mBot Robots Employed to Stimulated Learning

Do you need a way to engage your children or students in STEM learning? (STEM is a curriculum based on the idea of educating students in four specific disciplines — science, technology, engineering and mathematics — in an interdisciplinary and applied approach.)

This adorable smiling robot is an easy way to get kids excited about learning math, science, engineering and technology. It shows them that there is method to their teacher’s madness when learning a new, but boring, math problem.  mBot was see at CES, 2016 and it has obvious educational applications. Two evaluation mBots were generously provided to my fourth grade blended learning class.  The purpose was to introduce my students to robotic construction and programming. While the Chinese instructions were an obstacle for my 9 year old students, gratefully, they were able follow the pictures to put the cute robot together. Makeblock provides the simple coding needed to get the mBot moving about.

Students are highly inspired by learning to program as well as their parents, never mind learn computer programming, at a younger age, enables parents what they can expect in the years to come. Makeblock programming and the mBot has inspired many fourth grade students within my class to become UX and computer programmers. It’s amazing that such young students are inspired at such a young age, and are already doing astonishing things with robotics and computers. It’s easy to remember our younger days, when the most excitement we got out of using a computer was playing Pong on the T.V.  The mBot is a means of using graphical programming, which anyway you look at combines the four subjects, to create and control robotics in an engaging and motivating manner.  Who wouldn’t want to have students exciting about learning about math and engineering?

By, Allison Yager, M.E.T. EdTech Reporter

Contributing Reporters – Richard Berk, Producer

Allison Yager joined the Utah Channel 3 team in August 2016 to coordinate our award wining technology coverage with K1 to K12 educational curriculum.  Allison will be attending trade shows and other special events with a focus of expanding coverage to the educational arena.  Allison will be also be making guest appearances on TechTalk throughout the year.