St. Thomas School near Seattle hopes to encourage students to develop a passion for science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) by starting them young and engaging them with cool, new learning spaces featuring robots and 3D virtual reality computers.
The independent private school in Medina, Wash., starts using technology in prekindergarten and weaves technology into every subject from fourth to eighth grade. The school’s computer science curriculum, for example, starts in preschool with simple wooden robots, allowing students to learn the fundamentals of coding and become confident creating with technology at an early age.
Even though the school equips every student with a Microsoft Surface tablet, it has built two dedicated spaces to bolster STEM education: a computer lab for robotics and coding; and a zSpace lab full of 3D virtual reality computers that allow students to study human anatomy, dive into a volcano and explore the solar system.
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Each Tuesday is EducationTuesday here at Adafruit! Be sure to check out our posts about educators and all things STEM. Adafruit supports our educators and loves to spread the good word about educational STEM innovations!