What is STEM Robotics?
In education, STEM robotics refers to teaching core principles of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics with robots. STEM takes an interdisciplinary approach, teaching these disciplines together rather than separately.
STEM programs with robotics provide students with many unique learning opportunities. Students discover robotic assembly, electronic engineering, coding, process automation, and more. These are the skills of tomorrow we’re talking about here.
In use, simple coding robots create opportunities for engaging, hands-on learning and discovery. Programs for eLearning (like Otto Academy) provide resources and lessons to develop coding skills from beginner to advanced levels. These are great for classrooms, and at home.
Read on to discover more about STEM robotics, tools and resources, and how Otto DIY delivers.
How does STEM vs STEAM education differ?
Educators have been applying STEM teaching approaches in the classroom for a long while. You may however not be as familiar with STEAM education. STEAM teaching approaches focus on teaching STEM concepts together with the Arts.
However, the idea is not about giving STEM or the Arts equal or greater time. Rather, STEAM aims to incorporate artistic concepts, skills, and ways of thinking to technical subjects. This helps learners discover the Arts as an inseparable component to STEM education.
Otto DIY is in fact more of a STEAM than a STEM robotics project. We wanted to design a simple yet highly versatile robot for all ages and levels of experience. To this end, Otto DIY is fully open source, 3D printable, and likewise completely customizable. Discover the Arts through design and creative thinking, while also gaining valuable STEM skills for tomorrow’s careers.here.
Why are robotics now a part of STEAM education?
Robots can play a crucial role in early STEAM education. They provide both subtle and straightforward learning experiences.
For young learners especially, STEM robotics can significantly increase a child’s capacity for learning. It also helps them understand how technology can solve real-world problems. They can make logical connections between engineering, design, coding, and action.
Moreover, STEM robotics makes lessons more engaging, multi-sensory, and experiential. Teach coding and incorporate elements of design and creative thinking to give robots truly unique appearances, programs, and personalities.
How is learning robotics vital for young learners?
STEM robotics and STEAM curriculums in general provide many benefits to learners. First, there’s developing independent thinking skills. Robotics projects give students lots of time to think, evaluate, and determine how to achieve goals and complete projects. There is often very little hand-holding, but also plenty of room for collaboration, sharing, and collective learning.
Next, robotics in the classroom provides teachers with a more comprehensive approach to STEAM education. No matter what field, art, or science students seek to pursue in the future, learning robotics benefits all learners.
Also, robotics in general serves as a great way to feed the natural curiosity of young students. It brings STEM-related subjects to life, adding elements of art to activate both the analytical and creative sides of the brain.
Choosing the best robot for learners
When deciding on the best educational robot for your purposes, many solutions exist for different ages and levels of experience. There are robots that you physically code, introductory programmable robots, computer programmable robots, and kit-based robots.
Some cater to teaching very young students through play. Others range from robotics to teach beginner and intermediate programming, to those for highly advanced coders and engineers.
Otto DIY is a simple yet powerful robot for all of these users and ages. Otto robots adapt not only to age and level of knowledge, but also to whatever dreams you may have for Otto’s design. Build Otto from a kit or 3D print Otto’s external parts, and then design your own custom robot.
Just look at that Otto. This spherical Otto is not only impressive (and indeed it is), it was custom-built by a contributor in our active Builder’s Community.
Teaching STEAM with Otto DIY
At Otto DIY, our mission is to take STEM robotics to another level through a simple but highly customizable robot. Otto encourages creativity while reinforcing STEM-related concepts, and in general is a lot of fun to build, code, and customize.
It’s a coding robot for young learners and adults alike, suitable for all levels of knowledge. Learn on your own, with supervision, or in the classroom. Even join others around the world in Otto’s Builders Community.
Discover more
To learn more about Otto DIY or STEM robotics in general, find Otto on the Web, on Facebook and Twitter, or contact Otto today.