RobotsLAB has launched the Box, a kit that allows teachers
to use quadcopters, robotic arms, and rovers to teach math
and science with dedicated educational apps aligned to science standards. The Box includes the robotic technology, a
standards-aligned curriculum, and lesson apps installed on
an included tablet, which controls the robots. Every module
comes with an instructional video, a demonstrative touch-based lesson, a quiz, and supplemental teaching materials.
The robots include AR.Drone the Quadcopter, Sphero the
Robotic Ball, ArmBot the Robotic Arm, and Mobot the Mobile
Robot. They demonstrate core concepts in algebra, physics,
geometry, trigonometry, and calculus. The Standard edition
of the Box comes with 50 lessons, four robots, one tablet,
and 12 accessories in a transport case.
MORE INFO: www.robotslab.com
Curiosityville is a personalized play and learning world
aimed at children ages 3–8. The new village incorporates
playful learning activities, lovable and engaging characters,
and technology that enables parents to guide and track their
child’s progress in real time. In Curiosityville, children engage
with an international cast of six animated characters, including Pablo the painter, Ruby the teacher, Joe the gadget guy
(and Curiosityville’s mayor), Rosie the scientist, Jack the
policeman, and Olive the dancing chef. The characters guide
children through an ever-expanding mix of interactive, playful
learning experiences that encourage kids to explore, think
creatively, and solve problems. In addition to reading, math,
science, social studies, and other core skills, Curiosityville
incorporates evidence-based standards linked to effective
learning and lifelong achievement, including executive function, social and emotional development, and digital age skills.
Role Reversal: Achieving
Uncommonly Excellent Results in
the Student-Centered Classroom
is a new book by Mark Barnes, a 20-
year classroom teacher and creator of
the Results Only Learning Environment
(ROLE). In Role Reversal, Barnes sets
out to teach readers how to combine collaboration, the elimination of rules and consequences, narrative feedback, and
project-based learning to create a truly student-centered,
autonomous learning space. In this technology-rich and collaborative classroom, students are driven by choice. They
yearn to learn and decide for themselves how to demonstrate content mastery.
MORE INFO: www.ascd.org/Publications/Books/Overview/Role-Reversal
ACT and Numedeon Inc. have launched CareerQuest,
a free game designed to help younger students expand
their awareness of possible careers. The game appears
on Whyville.net, an online virtual learning world created by
Numedeon. The game, which is based on ACT’s research
on education and careers, is aimed at students ages 8–15.
Students can access CareerQuest by going to Whyville.net
and clicking on the ACT Career Club. They can browse information about more than 500 occupations organized into
six career clusters ranging from science and technology to
the arts.
MORE INFO: www.whyville.net/smmk/top/gates?source=fortune4
Mrs. Judd’s Games has
launched Juddly, a web-based
service and application programming interface for mobile
apps that empowers children
to safely share their in-app artwork and creations directly
with adults. Parents or teachers simply set up their Juddly
dashboard and connect apps directly to their email. Children
interact with an app, then decide when and what to share
by clicking on the Juddly icon. Adults receive the child’s
creations via email and can later organize, display, and share
them via their dashboard. The Juddly app and corresponding
games are free for children to use and contain no advertising or “freemium” charges.
