Bringing Hands-On Coding and STEAM into Your District or Classroom

Presented by Dr. Azadeh Jamalian, Adjunct Assistant Professor at Teachers College, Columbia University, Head of Education Strategy at littleBits
Sponsored by littleBits Education

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According to US Department of Labor, more than 65% of today’s students will grow up having careers that do not exist yet. Traditional models of direct instruction were designed to teach a particular skill, transferred top to bottom from teacher to student. Today, the role of education has changed. Instead of preparing for specific careers, it is vital to focus on making sure students are future ready. To do so, many schools and districts are now integrating STEM and coding into their programs. But, two key questions remain for many educators: “where to start?” and “how to bring STEM and coding into the curriculum without taking away time from other core subjects?”

In this edWebinar, Dr. Azadeh Jamalian, Head of Education Strategy at littleBits, discusses best practices for bringing hands-on coding and STEAM into your school and review guidelines on coding to learn math, science, literacy, art, and music. Pilot and case studies examining STEM implementation in elementary and middle schools are reviewed, and important takeaways applicable for different educational settings will be highlighted.

Tech and curriculum directors, principals, librarians, and teachers for grades three to eight will benefit from watching this recorded session. Viewers will take away actionable strategies for making your STEM and coding programs meaningful and effective.

About the Presenter
Azadeh (Azi) Jamalian, PhD is the head of education strategy at littleBits, an award-winning platform of easy-to-use electronic building blocks that is empowering kids everywhere to create inventions, large and small. Before joining littleBits, she co-founded Tiggly, an innovative learning company focused on creating powerful new ways of learning for young children by bringing physical play into their digital experiences. Dr. Jamalian has a PhD in cognitive studies in education from Teachers College Columbia University, and has published journal articles and book chapters on a broad range of topics such as designing learning platforms for children, emerging educational tech, game design, mathematical education, and cognition. Dr. Jamalian has received numerous awards including “IES Prize for Excellence in Research on Cognition and Student Learning” and “The Cooney Center’s certificate of innovation in Children’s Learning.”

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littleBits makes technology kits that are fun, easy-to-use, and infinitely creative. The kits are composed of electronic building blocks that are color-coded, magnetic, and make complex technology simple and fun. Together they’re interchangeable in millions of different ways to empower kids to invent anything – from a sibling alarm, to a wireless robot, to a digital instrument.