K-12 robotics is having more than a moment–it’s on its way to establishing itself as a necessary component of a 21st-century education.
While it can seem overwhelming, it’s not as hard to incorporate K-12 robotics into your classroom. Apps offer an excellent way to gently move into robotics learning without feeling as if you’re in over your head.
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We’ve gathered a handful of K-12 robotics apps you can explore and use in your classroom. Test them out, and let us know if you have a favorite app you use in your classroom.
CoderZ: CoderZ is an online educational environment that improves students 21st century skills, while they are having fun programming their own virtual cyber robot. Since coding can be gamified, kids at early age can start learning how to code using visual coding interfaces. Programming a virtual Lego robot, with inputs (sensors) and outputs (motors) can give all students the opportunity to get into coding without having any prior knowledge in programming or robotics.
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eSchool News Robotics Guide
The eSchool News Robotics Guide is here! It features strategies to help you effectively integrate robotics into instruction, along with tips to find the right robotics resources to successfully teach key concepts. A new eSchool News Guide will launch each month–don’t miss a single one!
Robot School: Learn to Code is a programming game suitable for children aged 7 and above. R-obbie the Robot crashed his spaceship in a far away galaxy. R-obbie needs a lot of energy to get back to his planet. Drag and drop programming instructions to help him reach the fuel he needs to return home safely. Robot School offers a child-friendly way to learn procedures, loops, and conditional instructions, while making programming fun and accessible, regardless of prior experience.
Sphero Edu: If you’re using Sphero in your classroom, the Sphero Edu app is a great extension of classroom learning. Sphero also offers its Play app, which lets you drive and play games from one app with your Sphero Mini, SPRK +, Sphero 2.0, SPRK Edition and BOLT robots.
Virtual Robotics Toolkit: This app can import files created using a number of free 3D modeling tools. Within minutes, users can easily import a model into a physics enabled simulation. Experiment with how various physical forces act on a robot, change the friction on the playing surface, or modify gravity to see how a robot would behave in a weightless environment.
Wonder Workshop: The free in-app challenges give kids hundreds of hours of STEM learning in fun and engaging ways. Kids can give Dash, Cue, and Dot voice commands and explore loops, events, conditions, and sequences. It’s more than learning to code.
iCircuit: This app lets users design and experiment with circuits and Arduinos. The simulation engine can handle both analog and digital circuits and features real-time analysis.
Ozobot: Users can connect to Evo through the app and control Evo’s speed, sounds, and LED lights. Evo can move from target to target and learn new tricks based on new code.
Jimu Robots: Users can build, control, and program Jimu Robots with this app. The app features a 3D video guide on how to assemble the robot, along with pre-programmed actions for each robot to model.
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