VEX Robotics

Eric Howe never expected to teach robotics, but his journey led to the creation of a thriving program at Stargate School in Thornton, Colorado. Originally a social studies teacher, Eric transitioned to teaching robotics as part of a broader role, embracing the opportunity despite having no prior experience in the subject. ?? Read more about Eric's journey and how robotics transforms classrooms in our most recent Drive Forward News blog: https://buff.ly/3UaUhJA ?? Sign up for our email list to get monthly newsletter updates like this: https://buff.ly/3F82syu

Save the date! ??? The 2025 VEX Robotics Educators Conference will take place May 7—9, 2025 at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas, Texas! ?? Keep your eye out for registration to open soon, this is a great opportunity to connect, learn, and grow alongside fellow STEM and CS educators! ??? Watch highlights from the 2024 conference here: https://buff.ly/3BIuvpI ?? Learn more about the conference at conference.vex.com!

VP of Global Educational Strategy Jason McKenna's latest article emphasizes the importance of fostering a STEM mindset in every classroom. ???? Learn why all teachers, regardless of their subject area, can embrace STEM principles to promote creativity, problem-solving, and collaboration! ?? Read more: https://buff.ly/3YjPgkx

The Southern Educational Robotics Conference (SERC) 2024 kicks off tomorrow at Auburn University College of Sciences and Mathematics (COSAM)! Deepen your understanding of robotics as a method to develop critical thinking and problem solving in your classrooms in the following sessions: ?? Oct. 11th at 10 AM CT:? Science and Data Logging with VEX IQ with Jason McKenna ?? Oct. 10th at 10:05 AM CT:? AI and Computational Thinking: Vision Sensor Decision-Making with Robotics with Yuhan (Jimmy) Lin Learn more or register here: https://buff.ly/3ZOpx4O

Motivate and engage students with VEXcode VR Virtual Skills! Gain perspective on how this tool brings the spirit of competition to your classroom, creating opportunities for strategy and collaboration and provides a fun, engaging activity for your coding students! ?????? Read about this topic in a new VEX PD+ Insights article here (no subscription required): https://buff.ly/3Nh20Cd

So excited to be attending BRILLIANT next week! I'll be there with VEX Robotics, who excitingly are a Sponsor and the Technology Leader for the Festival which takes place on 15th of October. We'll be at Stand C9 — come say hi! — and at 11am in the Classroom of Now, Chris Calver will be discussing how competitive robotics programmes can help foster and promote both STEM skills and key soft skills in students! You can still register to attend ?? https://lnkd.in/eGVBQUwY

A new study in the American Journal of Education challenges the traditional “pipeline” approach in STEM, which assumes early academic success is all that’s needed for later achievement. Link: https://lnkd.in/eGRGaxSy The study reveals that underserved students, in particular, benefit from environments that nurture a STEM identity, resilience, and a growth mindset, highlighting that academic preparation alone doesn’t address the unique barriers these students face. At VEX Robotics we believe STEM should start early—but more importantly, STEM should start the RIGHT way. Research on our VEX GO and VEX 123 platforms shows that providing hands-on, supportive experiences from a young age builds the mindsets and skills students need to persist in STEM fields. VEX GO has been shown to foster problem-solving, resilience, and creativity in underserved students, allowing them to approach challenges confidently and develop a sense of belonging in STEM. VEX 123 provides young learners with tangible, age-appropriate coding experiences that lay the groundwork for technical skills while building students’ confidence and STEM identity. These findings affirm that building STEM identity and resilience from the start creates a more inclusive and effective path in STEM education—something we’re committed to supporting at VEX. For these studies and more VEX research, visit research.vex.com Proud to see our solutions bridging opportunity gaps by starting STEM the right way. #VEXRobotics #STEMIdentity #GrowthMindset #EducationalRobotics #STEMeducation #InnovationInEducation

I’m absolutely thrilled to be presenting at the upcoming ACAMIS conference at Renaissance College Hong Kong on Oct 19-20! This is such an exciting opportunity to share my passion for STEM education with educators from around the region. Robotics has become an increasingly important part of our lives, and I believe it’s essential to introduce students to be comfortable how to make sense of technology at a young age. By teaching them about robotics, we can inspire their creativity, problem-solving skills, and critical thinking. I’m looking forward to discussing the latest trends in robotics education, sharing best practices, and learning from other educators. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for STEM education! #ACAMIS #VEXRobotics #STEMeducation #HongKong #ComputerScience

In a new article, VP of Global Educational Strategy Jason McKenna explores the vital connection between early health and educational outcomes. Learn actionable steps administrators can take to drive better childhood health to ensure that early health challenges don't become lifelong barriers to classroom success. Read the full article here: https://buff.ly/4eMqA9H

Join us at the Southern Educational Robotics Conference (SERC) 2024 at Auburn University College of Sciences and Mathematics (COSAM) on October 10th and 11th! Gain practical robotics education knowledge in sessions like Science and Data Logging with VEX IQ, led by Jason McKenna on Oct. 11th at 10 AM CT, or AI and Computational Thinking: Vision Sensor Decision-Making with Robotics, led by Yuhan (Jimmy) Lin on Oct. 10th at 10:05 AM CT. Learn more or register here: https://buff.ly/3ZOpx4O