2021 Big Book: Resources for learning anywhere
Have you seen our recently released 2021 Big Book catalog? This year, we’ve got exciting products in all categories as well as an anniversary celebration. I was able to sit down with Marketing Portfolio Coordinator Anna Gudde to ask her some questions about the 2021 Big Book catalog.
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Why is this year’s Big Book special?
The year 2021 is very special to all of us at Pitsco Education. This year marks 50 years of serving teachers, classrooms, and students – we wouldn’t have it any other way! Decades ago, educator and entrepreneur Harvey Dean founded his start-up by creating hands-on kits in a garage. The company has steadily progressed since then and now offers a wide assortment of hands-on projects, scalable curriculum, and effective learning environments meant to address all learning styles. We have always centered our efforts around one thing – the students. We have served more than 280 million students in the last 50 years!
Coding
What’s new in coding?
We’ve recently partnered with TTS to provide pre-K to fifth grade STEM and coding products that will spark students’ creativity through play and hands-on learning.
How can students progress through these coding products?
With these new products, coding can be introduced to students as young as three years old with the Bee-Bot® Programmable Robot, a cheerful and brightly colored bot that is coded through easy-to-find buttons on top of its yellow and black shell. The Bee-Bot records the commands and plays back audio when they are entered. Students will be delighted when they see the Bee-Bot buzz around the floor!
And, after they master the skills needed for the Bee-Bot, they can progress to the Blue-Bot® Programmable Robot and connect the bot to tablets, PCs, and Macs to take the programming much further. The Blue-Bot is geared toward students ages 5-9. If students are ready for another challenge, introduce the TacTile Code Reader so they can experience laying our their program via tiles to run the program, and making changes to the program is a snap!
If outdoor learning sounds attractive, the Rugged Robot is the perfect solution! Students are able to explore and use problem-solving skills with this robot designed just for outdoor use – and it includes an obstacle sensor along with three speed settings so students can set the speed of the robot.
After students have experienced the Bee-Bot, Blue-Bot, and Rugged Robot, they can dive into more advanced control techniques with the Pro-Bot® Programmable Robot and be introduced to the Scratch 2.0 offline editor using the InO-Bot Programmable Robot. Overall, the TTS robots are a fun and comprehensive coding solution that is perfect for students ages 3-14!
STEM
What additions to STEM are new this year?
After 50 years in education, we have seen STEM learning any place, in any space! STEM Boxes can help you get there. With our STEM Boxes, you can watch your kids thrive while learning in any environment, such as at home, at summer camp, or in an after-school program.
Each box includes hands-on materials and curriculum with step-by step instructions for children to build exciting projects and complete 15 challenges and activities. All activities are completely hands-on and will have your learners engaged for hours as they create, explore, invent, and, most importantly, have fun! Each STEM Box was uniquely designed for learners in that specific grade range and features activities across science, technology, engineering, and math that also incorporate reading, art, and more!
The STEM Boxes are now available in both English and Spanish. And, you can extend learning with our teacher guides that dig into the STEM concepts at a deeper level. For a limited time, you can use promo code STEMPACK30 at checkout to take $30 off your choice of the STEM Explorer, Creator, or Innovator Packs.
TETRIX® Robotics
What has TETRIX robotics added?
TETRIX PRIME has launched a limited edition robot set – say hello to our Echo robot! This uniquely crafted robotics set was created for any type of learning environment – classroom, blended, homeschool, remote – so you can now take robotics learning anywhere you go. With more than 36 days of activities and challenges, this set encourages students to put their knowledge to the test by reengineering and reprogramming the Echo bot – and it also includes an alternative build for extended learning!
Systems
Are there new ways to connect students’ learning to the community with Systems?
Our brand-new STEM PBL Units for Grades 6-9 not only enable students to learn within and across disciplines but also allow students to innovate and apply what they learn to solve a relevant problem or explore a new situation. After presenting their results to an authentic audience, you can be sure that real-world problem-solving has made an impact!
The 15 STEM PBL Unit titles cover the categories of construction, research and design, sustainability, and technology. Each unit comes with everything you need – storage, materials, and equipment needed for a class of 24 students, along with a teacher’s guide and a guide with three STEM PBL Activators containing starter ideas, cross-curricular connections, a concept map, and career cluster alignment. A Getting Started with STEM PBL e-learning course comes with the purchase of a unit as well.
Extras
Other must-know at-home learning resources?
- Code Cube™ – Learn coding anywhere with the programmable, wearable tech tool. And, explore unique at-home activities for Code Cube available for digital download.
- STEM Anywhere – No matter your learning environment, we have activities, downloads, products, and extras to keep STEM happening.
- TETRIX Anywhere – This is a new resource to use the TETRIX building system in multiple learning environments.
How can I get my own copy of the Big Book?
You can download or request a copy to be sent to you here!
A new year brings new challenges, but we’re always here to provide the solutions and help you need to succeed in our outside of the classroom! We hope the Big Book shares the products and resources you need for 2021 to be a hit!
