Technology is shaping our future, and as we look to the younger generation to create and innovate, there’s no better time to mold their adolescent minds but at a very early age. CreativityBox.org, a public-benefit corporation with an emphasis on education technology, has launched its first consumer-facing product with the intention to teach children, ages 3 to 6, how to program without using a screen.
The “Mochi Robotics Kit” is a programming kit that will enable kids to learn the fundamentals and basics of coding and computational thinking. This is all done through a hands-on and screenless play. The learning experience, which will include elements of stories, hands-on coding, and a real-world programming environment, will tackle the increasing access gap in high-quality STEM education.
The Robotics Kit is developed by inventor Mark Pavlyukovskyy, who created a computer that changed the lives of thousands of kids. That computer encouraged children ages 7 to 12 to build and program their own technology. Dubbed the “Piper Computer Kit” which launched on Kickstarter in March 2015, went on to receive numerous accolades from organizations such as “Dr. Toy’s 2017 Top Tech Toys”, “2018 Toy of the Year”, ITSE’s 2019 Best of Show Award”, and “Amazon’s Top Picks in STEM Education.”
Mark is joined by his friend Dr. Mihran Vardanyan and Daria Zhao, a veteran in the education industry. The trio wanted to create something that was highly stimulating but was completely screenless. Dr. Mihran realized that after his third child, kids today were glued to screens at an even earlier age. By cutting out screens, this will help to nourish the growing brains and curious hands of the youngest children.
“Pop culture teaches kids to be consumers, not creators,” says founder and CEO Mark Pavlyukovskyy. “Our kids are taught to consume technology from a young age: iPads, YouTube, games, movies, you name it. But they aren’t being empowered to build it.”
The Mochi Robotics Kit will combine audio-visual feedback, touch, visuals, songs, sounds, and movement along with story-based, education content so that kids can engage in self-directed play or through collaborative and guided learning. Mochi will be the only robotics kit on the market that is programmed with a stuffed animal bear and its multimodal functions and story-based sequence will appeal to both boys and girls. It will also be LEGO-compatible, which will increase a kid’s creative freedom to tinker and create.
“It’s hard to compete with the immediate gratification of screen-based content. Early childhood is a wonderful time to explore and develop brain plasticity because of early investments in education compound over a lifetime.” – said Chief Scientist Dr. Vardanyan.
The Mochi Robotics Kit Kickstarter campaign has under 48 hours left until the end of their campaign. At the time of this writing, Mochi has raised over $200,000 of a $50,000 goal. You can contribute to their campaign by visiting their Kickstarter page here.
The post Mochi Robotics Kit teaches kids ages 3-6 how to code appeared first on Nerd Reactor.
from Nerd Reactor
0 comments: