Robotics education arrives at MT Elementary School

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Robots have arrived at Miami Trace Elementary School and thanks to a $2,500 grant from America’s Farmers Grow Communities, sponsored by the Monsanto Fund, iPads can now be purchased to use with the robots.

All students in grades K-5 will be working with the robots during their technology class with teachers Krissy Cooper and Carrie Walton. The students will be using 21st Century Skills, such as coding, to program the robots.

In January, students were introduced to Dash and Dot, robots developed by Wonder Workshop. Each technology class received nine sets of robots. In order for the students to be able to work in small groups, though, additional tablets were needed. By utilizing the funds provided by this grant, several iPads can be purchased. This will allow each group of two to three students to work with their own robots, giving them more hands-on interaction and creative control.

Mrs. Cooper shared her thoughts on using the robots with her students: “Having Dash and Dot has opened up a wealth of technology opportunities to the students at MTES. Students are learning the complex topic of coding in an easy to understand, fun way. They are working together and learning how to problem solve, work as a team, have patience, and learn to take risks.”

The students and staff at MTES are very excited to enter the next generation of technology education. Dash and Dot have already reached celebrity status in the building. Mrs. Walton and Mrs. Cooper are very grateful that Miami Trace has taken such a proactive step in keeping up with the wide range of technological advances that are now available to their students.

When asked to share her thoughts on the programming skills being introduced using the robots, Mrs. Walton said, “When I decided to become a teacher, I would have never thought that I would be teaching 5-year-old children how to write lines of code to program a robot. It’s amazing how quickly things change. I love seeing how excited the students are and how easily they learn to use them.”

Both teachers would like to express their gratitude to the Monsanto Fund for sponsoring America’s Farmers Grow Communities.

Miami Trace Elementary School submitted this article.

Students in grades K-5 at Miami Trace Elementary School will be working with robots during their technology class with teachers, Krissy Cooper and Carrie Walton.
http://www.recordherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/27/2016/03/web1_MTES-robots.jpegStudents in grades K-5 at Miami Trace Elementary School will be working with robots during their technology class with teachers, Krissy Cooper and Carrie Walton.

The Record-Herald

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