A new generation of engineering

Hidden in the back of closets, stashed in the far end of a basement or attic, you may find a box containing different pieces of metal that look like they were once all put together to create something. You’d be right. 

We are talking about Erector Sets, which debuted back in the early 1900s and were a game-changing construction toy, allowing kids everywhere to bring STEM into their homes, before “STEM” was a thing.  These educational toys challenged the imaginations of our parents and grandparents.

Fast forward to the 21st century, STEM curriculum is being incorporated into more and more classrooms. Within these STEM programs, students are being introduced to UBTECH and their educational line of UKITs. The kits allow students to engage in hands-on engineering, just like Erector Sets.  UKITs go much further; however, by incorporating coding, sensors, problem-based learning, and so much more.

UKITs for all grade levels

UKIT’s come in three levels: Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced.  The Beginner kit is designed as an entry-level robotics kit for elementary school students and is sometimes their first exposure to robotics. The Intermediate kit is a continuation of the beginner set for middle schoolers.  It includes more complex builds, as well as more pieces to construct with. Once students reach the high school level, they should be well prepared for the Advanced kit.  

The component list in an Advanced kit is more sophisticated and goes farther than just building and coding.  Students will be immersed in mechanics and coding that mimic the high-tech systems of current trends in robotics. With this advanced kit, students will have access to uCode, UBTech’s coding software. They will move from basic block coding into language-based coding like Scratch, and then to more advanced coding languages such as Python and C++.

Developing future-ready skills with UKITs

With UKITs, students can unlock their creativity, build key skills for the future, engage in design thinking, troubleshooting, and computational thinking, and work in a collaborative setting on project-based lessons. When your parents and grandparents received an Erector set all those years ago, they were able to envision what their build would look like, what it could do, and then construct it. Today’s students are continuing to do that, beginning in their classrooms and then applying the future-ready skills they develop as a result to real life situations. For more on UBTECH, check out our companion course UBTECH Basics on OTIS for educators. 

For more tips, tricks, and tools for teaching in and out of the classroom, check out more articles on the Teq Talk blog.

We also offer virtual professional development, training, and remote learning support for educators with OTIS for educators. Explore the technology, tools, and strategies that can spark student success — no matter where teaching or learning are happening.