Create, Contribute, and Learn with Robots

There is no doubt that engineering and design are going to be careers of the future. There has been a national call for educators to implement more STEAM-based career technical engineering into curricula. However, most schools don’t have the foundational support they need, from classroom tech to teacher professional development. How do we support these schools to give their students the tools they need for the future? 

In this episode of Conference Connections, an interview series with K20 thought leaders, we chat with David Millage and Alyssa Vallese from Sphrero. The edCircuit team caught up with David and Alyssa at FETC 2023. The topic of this discussion was STEAM technical training, Robot assembly kits, and professional development. 

“I didn’t have a good entry way to engineering. It can be really scary and intimidating. Especially when you are starting later on and there are students and peers of yours that have been doing it since elementary school…we are trying to lower the different barriers to entry that students like me faced.”

From Robots to the Classroom

At the beginning of this conversation, David and Alyssa explore how Sphero went from robot design for Disney to transformational edtech. The simple answer is innovative teachers. Some very early adapters across the country invested in learning about their tech and began using it as an approachable engineering and robotics lesson in the STEAM classroom. From these early adapters, Sphero created a program to ensure that no matter your background in engineering and robotics, a STEAM teacher can teach their curriculum. 

At FETC 2023, David and Alyssa showed off the Blueprint Kit, which is a transformational and hands-on learning experience that schools can purchase and implement in their CTE and STEAM classrooms. 

Making Engineering and Robotics Accessible and Approachable

The goal of Blueprint is twofold. Firstly, they want to put foundational tech in students’ hands so they can learn the basic principles of engineering. As Alyssa can attest, robotics and engineering can be daunting to some students, particularly those who have no background in designing and creating robots. Sphero’s new kits allow students to explore in an approachable, fun, and academically rigorous environment. 

Secondly, Sphero wants to give teachers access to the curriculum and professional development to confidently and effectively teach engineering and robotics. As schools clamor to expand their CTE and STEAM programs to include engineering and robotics, they have had to “shoehorn teachers” into teaching curricula they don’t have experience with. Sphero’s design team is made of educators who built their kit around an accessible curriculum. 

Sphero’s Future in Engineering STEAM and CTE

The conversation closes with a discussion of gender equity in STEAM, funding, accessibility for schools, and opportunities for future expansion. Overall this conversation highlights how essential engineering CTE is and how putting accessible curriculum and approachable tech into classrooms will give our students pathways to future career success. 

To learn more about Sphero, visit their website and follow them on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. 

For more episodes on Conference Connections, visit edCircuit.

Learn more about the participants below.