4th Graders creating robots with sensors

Abstract

Children, even as they are learning to take their first steps are already developing a more intimate relationship with technology that we ever did. Sadly, their relationship with technology is primarily based around consumption, not creation and invention. The educational robotics curriculum for grades 2, 3 and 4 at The School at Columbia is designed to shift this paradigm by giving students access to tools that inspire them to program and invent, becoming tool builders and not merely tool users. With robotics, new skills and concepts are tangible. Children are eager to dive into these new technologies and embrace the challenge of making real what they have imagined. Robotics gives students the opportunity to find new ways to work together, express themselves, problem-solve and think innovatively. Working with and learning from one another is critical to building new knowledge and understanding.