Using iRobot's Root® Coding Robot to Fold Sustainability and Entrepreneurship into STEAM and Maker Education

With the help of iRobot Education’s learning tools, ESSTEAM Lab has been able to grow their educational programming, the goal of which is to teach STEAM and Maker education through the lens of sustainability and entrepreneurship. The nonprofit’s founder shared positive insights associated with integrating the Root® rt1 coding robot into programs, including:

• Maximizing learning time through the Root coding robot’s simple set up and quick rollout.
• Advancing toward sustainable teaching and learning through the ability to use the Root robot with students of mixed age groups and skill levels year-over-year.
• Increasing opportunities to reuse and repurpose materials using lessons featured in the iRobot Education learning library.
• Increasing opportunities to develop new educational programs.

"My focus is on how to make STEAM and Maker education as sustainable as I can. What that looks like is not just teaching about sustainability but considering materials that are versatile and reusable, which is one of the reasons I was drawn to the Root coding robot. It can be used with multiple grade levels; the robot grows with the students."

—Katie Monsma, Founder and Program Coordinator, ESSTEAM Lab, SC