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Reframe Podcast: Episode 43

Former School Teacher Brings Cross-Curricular Robotics to Students Everywhere 

Katie Henry holding up two Birdbrain robots

What do you know about building a robot? It’s not a subject that most people would claim to know a lot about.

And even despite the growing opportunities across many engineering and computer science-related fields today, there are still many barriers that prevent so many people -- especially younger students who come from families or schools that lack the proper resources – from learning about robotics, and why that’s now so important.

Read the transcript

James Loy:

This is Reframe, The podcast from the College of Education, Health and Society on the campus of Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. 

What do you know about building a robot? It’s not a subject that most people would claim to know a lot about.

And even despite the growing opportunities across many engineering and computer science-related fields today, there are still many barriers that prevent so many people -- especially younger students who come from families or schools that lack the proper resources – from learning about robotics, and why that’s now so important. 

But this is exactly what one former teacher is working very hard to change.

(MUSIC FADE)

When Katie Henry began her career teaching second grade in a local Ohio school district, she never dreamed it would lead her to where she is today. 

Katie Henry:

I never thought I would be working for a robotics company. Ever.

James Loy:

But soon a company called BirdBrain Technologies would open that door.

Katie Henry:

When I started teaching second grade in 2010, I thought I was gonna do that for the rest of my life. Because I loved it. You couldn't have found a happier teacher on this entire planet than me. I gave everything I had to my classroom and to my students. And then life surprised me again, and something inside of me that I had never experienced before was growing and I . . . I became hungry. I just became hungry in a way that I had never experienced, and I wanted to see if I could have a bigger impact in the world, and reach more students and more teachers. Because the stakes are high. The stakes are very high. We’re talking about children. 

James Loy:

After graduating from Miami University, licensed as a K-5 teacher, a K-12 tech coach, and a K-9 principal, Henry served as an educator and tech integrator for six years. 

In that time, she was named one of Miami’s 18 of the Last 9 honorees, And she got this recognition for leading teams that secured over $10,000 in grant funding to develop numerous science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) related school projects. 

She also received several STEM awards, including the Outstanding Technology-Using Teacher of the Year and the Dayton Regional STEM Center’s STEM Education School-based Collaboration Awards -- and all while simultaneously developing a popular after-school STEM program. 

But then, Henry found a new opportunity, one that allowed her to merge both her love of teaching and her experience with holistic STEM programs. In 2016, she became the professional development manager for BirdBrain Technologies, which strives to introduce robotics and computer science to all students, especially those who are still underrepresented in most STEM fields today. 

Katie Henry:

BirdBrain Technologies is about breaking stereotypes around who has access to robotics and who can do robotics. That means children of all ages, of all backgrounds. That means girls, resource-poor students, rural students, and students of color. All students can have an opportunity to not only program a robot, but to build a robot. That's very important in the 21st century, to demystify what goes into advanced engineering.

James Loy:

Funded in part by the National Science Foundation, BirdBrain Technologies helps nurture the type of learning that’s limited only by the imaginations of those involved. Art, math, science, even literature. Nothing is left out as students and teachers work together using highly versatile robotics kits to build interdisciplinary projects that solve creative and technical problems. 

Katie Henry:

It is a game changer in the world of cross-curricular robotics. And I am very, very excited to bring this product to the world.

James Loy:

And as the professional development manager, she literally does just that.

Her job involves traveling the world to lead workshops for the teachers and schools that hope to learn more about the transformative maker-based learning experiences that BirdBrain technology provides. And, so far, over 5,000 classrooms across 40 countries have already been introduced to robotics through hands-on lessons that cover anatomy, poetry, energy conservation, history, and much more.

But even as BirdBrain strives to promote equality, diversity, and accessibility, much of its philosophy is also very much about digital literacy.

We are in a society that is now increasingly influenced by digital tools. And technology, in one form or another, is a fixture in most modern classrooms. However, that does not mean that this technology is always designed, or used, in a way that benefits students.

So educators need to be intentional about the technologies they choose, and Henry is concerned with helping teachers understand the kinds of tools that will create the best learning experience possible. 

Katie Henry:

I am passionate about protecting children of all ages from devastating practices with educational technology. And I say devastating practices with purpose. I believe that there are so many . . . there are so many children who are being isolated with iPads. Isolated with Chromebooks. Isolated with screens of some kind and some app, or software program, in the name of student-centered learning. And the truth is, when a teacher isolates a child with a screen, the child is actually not alone. The teacher has given over the control of the learning oftentimes to the engineer who designed that learning experience, and you hope that that learning experience was informed by teachers, was informed by real-world experience, with classroom instruction.

James Loy:

But, often, that is not the case. Some software, she cautions, is primarily designed to collect student data, for example. Other products may be purely developed and driven for profit, and with little regard for the educational value it may or may not deliver. 

So when it comes to choosing the right technology, or the best technology, what should teachers do?

Katie Henry:

My two most important criteria are. One, you want it to be research-based. Choose educational technology that’s research-based. 

James Loy:

So, teachers should ask a few questions first: Why was this product created in the first place? Does it align with my instructional goals? Is there research to support these outcomes? The key, Henry explains, is to distinguish between researched-backed claims and sensational marketing.  

Katie Henry:

After you choose research-based technology, then you want to evaluate it for its adaptability. How easy is it to get started, and what does mastery look like? So, the low floor high ceiling. Easy to get started hard to master. Schools which have these criteria will naturally differentiate in your classroom and you will find multiple entry points for all types of learners.

James Loy:

Finally, if the classroom budget is limited, it is also critical, she says, to look for hardware that meaningfully integrates with products from other companies. That is, hardware that does not rely on the need to purchase additional products or extra services.

Katie Henry:

You want tools that allow children to truly create. If you buy a toolkit, whether that software hardware, and the only way that a child can engage is that tool is by buying extensions, in-app purchases, or other proprietary software or hardware that only works with that original kit, you've probably purchased something that's helping somebody get rich. But if you use tools in your classroom that are designed to work with other tools not manufactured by that original company, you made a wise choice. You're putting your child in charge of their own learning. You're helping the child to construct their own learning. And you're serving your purpose as an educator, which is to provide the very best for your students that you can. 

James Loy:

Katie Henry can be reached online at katiedays.com/ and @katiehenrydays 

And many more episodes of our podcast can be found online for free right now on SoundCloud and on iTunes.