Educational leaders and school librarians routinely team up on repurposing traditional library rooms into versatile, multi-purpose facilities. There are so many benefits to this but it’s often largely tied to the importance of STEAM education and popularity of various makerspace kits. So, this week, we are exploring some top STEM supplies that also double as library supplies.
The Marty V2 is ideal for students in Grades K-8 since they can easily build their bots themselves. This helps teachers incorporate in-class engineering experiences as well as enabling children to better connect their heads and hands throughout that building process. Once it is built, students can then explore opportunities for different types of coding with this compact robot.
Eduporium’s co-founder, president, and CEO, Richard Fredkin, never really had what many tech executives would consider as a traditional start in the industry. That’s fine with him, however, since he’s found himself in a place that not too many other Black men have found themselves: in the leading role at a technology company. Learn more about his unique start inside.
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.
We’re kicking off our new Teacher Talk blog series by sharing this interview with Lisa Blais, a fifth grade science and math teacher in the Boston Public School system. Lisa has plenty of awesome insights on the accessibility of STEAM education, how she enhances activities she uses in her classroom, and how learning in the science subjects can help kids build crucial skills.
Starting with teaching skills like creative problem solving, persistence, and collaboration, merging these two key elements of education can really help students learn to enjoy the productive struggles they’ll likely face in a tech-driven world. So, we’re exploring how teachers can combine SEL, EdTech, and the right attitudes to help kids become well-rounded problem solvers.
Whether they prefer the Glowforge Pro or the Glowforge Plus laser printer, students can quickly translate digital designs into tangible inventions while bringing their ideas to life. They could print on paper, fabric, hardwood, tile, metal, glass, leather, plywood, cardboard, or even food using these unique machines and the large library of classroom-friendly Glowforge projects.
Though technologies like mixed reality, VR, and AR may initially have been for entertainment or gaming, it didn’t take long to realize that they can also impact education—especially by helping today’s teachers more effectively engage and excite students. So, this week, let’s explore the different forms of immersive technology and how they can help enhance STEM learning.
Social-emotional learning is a process—and it’s arguably one that students never truly complete. Educators can, however, always help kids strengthen key emotional competencies and hands-on experiences in their classroom can play a large role, especially when they take part in STEAM or MakerEd initiatives that help them connect to their projects on an emotional level.
Besides opportunities to participate in something they are truly passionate about, kids can also learn more about things like how esports has become this popular and some of its potential benefits and drawbacks. Also, some of the cons of esports in schools might be fairly obvious but in connecting them to their own personal experiences, students can learn a lot.
