Coding is, of course, a hugely important area of 21st century education. Whether they're as young as Pre-K or ready to enter college, coding is extremely relevant to almost every student's future. Thankfully, millions of educators and administrators realize the importance of teaching kids to code. Whether it's a curricular requirement or part of an informal school club, programming experiences are amazingly valuable for students. There's also plenty of options, so educators can find something without complicated or pricey features. In this section, you'll see a lot of different topics related to K-12 coding. These include features on particular STEM tools, insights on coding integration, skills students can develop and more. There's also something for teachers of all grade levels. Whether you teach the early grades or have students with the foundation to take the next step, you'll find helpful resources for teaching coding in the classroom.
Coding is truly an experience that all K-12 students can have. Starting in the early grades, students can code screen-free with a tool like the Cubetto Robot. Then, they can start to increase their coding skills and explore Blockly environments using tools like the Dash Robot, Ozobot Evo, and many others. From there, students can explore a bunch of different languages, like Snap!, Scratch, MakeCode, and more and, eventually, expand their skill sets by exploring text-based languages, like JavaScript and Python. All the while, the STEM solutions we advocate for also allow students to learn the most important coding concepts, like loops, variables, inputs, conditionals, and syntax. With a natural progression that leads to increased computer science competencies and enhanced future readiness, it's tough to understate the relevance of coding experiences in the classroom.
Here are the most sought-after STEAM tools of the year—tools that helped the Eduporium family teach everything from magical makerspace moments to amazing coding creations. The Ozobot and Bee-Bot helped to foster CS skills, while Glowforge’s laser printers enlivened makerspaces, Expeditions 2.0 put kids right in the action, and the micro:bit V2 made learning flexible.
Within the Blue–Bot app, there are two different modes: explore mode and challenge mode. Using either mode, kids can access the same directional buttons they’ve used with the Bee–Bot along with a few new features, like 45-degree turns and digital capabilities. Read on to learn how this slightly more advanced early elementary robotics tool can impact STEM learning.
The highly interactive Dash Robot simulator from Wonder Workshop is very easy to access through their Class Connect platform and it enables kids to explore coding opportunities from anywhere. Perfect for summertime or as part of afterschool enrichment, this 3D environment provides students with virtual challenges and engaging STEM puzzles for robot-free coding.
The EdSketch add-on for the Edison Robot is a low-tech STEAM accessory that allows students to program Edison to draw or write. Like the EdCreate Packs, the EdSketch Kit is a super engaging and beneficial expansion kit that helps you scale up any Edison Robot lesson. Easily add an artistic component to coding or illustrate a concept related to the
A large percentage of parents and K–12 teachers are aware that computer science and STEM education can impact children starting at a very young age. They may not, however, have all the key information when it comes to how to facilitate these learning experiences. From kindergarten up through high school, these robotics tools help kids progressively develop CS skills.
When students are ready to transition from block to text coding languages with micro:bit, MicroPython has helpful hints and troubleshooting tips to guide them. Use the References and API to find out everything micro:bit can do, then use the Error Highlighter to fix mistakes. Finally, find out how well the code works using one of two micro:bit simulators.
One of the biggest focuses in 21st century education is on teaching coding and computer science. When integrating such efforts into these classroom lessons, however, there are even often plenty of opportunities for including math angles. So, while covering core CS concepts, like logic, variables, or functions, these tools help teachers connect math and coding in fun ways.
The Aerial Drone Competition is one of the most popular educational drone events in America and the CoDrone EDU is one of few drones approved for the competitions. In this blog, we’ll explain how to register teams for drone events, why the CoDrone EDU is well-suited for competition requirements, and how to be successful in each of the four piloting
The NAO is the most powerful and capable humanoid robot for education. But its latest version the V6, has two editions: Standard and AI. Which one is right for your classroom? Whether you prefer a Standard NAO with many coding options or an AI-enabled NAO with chatbot integration and the new Presentation Mode, this robot will enrich any classroom.
The Ozobot simulator is accessible online through any modern browser. Whether they have an Ozobot robot with them or not, students can use the simulator to create and run programs. Especially with learning taking place in many different environments, this tool helps level the playing field and provides students with an accessible way to develop CS skills.
