For educators, especially those who may be new to technology and STEM in general, the Makey Makey is an excellent starting point for your lessons. Besides immediately recognizing its catchy name, the Makey Makey is an extremely appealing teaching tool that boosts engagement and maximizes instruction. What does it help you teach? Just about anything you want.
The simplistic MakeDo construction system is loved by many and it serves as a super valuable STEAM tool in and out of the classroom. It’s essentially a collection of replica construction tools, like screws, screwdrivers, and the saw, that kids can use for building with cardboard. They’re totally reusable, too, which helps kids learn the importance of repurposing and upcycling.
Students could use the Narrator AR app on tablets and mobile phones and it is available on both the iOS app store and Google Play store. Drawing on the immersive power of AR, this platform helps teachers to create a unique and engaging experience as kids will see the words, letters, and sentences literally jump off the screen and start to recognize the right formations.
Coding and arts education may not seem like they truly align all that much but, thanks specifically to the versatile Hummingbird Robot from BirdBrain, students can certainly combine them through impactful projects. Plus, with the fully capable Finch Robot 2.0, children in all K-12 grades can code and create with ease. And, there’s highly effective PD tools for teachers, too!
Sometimes, makers simply feel completely inspired to bring STEM projects to another level. Oftentimes, 3D design and creation fit right into facilitating such experiences for students of all ages but those who’ve mastered some of the basics tend to crave new challenges. And, that’s perfectly fine since, as we’ll learn, the 3Doodler PRO+ pen provides that extra power.
MakerEd is a technological and creative learning revolution that centers on a pedagogy designed to help children bolster significant skills like decision making, responsibility, relationship management, community engagement, creative thinking, problem solving, teamwork, and more through hands-on projects that create connections between their heads, hearts, and hands.
Students can use the Root rt0 without any prior coding experience or prior experience using their standard Root model. The rt0 is compatible with the iRobot Coding app, which students can access on iOS or Android devices as well as others. There’s also the online iRobot Code platform, which kids can use to practice programming without a physical robot.
We all know that today’s children have grown up using technology and that too many of these young kids log countless hours of simply playing games or streaming video content on their devices. Some say this is stunting their development while others say the stimulation is beneficial. Though there is truth to each, the education-focused content is most valuable in EarlyEd.
BlocksCAD is a tool that allows students to use blocks of code to engineer completely digital designs while they work on building their tech, invention, and other crucial STEM literacies. Educators can use BlocksCAD to shape an entire class or unit or to supplement existing instruction and sign up for the plan that’s best for what both them and their students need to thrive.
If you haven’t seen the full broadcast or you want to revisit some of the key topics we covered in the presentation, the full replay is still available. Some of the highlights include how the BirdBrain materials align to standards and offer a low floor and high ceiling for STEM education. As for leveraging the robots in SEL, we also discuss their close connections to those five pillars.
