Beyond the screen: how the classroom experience will evolve

When we think of technology in the classroom, the first image that comes to mind is probably a room full of students staring at screens all day, raising legitimate concerns about their eyesight, lack of meaningful interaction with other people, and for the younger ones, even about their brain development.

But technology, including the devices and apps used in education, is not only advancing, it is changing form, so the stereotype no longer has to be true. Interacting with a screen is only a part of the experience EdTech has to offer: from artificial intelligence to mixed reality, education technology has left the limited space of the screen behind and is acquiring a role in the classroom that is not just larger, but also more varied.

The 10 Essential STEM Teaching Practices

Many of my middle school students were natural scientists. They loved to explore, invent, build, figure things out and be actively engaged in their learning. While they would tolerate working with a fake scenario (“A space alien has just landed and . . .”) they were most engaged when dealing with problems that real scientists and engineers were working on.

Environmental issues were among their favorites; they wanted to make the world a better place.

That’s reason enough to be a STEM advocate! Kids need a place where they can get together to learn how to approach and solve problems they care about.

Why Robotics should be included in STEM education

In a world where the importance of technology is growing by the minute, it comes as no surprise that educators understand the importance of focusing on STEM subjects: science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Programming is already gaining popularity, but there is another area of knowledge that involves all four letters of the acronym and deserves more attention in a school system that truly means to keep up with the times: robotics.

RobotLAB and Roanoke County partnership together to bring Pepper Robot at the Public Library

The Roanoke County Public Library has become the first library in the U.S. to recruit Pepper, the humanoid robot to serve as part of the library's team.

Preparing students for future jobs with STEM Education

The job market is changing by the minute. While accurately predicting the future is impossible, that is a statement with which most analysts agree. Over 60% of our current students will end up having careers that do not exist yet, and for a teacher whose task is to prepare them for those careers, keeping up with the breakneck pace of change can be daunting.

What can we do to ensure the future generations are ready? Although the future is uncertain, we do have a few certainties to start from.

Five Steps For Integrating Computer Science in the Classroom

Check these classroom-friendly tips and resources that you can use to introduce young learners to coding, storytelling, and creative problem-solving!

How Robotics Improves Education at School

Educational Robotics allows students to learn in different ways STEM disciplines, with the objective to facilitate students’ skills and attitudes for analysis and operation of robots. But robotics in the classroom has several other benefits: let’s learn more about how it impacts on education.

The First Public Library to Own Pepper the Humanoid Robot

Roanoke County Public Library (RCPL) has become the first public library in the U.S. to recruit Pepper®, the humanoid robot to serve as part of the library’s team. RCPL is partnering with RobotLAB, a San Francisco based company, to create content and develop a variety of programming for patrons of all ages, to be delivered in-house at all library locations and via outreach efforts. Developed by SoftBank Robotics, Pepper will also be used as a host to drive traffic to lesser used library areas.

20 STEM Activities For Kids This Summer

School may be winding down, but that doesn’t mean learning has to. In fact, it is vital that it doesn’t!

When students let their brains take a break over the summer, they can lose the equivalent of two months of their grade-level math and reading skills. To combat summer learning loss and keep those STEM skills fresh over the summer, Project Lead The Way put together a list of super simple (and fun) STEM activities you can do with your children over summer break.

A Summer’s Worth of STEM PD/Prep Ideas!

School is out or soon will be for summer – a time when most teachers can kick back and take full advantage of a sun-and-fun break. No more thinking about students and school, right? Wrong! (You knew that. Teachers are always learning.)

In my years teaching middle school science, summer was an ideal time to pause, take a deep breath or two, and let my mind wander over lessons and learning that took place during the previous school year. Inevitably, ideas for changes and improvements drifted to the surface as I thought about things that went great and . . well, not so great.