I'm a technology teacher in a gifted and talented school in New York City. I'm also a member of the STEAM commitee where we look for ways to integrate STEAM into the classrooms. The students at my school are capable of high level thinking, problem solving and collaborative work. They're inquisitive by nature and have a thirst for creating projects that solve real world problems.
My role at this school is to teach students 21st century skills such as word processing, website design and computer science.
Students are encouraged to be creative by using a variety of digital media tools. Starting in kindergarten, students learn computer science concepts and program robots using visual coding languages. To teach computer science, we use drag and drop programs such as Scratch and Tynker. Students also use google apps for education to create documents that can be saved in the google drive. Finally, students also learn what it means to be a digital citizen by standing up to cyberbullies, protecting their privacy and avoiding clickbait.
My Project
Starting in kindergarten, the students at my school are encouraged to ask questions and investigate solutions to real world problems. By purchasing the Botley 2.0 robots, the students will have an opportunity to ask questions and then explore ways in which they could use a robot to solve challenges. The Botley Robots are user friendly, age appropriate tools that kindergarten students should be able to use as part of their STEM curriculum throughout the school year. We'd setup a STEM station in one area of the classroom where 4-5 students spend at least 15-20 minutes working with the robots. These robots would stay at school but the skills students learn while using them will transfer to the home. For example, the robots teach students how to think critically and problem solve different situations. Students will learn basic coding concepts with the robots such as sequencing, loops and conditionals.
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