Our longest running current blog series, the Eduporium Weekly is your source for relevant education topics. Whether it's related to EdTech, STEM, SEL, makerspaces, soft skills, equity, CTE, or any number of other things, you are sure to find some relevant content here. Our team remains committed to providing intriguing and up-to-date opinions and perspectives on the most important topics—whether they're technology-based or not. Every week, we share our thoughts about those key topics in education. Giving educators a Saturday morning read, many of our Eduporium Weekly posts reflect recent happenings, important updates, or, sometimes, some fun revelations. We're also very fortunate to serve a community of such committed educators. For that reason, we strive to keep our thoughts and content fresh. And, this section of our blog is a great place to go for just that.
Whatever is happening in education, we believe our committed team members help educators adjust. As we've seen, technology has a place in all types of learning—as long as educators integrate it strategically. As debates and discussions in STEAM and general education evolve, we adapt this content to continually educate, inform, and entertain. Our perspective may be a bit unique but our collective expertise on these topics is always improving. We also encourage you to browse the pages or search for a topic of your interest on the left of your screen. We certainly take pride in being up to date with what teachers are experiencing. From our entire team, we hope this content truly provides you with guidance and inspiration. Check back every weekend, as well, for the latest edition of the Eduporium Weekly.
When we talk about achievement gaps in education, we’re usually referring to measurable variance in achievements among students from different but often inherent groups. These include gaps in grades, attendance, and even soft skills development, and how not having truly equitable opportunities is affecting them. Moving forward, preventing and shrinking said gaps is key.
If you mostly focus on introducing elementary school students to MakerEd, it could potentially involve a much more simplistic start. Then, once they’re into middle school, children can start to create their own valuable MakerEd experiences. And, by the time they transition to high school and more fully grasp the essence of making, it’s up to them to impact their
Coding proficiencies are becoming increasingly important as new tech has entered the world. Though some kids (and teachers) may be apprehensive about learning to code, there are lots of ways to make coding experiences more accessible. These five languages, from the fun and colorful blocks to the more advanced text, help kids naturally advance their coding skills.
When it comes to virtual reality in education, the landscape will continue to evolve. Whether with online VR resources like Floreo or the flexible yet very immersive RobotLAB VR Expeditions 2.0 platform, virtual reality can check many of the boxes for 21st century engagement. Plus, it can also positively influence engagement, retention, and SEL skills, like empathy, in students.
The appeal of esports in education is not declining in all likelihood. Beyond the opportunities esports participation creates for students, they also have new chances to compete, experience being part of a team, and even work on developing genuine career skills. They can also develop soft skills while competing, which commonly accelerates social-emotional development.
Now a phenomenon that’s reached global levels, the Maker Movement has brought so many creative people together. Now, as that spirit has found its way into countless schools, classrooms, and libraries, it is also helping out educators with finding fresh ways to excite students and empower them to learn and express themselves through perseverance and project design.
Coding has become much more prevalent and accessible throughout K–12 education—helping to make it less scary for a lot of students and teachers. Though it has endless applications in today’s professions, learning to code has also probably never been quite as simple. Thanks largely to classroom robots, adults, teens, and children can learn new coding skills every day.
Teachers could use Blockly coding to teach kids about inputs and outputs on a very basic level before progressing to various, more advanced coding concepts, like loops and logic. Best of all, there are a bunch of great STEM tools for introducing kids to Blockly programming, like the Dash Robot, the Ozobot Evo, Finch Robot 2.0, Edison Robot, and the
Educational leaders can leverage esports to help create lots of worthwhile experiences for students, including on both the social and academic sides of things. Since it’s now a varsity sport in many high schools, students can combine their interests and skills in team-centered competitions, find their place in school communities, and maybe even earn a college scholarship.
Helping students learn through both independent and guided experiences can enable them to view their education differently. When we use the term ‘scaffolding,’ we’re typically referring to any targeted teaching and learning approaches that gradually evolve and ultimately empower students to lead their own learning, which is very relevant in hands-on STEM experiences.
