With real improvements to availability, value, reliability, and effectiveness in today’s STEM tools for students, it might be easy to make purchases from the first store you find. Over the years, however, we like to think that we’ve created a very unique shopping experience for teachers and want to make sure you’re aware of the benefits of buying EdTech tools from a reseller.
STEM and STEAM education, understandably, have plenty in common and educators can use some similar tools and strategies while they’re teaching both. To start, STEAM education involves opportunities for students to add more artistry and creativity to these projects and, by moving from STEM to STEAM, they can learn to display their knowledge using new techniques.
One of the best things about school makerspaces is that so many different events can foster productive learning experiences. Since maker learning is so closely connected to 21st century development, MakerEd activities and exploration remain popular with both students and teachers. So, if you are looking to start a makerspace in your school, what are key things to know?
The EdCreate Expansion Kit for enhancing Edison Robot STEAM projects helps students focus on construction with its 115 building parts, including blocks, gears, wheels, pegs, and more that are each compatible with both the Edison and LEGOs. The kit also includes classroom project guides and instructional videos that show students how to construct the five EdBuilds.
So many factors go into how education leaders ensure students are ready for the real world and, often, it involves STEM. Factors like technology, the economy, emerging careers, and the state of the workforce each continue to affect how teachers introduce students to STEM. And, as of now, there isn’t much indication that the elements fueling STEM education will slow.
While we don’t want to place too much pressure on any educators starting new STEM programs, there are some key suggestions we can provide. The first of those is to decide on and define the direction of the STEM program, including its identity, purposes, and objectives, which often means that the learning experiences should reflect real-world problem solving.
One of the most common terms associated with AR and VR—especially in education—is immersive. Using VR systems, students can truly plunge into any number of immersive worlds but, beyond that, VR content is incredibly impactful for teaching students about some of today’s most intriguing real-world industries while also helping them gain practical experience at times.
If you are excited but stressing just a little bit about your plans for including STEM instruction in the classroom this school year and, also potentially, on a district-wide scale, we’d encourage all to share any ideas with us. We are happy to set up a consultative call to help us better understand your STEM goals with an eye on how our team, products, and services can help.
Karim’s a kindergarten teacher who’s committed to leading STEM learning opportunities for early education students in the core classroom. Realizing the importance and value of STEM in early education, he’ll also be leading a new afterschool program beginning this fall to help introduce children to EarlyEd coding while also aiming to reduce inequities in STEM access.
For the bulk of 2020 and 2021, learning—and STEAM lessons—happened largely online and, though many children are digital natives, navigating this era of education created plenty of new and unique challenges. Now, as we strive to ensure hands-on STEAM experiences are always accessible, kids can code almost anywhere with these tools, which is key for the summer.
