When it first showed up on the education scene a few years ago, the micro:bit became an instant favorite among STEAM teachers around the world thanks to its pocket-sized portability and simplicity when it came to teaching coding. Now the micro:bit V2 is ready to make its own impact on STEAM education.
Jonathan Long is a middle school STEM teacher in the Eastern Lancaster County (PA) School District and a huge fan of using technology in instruction. He’s used some different EdTech tools in the past and we’re excited to be able to provide him with a new one to try—the databot. Read on to learn more about him and his STEM plans.
Coding skills can be learned at a very young age and kids can progress through the different types of programming using age-appropriate tools, which makes it more feasible. We advocate for coding kits in education all the time, but the subject of this week’s Rising Resources blog is a slightly different option. This week, we explore Grasshopper.
The GiggleBot is the main component of this micro:bit-powered robot and construction kit. It boasts a variety of programmable features, including its brightness sensor, LEDs, motors, and a line following device. Children can assemble it in as little as five minutes and it includes everything that they’ll need—just connect the batteries, micro:bit, and wheels to get started!
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.
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.
Students—particularly those who love trying new, STEAM-related activities or experiments—might be looking for any new things to try at home by this point in time. Well, if they do, in fact, enjoy STEAM, there’s a great new tool they can try with any computer. The SpaceX team has created this docking simulation tool that anybody can use to practice landing skills from home.
For this past month, we are happy to present this award to Ed Mondragon, who runs the CTE department with the Granite School District in Salt Lake City, Utah! Like so many educators, Ed is now searching for ways to make remote learning as meaningful as possible for each of his students and for all the committed teachers he works with as well.
With so much data filling our world—and the immediate environments around us—it can be hard to conceptualize just how much there is to explore. With the databot, students can do just that. This tiny cube fits in the palms of their hands and helps them explore the hidden world of data in an incredibly powerful way using a dozen on-board sensors!
For a limited time, we’re excited to be able to offer some of the best Wonder Workshop robotics kits at discounted prices for educators. Among the featured items include classroom kits for teaching with both the Dash and Cue with savings as high as 20 percent! Overall, 10 of the Wonder Workshop kits are being discounted, but only for a limited time.
