Lego Debuts Robotics Learning System

• By Joshua Bolkan
• 01/05/16

Lego Education has launched Lego Education WeDo 2.0, a robot-based learning system for elementary school STEM classrooms.

"The unique solution combines the Legobrick, classroom-friendly software and engaging, standards-based projects to teach elementary students essential science practices and skills," according to a news release. "With WeDo 2.0, students explore, create and share their scientific discoveries as they build, program and modify projects. Through a series of collaborative challenges, they deeply engage with science, engineering, technology and coding, sparking a love for experimentation and investigation."

Features include:

• A wireless platform;
• More than 40 hours of lessons;
• Activities aligned to science standards for grades 2-4;
• Eight guided and eight open-ended projects designed to encourage students to think like scientists and engineers while testing multiple designs;
  An electronic brick that's part of Lego Power Functions;
• A motor, one tilt and one motion sensor;
• WeDo 2.0 Core software with a drag-and-drop graphical interface;
• A tool for students to document their process;
• Teacher training; and
• Built-in assessments.

"Teachers know that science and technology skills are crucial for today's elementary school students, but providing engaging projects that mean something in the real world is a challenge," said Jeffrey Marlow, a geobiologist at Harvard University and founder of The Mars Academy education and development program, in a prepared statement. "WeDo 2.0 offers projects that let students discover the surface of Mars with a model rover, or explore the Amazon rainforest through frog metamorphosis. These science lessons do more than just teach students facts to memorize — they represent an immersive experience that instills a deeper understanding of the scientific method and evidence-based reasoning. Not only are these skills central to science- and technology-based fields, but providing a platform for our students to spark that one idea that could change the world is something they can build on for the rest of their lives."

WeDo 2.0 is currently available for Android, iPad, Windows and Mac devices, and will be available for Chromebooks in the second half of the year.