In 21st century education, much has been made about game-baed learning and its place in the classroom. Some educators and learning experts have questioned its legitimacy as a teaching approach while others have embraced it and used it effectively. Now, students also have the opportunity to create their own games and transform all kinds of learning into interactive experiences in which they build all kinds of innovative devices, including those they can create with the DIY Gamer Kit from Tech Will Save Us—the subject of the latest Eduporium Experiment.
Tech Will Save Us is famous for creating inventive DIY kits that empower children to create all kinds of original devices. They have one kids can use to transform everyday objects into speakers, another that’s filled with electric dough to teach conductivity, and a few more that encompass other areas of STEM as well. One thing they all have in common, however, is their consistency in being able to get kids inventing meaningful devices. And, that’s exactly the case with the Gamer Kit.
This exciting two-in-one toy and learning tool is one of the newer additions to our store and to our office. Since coding is, of course, so prevalent in the modern workforce (and will continue to be) and is used in the creation of so many things, including game design, we knew we had to add it to our store. As I unboxed it and was rummaging through the contents of the box, it became pretty clear that this tool has some pretty authentic applications and could be a game changer when teaching kids how to design, code, and think a couple of steps ahead.
There are a lot of powerful components in the kit—some of which are very small and (disclaimer) it does involve soldering, so the Gamer Kit is geared more towards older students and makers. It comes equipped with instructions and images for how to construct the device and, as a visual learner, I can say that’s definitely a good thing! In no time, I could start to see the mini console coming together, including the screen, buttons, lights, and even an on-off switch. Keep in mind the screen is very small, but it enables kids to play a scaled-down version of Tetris right in the palms of their hands after building it themselves in as little as 30 or 40 minutes!
The real fun with the Gamer Kit, however, comes in its potential for teaching coding. I didn’t try this out myself, but kids can connect their device to a computer and load in some code to compel the lights on the screen reflect whatever images they want, making the Gamer Kit a very versatile technology tool.
With the heavy focus on STEM education and coding careers constantly being mentioned among the best options for today’s students, this kit is an excellent stepping stone for getting them started! It’s a bit more reusable than some of the other Tech Will Save Us kits in the sense that kids can use it to code more than one thing, though we don’t recommend taking it completely apart and building it again even though there is plenty of value in the engineering phase as well as the coding phase.
Overall, this creative product shows a ton of upside in hands-on education and, if used correctly, can provide students with a valuable learning experience. After trying it out myself, I would definitely recommend it for students as early as junior high school and even into high school. If they can get some help with the soldering aspect, then younger kids can even use the kit as well!
To purchase a DIY Gamer Kit and enhance your engineering and coding skills, visit the Eduporium store. Don’t forget to look out for next Wednesday’s edition of the Eduporium Experiment as well featuring the Kano Computer Kit.