Computer science remains an integral element of STEM education and, these days, of K-12 education as a whole. With so many connections to current or future career opportunities, learning computer science skills can unlock various professional benefits for today's students. Because much of computer science ties in to the STEM economy in so many ways, it truly began to boom in high schools over the last couple decades. Now, however, students are starting to get a taste of it as early as kindergarten. With that foundation, they can continue learning new and more intricate skills throughout elementary and middle school. This helps put them in a prime position to learn the more advanced skills and coding languages in high school. With hands-on coding experiences serving as a driving introductory force to learning computer science, tons of students continue to benefit.
It's truly possible to incorporate a computer science curriculum at all levels of education. Even if experiences happen only after school, kids of any ages could partake. As early on as kindergarten, children can explore screen-free coding and develop foundational CS skills with tools like the Cubetto Robot or Bee-Bot. And, moving into early elementary school, they can dive into digital coding with block-based challenges. This introduces them to some more important elements of computer science and includes robust solutions they can try in classrooms. Among them are the Ozobot Evo, Dash Robot, Root Robot, and tons of others. Then, in middle school, they could explore graphical coding further or get into text-based coding. Using tools like the Edison Robot, Finch 2.0, Marty V2, or others, they can try more. Then, they'll be ready for full text code in high school with the NAO AI, databot 2.0, or others.
Using the NAO Robot V6 to teach programming in middle or high school is very effective and it is also very valuable in helping educators connect with students who may learn differently. For these reasons (and more), the NAO V6 is great for helping both K–12 and higher education instructors facilitate innovative and high-quality STEM-based learning opportunities.
Among other updates to the databot 2.0, it has a more powerful processor, a drag-and-drop coding platform, and some new links to machine learning. Robert gave a super informative overview of the databot 2.0 and we could definitely feel that excitement from the educators in attendance—many of whom immediately saw educational value in this data collection tool.
CodeMonkey is a super dynamic platform for kids, parents, and educators who have any amount of prior programming experience to develop critical coding and STEM skills. With interactive games on a variety of relevant CS topics, a wealth of teaching resources, and its cool program-sharing social feature, CodeMonkey makes the perfect addition to any STEM classroom.
When it comes to both programming and power, the Tuff–Bot is among the most powerful educational robotics tools. It has four oversized wheels with high-quality tread that allow it to travel over a variety of indoor and outdoor surfaces. And, though it is similar to the Bee–Bot and Blue–Bot Robots, a key difference is that students can create much more precise programs.
Since it’s a Scratch-compatible robot, the Marty V2 is super accessible for students with different CS experience levels. Scratch is a graphical coding language, which means your students don’t necessarily need to have prior experience with coding to program their Marty. Then, there’s its Scratch Jr. and Python compatibility—making the Marty V2 viable in all K-8 grades.
Students can access the RepLit coding platform directly from the browsers they prefer. It is free, intuitive, and helps unlock collaborative programming projects in real time. With efficiency a top priority, there’s no setup process required to use RepLit and all students need is a computer or laptop along with an Internet connection to start exploring real text coding.
Python is an open language that’s perfect for both first-time programmers and students who have experience, empowering them to broaden their CS knowledge and abilities. It’s completely text-based and often described as a general-purpose language that’s used primarily in web development, app generation, scientific computing, and in creating graphical interfaces.
Ready to fly into STEAM classrooms as the next huge thing in educational drones, the RoboMaster TT packs a pretty big punch. Kids can program it in a variety of coding languages and it comes with additional tech features that help to make it valuable throughout middle, high school, and even up into higher education. So, let’s take a look at what makes it a great option.
Throughout 2022, we’ve hosted an Eduporium webinar series and focused on some of the newer technologies we offer. In this series, we collaborated with a few of our manufacturer partners, who each certainly shared helpful insights on their classroom tech solutions. Head inside to learn more about four of our newer teacher tools for advancing STEM learning opportunities.
A large percentage of parents and K–12 teachers are aware that computer science and STEM education can impact children starting at a very young age. They may not, however, have all the key information when it comes to how to facilitate these learning experiences. From kindergarten up through high school, these robotics tools help kids progressively develop CS skills.