Virtuabotix & Artec Make It Easier to Teach Robotics, Science & Technology
It can be difficult to teach robotics, science and technology in fun and engaging ways. Because of this, Virtuabotix is working to grow its already expansive line of Science, Technology, Engineering, & Math (STEM) kits to help make it possible to teach these subjects in schools and at home.
Colorado Springs, CO July 16, 2014
Most any teacher or home schooling parent will gladly tell you about the difficulty that teaching technology & science in the classroom presents. It can be really difficult particularly from home, or in a small school to get access to the tools (Virtuabotix Educational Kits available here ) needed to make learning Science & Technology fun and affordable.
As technological, and scientific fields have grown more and more varied and important, schools and parents around the world have stepped up to the plate to teach them. But, with the existing tools and resources it has been difficult and expensive to give students and children the opportunity to learn and explore the many, many subjects that can play a critical role in opening doors to their futures.
Why should Science & Technology be a priority in education? According to indeed's Salary maps (http://www.indeed.com/salary/Scientist.html, as of Jul 14, 2014 ) Scientists make an average of $81,000 per year, and an Engineer (http://www.indeed.com/salary?q1=engineer&l1= as of Jul 14, 2014) makes an average of $89,000 per year in the United States. As far as can be predicted, these incomes will grow at a more than average rate over the next ten years. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median wage in the United States was $48,872 per year in 2013.
Why bring that up? Well, though the income is less important in this authors opinion than the joy and fulfillment that comes from doing what you love, as parents it is always a goal to give the next generation opportunities for a better life. That is not to say that every child will want to, or should be a Scientist or Engineer, but that children who show an interest in the material need access to learning materials, and activities to ensure their best chance at unlocking opportunities in their future.
Is there an easier way to teach Science & Technology? There are so many topics to cover in Primary & Secondary Education that a child should something about before they can graduate and become successful adults in the world. Teachers and homeschooling parents are already all too familiar with many of these subjects, but what about the vast array of things that are covered under Science, Technology, and Math?
"How can I teach something I never learned myself?" Was a great question asked by a homeschooling mother who approached Virtuabotix at a recent event at the Space Foundation in Colorado Springs. That question summed up the reason that Virtuabotix decided to start carrying educational kits and projects for younger audience in the last year.
The focus of Virtuabotix up until this point has been to provide advanced Sensor and Robotics equipment for folks developing their own products and Robots. Recently, however, Virtuabotix has started working with Artec Toys in order to better serve the community of educators that have come to rely on Virtuabotix for teaching resources.
In the past Virtuabotix has helped many parents and schools set up customized curriculum's and select items in ways that made it possible to teach the materials more easily, but until now that was about as much as could really be done.
Since then though, Virtuabotix has made progress towards better ways to help parents and teachers address the problems of teaching technical and scientific classes in new fun and exciting ways. They have even made strides toward the possibility of teaching technology, science, and robotics with little to no prior knowledge of the subjects by including study guides with in depth learning, homework, and experimentation guides in many of our new STEM and educational kits!
"We are excited to take a more active role in the educational community! And, we can't wait to share more resources as they are developed." Joseph Dattilo, Founder Virtuabotix.
This and much more have been made possible with Virtuabotix new [Science Technology Engineering & Math (STEM) category of products , and their ever growing list of kits and projects available.
Featured Product
Bota Systems - The SensONE 6-axis force torque sensor for robots
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No adapter is needed, only fasteners! The SensONE sensor is a one of its kind product and the best solution for force feedback applications and collaborative robots at its price. The SensONE is available in two communication options and includes software integration with TwinCAT, ROS, LabVIEW and MATLAB®.