For Amanda Drewel, what takes place outside of the classroom can be just as important as what happens at the desk. As a service-learning Bonner Leader, expectations were high. She was on the lookout for a program that would serve her needs as a young professional hoping to get kids excited about STEM fields. Not exactly the breeziest of tasks. But since her placement at Robberson Community School, Amanda has proven to excel in the community as an educator and coordinator with a little help from robots. Amanda describes the program idea as a recognizable need to empower young learners in the areas of STEM (science, technology, engineering and math). Familiarity with these fields will likely help students find higher paying jobs. This can help mitigate the poverty cycle many of them are in. The robotics program uses LEGO education to encourage an interest in engineering and coding. The children design and build robots that they are then able connect to their Chromebooks. Then, they build a code capable of executing sequenced movement in the robot. Typically, a lesson begins with … [Read more...] about Using robots to teach kids about STEM
By Kathy Nordyke Missouri State University service-learning students and Bonner Leaders/Program Assistants from the Citizenship and Service-Learning office are helping children at Robberson Elementary learn the sciences through the power of Robotics. This new program began Friday, November 2nd and was made possible thanks to service-learning students from John Turner's grant writing class. The grant writing students wrote a proposal and secured funding for the world-class LEGO Educational Robotics project. A special thanks to our Bonner Leader and Math/Science Education student Amanda Drewel for her hard work and dedication in coordinating this effort, writing curriculum, and working to encourage STEM before/after-school programs in our schools. Service-learning takes pride in our students and the great things they are doing in our communities to make a difference - they are shining examples of our MSU Public Affairs mission. Thank you Robberson Community School for being such a great partner and serving as a learning site for our service-learning students. … [Read more...] about Service-learning brings robotics to Robberson Elementary