot, the Root rt0 allows educators to deliver hands-on STEAM experiences that are practical and relevant. And, although they do look similar, there are several key differences teachers should know. Once you are up to speed, however, it’s a fantastic addition to coding lessons throughout the K–12 grades.
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.
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.
The Dash Robot is one of the most recognizable and effective STEM tools available to tech educators. Its friendly face, bright blue surface, and value in coding education help make it a go-to option in classrooms, STEM labs, and makerspaces in countless elementary schools. And, with plenty of fun coding features, teacher-friendly resources, and more, it’s easy to see why.
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.
As Black History Month comes to a close, we are excited to be highlighting a group of our generation’s most remarkable African American women and men who’ve made impactful contributions and advancements in the STEM world. Plus, we’re celebrating one of our founders and CEO, Rick Fredkin, who’s led our growth into a leading EdTech provider and a certified MBE.
Students can program with their Evo in two unique ways: screen-free using color codes, markers, and paper or using the OzoBlockly environment on a device. Plus, for STEAM teachers, the Ozobot Classroom LMS offers them an incredibly smooth instructional experience and it’s super helpful when it comes to tracking student progress and monitoring their assignments.
