We're featured in "Learning STEMs from Play"
THE ADVENTURE
Kurt Klynen's book “Learning STEMs from Play” gives incredible insight into bringing hands-on and playful activities into the classroom to make learning STEM more engaging and fun. Though it was made to be a handy guide for the “Learning STEMs from Play” workshop at ISTE 2016, anyone who reads this can benefit in bringing STEM to curious learners.
“Learning STEMs From Play” is a free, interactive eBook that gives readers and educators an idea of how to engage their students in learning STEM by allowing them to be curious, creative, and most of all, playful, and the tools this incredible eBook covers will not only engage students in learning, but also inspire students to be creators and innovators. By taking physical, tangible experiences and utilizing them in a digital space, students are sure to be captivated and engaged throughout the whole learning experience. Learning STEM has never before been easier with the tools we have today. These tools enable students by helping them learn through the best way possible: Play.
THE TOOLS
From coding to game design to inventing, “Learning STEMs From Play” will give you insight on the top tools available to get students hands-on into learning dedicated areas of STEM.
Want to begin coding? Ozobot, Sphero, and WonderWorkshop can help you out. By programming actions for the robot to perform, students will begin to understand the basics of coding! Want to make your own toys and inventions? You might want to check out Thingmaker and Littlebits. Thingmaker is a kid-friendly 3D printer that receives and prints toy designs from it's companion app, where the student designs their own toys. Your inner inventor can shine with LittleBits, a kit that contains an arsenal of electronic parts, or bits, like a power source, buzzer, or motor, that easily snap together with magnets. Connect a power source to a buzzer and noise will sound. Too loud? Connect a slide dimmer bit between the power source and the buzzer bits to control the volume.
If you are looking for a tool to tackle all of the areas of STEM at once, you're in luck. Both Pixel Press video game design tools, Bloxels and Floors, are featured in “Learning STEMs From Play”, and for good reason. Game Design covers every aspect of learning STEM and then some while still maintaining playful and hands-on learning. When starting out building a game, the student will ask questions like: “How high can the player jump? If I put these two platforms this far apart, can the player make that jump? Did I place too few enemies? Did I place too many enemies? Is my game too hard to complete?” It's this kind of Design Thinking and problem solving that helps students become better thinkers and learners. Bloxels even takes it a step further by allowing the student to create and design the art of the game, further encouraging their imagination and creativity.
“The most important aspect of the curriculum is to promote student engagement throughout the entire learning experience.” - Kurt Klynen, Learning STEMs From Play
Hands-on STEM activities will encourage students to play with more creativity and learn with more curiosity. With this STEM guide, you will be able to implement engaging lessons that students will love. If you're at ISTE this week, be sure to check out this amazing book and all the booths, playgrounds, and workshops featuring these edtech tools!
Learn more about these amazing STEM learning tools and how to implement them in your classroom by checking out the interactive eBook “Learning STEMs from Play”!
See you all at ISTE 2016!!!