An Introduction to Educational Robots

When I was a kid, the closest thing I had to an educational robot was Teddy Ruxpin — an animatronic bear whose sole function was to “read” you stories that were played on a cassette tape. As the cassette played, his mouth and eyes moved, and when left alone in a dark room, he could be a great tool for scaring your younger siblings. (I should know. I was the younger sibling.) But that’s where Teddy’s abilities would end, as would my experience with educational robots in my youth.

Luckily for today’s students, that experience and exposure to robots is vastly different. There are hundreds of classroom robots available, all of which have their own unique functions and capabilities. And with such a variety to choose from, teachers are faced with a new set of questions. The biggest being…

How do you choose which robot is right for your classroom?

At this year’s NYSCATE 2018 conference, we’ll be there, ready to help you tackle that question. Our booth will be stacked with our favorite classroom robots (including all the robots below!), and our team will be there to help guide you through a number of hands-on robotics activities. You won’t want to miss it.

Stop by our booth to learn more about these amazing robotics solutions:

Wonder Workshop

Dash

Program Dash to do anything from reacting to the sound of a clap, to performing a victory dance, to detecting and avoiding obstacles.

Dot

Small, mighty, and responsive, see what you can make Dot do using the Blockly app.

Cue

Using Microsoft’s MakeCode platform, edit and translate between block and text code.

Robotis

Build your own robot with Robotis! Robotis kits for STEM education are designed to introduce and engage students in engineering, coding, physics, and more.

Sphero

Transform this little ball into so much more with code! Pair Sphero and the SpheroEdu app to guide its movements and make it respond to a number of different actions. From draw and drive commands to block-based or even JavaScript text programming, Sphero focuses on learner progression.

Ozobots

Can you program a robot to move right or left, speed up, and move backwards? How about simulate a tornado! See how early learners can do that and more using color-coding with markers, and advance to more advanced programming using the Ozobot app.

Kibo

With KIBO, children build, program, decorate and bring their own robot to life! KIBO lets kids’ imaginations soar — all without requiring screen time on PCs, tablets, or smartphones.

Sam Labs

Build your own robot, and manipulate it using your app or the software that’s built into your SMART IFP.

More NSYCATE!

Want to schedule time with our team at NYSCATE 2018? Email us at Events@teq.com.

Teq at NYSCATE 2018: Stop by booth 407 and 409 to learn about new ways to support and integrate your STEM initiatives. We’ll be showcasing the robotics, coding, and maker solutions that bring learning to life – and talking about how to build your teacher toolkit with Online Professional Development: the best technology-centric eLearning platform out there.

Find out more about the conference from NYSCATE.