Computer science remains an integral element of STEM education and, these days, of K-12 education as a whole. With so many connections to current or future career opportunities, learning computer science skills can unlock various professional benefits for today's students. Because much of computer science ties in to the STEM economy in so many ways, it truly began to boom in high schools over the last couple decades. Now, however, students are starting to get a taste of it as early as kindergarten. With that foundation, they can continue learning new and more intricate skills throughout elementary and middle school. This helps put them in a prime position to learn the more advanced skills and coding languages in high school. With hands-on coding experiences serving as a driving introductory force to learning computer science, tons of students continue to benefit.
It's truly possible to incorporate a computer science curriculum at all levels of education. Even if experiences happen only after school, kids of any ages could partake. As early on as kindergarten, children can explore screen-free coding and develop foundational CS skills with tools like the Cubetto Robot or Bee-Bot. And, moving into early elementary school, they can dive into digital coding with block-based challenges. This introduces them to some more important elements of computer science and includes robust solutions they can try in classrooms. Among them are the Ozobot Evo, Dash Robot, Root Robot, and tons of others. Then, in middle school, they could explore graphical coding further or get into text-based coding. Using tools like the Edison Robot, Finch 2.0, Marty V2, or others, they can try more. Then, they'll be ready for full text code in high school with the NAO AI, databot 2.0, or others.
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.
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.
As educators in the 21st century, today’s school leaders are always looking for some help and we realize that. We try to provide teachers with as much support as possible throughout each phase of this EdTech acquisition. We are not the only ones, however, in the business of trying to make that tech acquisition and deployment process easier for educators
When exploring the wide scope of ready-made micro:bit projects, kids can incorporate its assorted built-in features, like the microphone or a speaker, while developing valuable programming and computer science skills using the MakeCode editor. Speaking of the graphical MakeCode platform, if the environment is new to you, it works with plenty of other STEAM tools, too.
The importance of providing all children with the opportunities to learn key computer science skills is often a really legitimate emphasis among STEM-minded instructors. We know how vital these skills may turn out to be for a larger number of them. Empowering students to learn these skills early and perfect them often could also help open up career opportunities later
Scratch is a great first language for programming different robotics tools or simply introducing children to some of the most important fundamentals of coding. On our store, you’ll find a large selection of STEM tools specifically for coding with Scratch, including the mBot-S, Finch Robot 2.0, Strawbees STEAM kits, Edison Robot, Makey Makey, and a whole lot of others.
Sometimes, teaching kids about coding can get complicated. Even with all of these excellent coding solutions that are available for K-12 teachers and their students, it can sometimes feel challenging to pinpoint how exactly to start. So, in this post, we’re exploring the SpriteBox Coding platform, a CS app that educators can use to introduce coding in early elementary school.
There is a huge deal of focus on coding in elementary school, and rightfully so but, this week, we wanted to go a little beyond the traditional classroom coding adventures that we love. Besides the always popular platforms, like Scratch and MakeCode, some more complex programming languages, like JavaScript, Python, and HTML, provide older kids with new opportunities.
For students, learning to code is both essential and accessible. With many age-appropriate classroom coding solutions available, helping them to see the possibilities, benefits, and enjoyment of robotics and coding education is very much possible for instructors to accomplish. Plus, other benefits of CS education, like boosting creative problem solving skills, are extensive.
