Thursday, June 11, 2015

Cool Tool | Dash & Dot Robots

Interesting piece from EdTech Digest... https://edtechdigest.wordpress.com/2015/06/09/cool-tool-dash-dot-robots/ 


Fun, creative, rigorous. Wonder Workshop’s Dash & Dot robots are all of the above. But they’re also addressing a serious need in early education: coding. Data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics project there will be 1.4 million high-paying computer science jobs available by 2020 with only enough computer science graduates to fill 30 percent of them. Wonder Workshop is aiming to close that gap one Dash and one Dot at a time. With their sensors, microphones, sounds, lights, head motions and wheels, the rounded blue robots bring STEM to life for K-5 students, developing key 21st-century skills along the way. Through four mobile applications, students create programs that command the robots to move, light up, and detect nearby objects. Teachers are using the robots and free lesson guides to supplement a wide range of instruction, including science, math, engineering and ELA. In addition, Wonder Workshop is working with educators to create standards-aligned, classroom-tested curricula. With the knack for cultivating interest in STEM fields at an early age – and spanning demographics – Dash & Dot prove that toy robots can be fun, cute, creative and decidedly educational. Get more info at http://makewonder.com but see the video above and you’ll really get the idea.