The drive for integrating more hands-on STEM activities and lessons that tap into and sharpen students’ critical thinking and problem-solving skills is high. Educators are trying to find and/or design lessons that students will be motivated by and further their interest in STEM learning. But with limited time and resources, this can also be one of the bigger challenges, and STEM is often limited to what is ‘left over’ after language arts and mathematics has taken the bulk of the focus.
There are more resources available for educators to integrate STEM that are hands-on, interactive, and can be developed into project-based lessons. Of course, this would require some time and effort for the educator to synthesize the resources and lay out a project that incorporates what students know and/or are learning in other subjects, as well as base it in real-life context for better connection. While the thought of seeing how excited students will become while working through a lesson, the energy invested can be exhausting and for some educators who are already pouring in time planning other subjects, not worth it...for now (‘maybe at the end of the year’).
Many educators have discovered that the Labdisc portable STEM lab has proven to be a flexible, easy-to-use, turnkey solution for integrating STEM in the classroom. The Labdisc portable STEM lab is a wireless, battery-operated compact data logger with 15 built-in calibrated sensors. It is a great exploration tool for conducting experiments anywhere, including outside of the classroom. The Labdisc comes with a library of lessons for all grade levels, many aligned with Next Generation Science Standards, that can be adapted according to the needs of the class. Some of the many Labdisc lessons included are:
Elementary
Middle/High School Biology
Middle/High School Chemistry
Middle/High School Environmental Studies
Middle/High School Physics
Besides lessons and experiments, the Labdisc lesson library includes project-based learning activities such as:
Educators have also turned to MyStemKits, a repository of standards-driven STEM lessons. This multi-award winning, all-in-one curriculum solution makes available resources like ready-to-print 3D models, STEAM design challenges, lesson plans for the MyBot robotics system, and lessons and activities for the Labdisc portable sensor. A few are listed below:
Labdisc and MyStemKits
Watch how the Labdisc was used for Boxlight STEM Day: Boxlight STEM Day - Labdisc
If you are an educator that uses Labdiscs regularly in your classroom, we’d love to hear from you! Please share your amazing experiences below or tag us with #LabdiscLessons.
To learn how the Labdisc portable STEM lab can amp up STEM learning in your classroom, go to boxlight.com/labdisc-portable-stem-lab.
To read how Labdisc has been used in different educational settings, read some school success stories by clicking here and searching -