Robotics and Coding: Improving Students STEM Learning Experience

For many students, attending school is a drag. They sit through the same classes every day with no real change in their schedule. It can also be hard for students to focus on the same information day in and day out, but STEM education aims to tackle this issue. Through STEM, children can learn science, technology, engineering, and mathematics without even knowing that they are doing it. Since robotics is such a broad field, it is engaging for any child regardless of age or gender.

The field of STEM is constantly evolving and updating to our high-tech world. New programs, systems, and lines of code are constructed every day. This means that students will be able to tackle fresh tasks once they finish with one program and will be able to face new challenges every day.

STEM based learning goes against age old learning methods. It allows for students to gain tactical, hands-on experience and take a break from their 6 to 8 hour school days of the classic lecture style classroom. STEM provides learning through trial and error, rather than being fed information, the instructor is more of a guide who transfers information. It is not about memorization, it is about synthesizing everything they have learned, and triumphing after strenuous hours of work. This offers a fresh new way for students to connect to what they are learning and tap into different sides of themselves that they might not have reached without STEM.

In addition to providing an alternative classroom, STEM promotes many different types of learning and helps students gain a number of extremely necessary 21st century skills.

Through the use of robotics and in several robotics competitions, students are able to strengthen their hand-eye coordination. When building these machines, students must be very diligent about where they place every piece as a robot’s design must be precise. Today, it is possible for every student to own their very own virtual robot. This is CoderZ’s mission, to make robotics accessible for all!

When participating in physical robots competitions, for example, the students’ hands will become stronger as they keep building more and more contraptions. Also, when they finally complete their bots and are able to test them, students will learn to react quickly to the challenges placed in front of them.

Not only can students build physical robots, but they have the opportunity to play and learn with virtual ones as well. Take the EV3 robot for example. The EV3 robot was originally a tangible robot, but through coding, it even has a fully online, virtual model. This has completely revolutionized robotics.

It allows students to code their way through online obstacles in a virtual model that simulates a physical environment. This model reinforces students coding capabilities while still being able to strengthen multiple 21st-century skills.

The online EV3 bot also changed the way students approach robotics and coding. Not all students are fortunate enough to be able to pay for the equipment and tools necessary to participate in robotics. This way, with only a computer at their local library, any student can begin coding and practicing on their own robot that is nearly lifelike. CoderZ made robotics accessible and affordable to all students with this engaging, gamified learning online robot.

The benefits of coding and robotics are endless. Once a new challenge presents itself, it is a completely different game. Incorporating STEM into your classroom will allow your students to be stimulated every single time they walk into the lesson. CoderZ has you covered. Go to our website and register for a great free trial to integrate this worthwhile, engaging, gamified online learning environment into your curricula today.

Lauren Rub is a Social Media Marketing Intern at LEÓN Marketing and a 2nd year Broadcast Journalism student at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. Lauren significantly believes in investing in our youth, especially in innovation and education in the technological fields.