(An article by Sherman Chen)
I am so delighted to be back with another entry that talks about STEM education as well as robotics for kids. Lately, with the brand partnership between Elecfreaks & our learning platform, the reality of the partnership made me realised just how far we can really go when it comes to STEM education, whether it is in a physical workshop/classroom, or it's through online education. Where STEM education & learning robotics is concern, there is one brand we must never forget, and that is LEGO.
Lego is More Than Just a Toy
I think most boys growing up will at some point have own a Lego set. And for me, I had more than one Lego set. The thing is this, Lego is more than just a toy to me when growing up, it's really the perfect platform for encouraging young children to think creatively and to turn their imaginations into reality. Many of the analytical thinking skills I've developed today started a long time ago during my formative years as a child, playing with my technic lego sets.
Many of the analytical thinking skills I've developed today started a long time ago during my formative years as a child, playing with my technic lego sets.
With the introduction of the MindStorm range of products in the recent years, Lego has really made a name for themselves. The thing is this, Lego by itself is already really amazing. But I always saw their products and brand as something more. I might not own a MindStorm Lego set myself, but I loved to. And in my mind, I can already imagine and visualise how to build some really cool engineering structures and objects using those pieces without following the guidebook, and then integrating those pieces together with STEM products like Makeblock, littleBits, or even micro:bit. The fact is this, Lego has always been one of the most versatile educational toys ever created. Period.
The fact is this, Lego has always been one of the most versatile educational toys ever created. Period.
Lego + STEM + Robotics = Fun, More Fun, Crazy Fun
You want to know what will make the whole entire STEM education overhaul and go over the edge? Combine Lego with it, and take everything you've learned about each of them and finding a way to combine them all together. Fact is, children these days are getting smarter and smarter. A small five year old boy now can know about certain facts that I only knew when I was 10 (eons ago). The fact that they are generally more intelligent than the generation before them makes it perfect for them to play with more complex educational toys, and at the very same time, they are also much more capable of solving more complex problems at their age (trust me, I have seen some really smart kids while I was volunteering as a STEM workshop assistant in the past).
The fact that they are generally more intelligent than the generation before them makes it perfect for them to play with more complex educational toys, and at the very same time, they are also much more capable of solving more complex problems at their age
Bringing Lego to OLS
Which is also the reason why I am looking at acquiring a partnership with Lego to bring their technic, and robotics lego sets to onlinelabseries. Just imagine, if there was no limitation to what a child can build, if there was no limitation to the number of parts available, and they have the permission to build it as high or as big as they can imagine, what can they create? They'll definitely surprise you.
They [speaking of Lego] don't just stand well as a brand with their own dedicated lab series, but they also make the perfect product that plays potentially well with other STEM & electronics products.
That is also the reason why I wanted to bring Lego onto OLS. They don't just stand well as a brand with their own dedicated lab series, but they also make the perfect product that plays potentially well with other STEM & electronics products. Let's just say, if you do not set a limit to what I can get, I can create a thousand and one creative ideas out of what is available without following the book's examples. If I can do that, the kids learning will be able to do something even more amazing.